Christmas stories for everyone

DEBBIE JACOB

CHRISTMAS wouldn’t be Christmas without the tradition of holiday reading. I began my Christmas reading the beginning of October so I could share some ideas about Christmas reading with you. Whether you celebrate the holiday or not, Christmas stories offer satisfying entertainment and important lessons about many values we want children to have like empathy, open-mindedness, kindness, selflessness and charity.

No child ever forgets a good Christmas book like How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr Seuss. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens with stingy Scrooge, who changes his ways after being visited by three ghosts, is still a must-read holiday story. My children never forgot An Island Christmas by Trinidadian writer Lynn Joseph. (We really do need more Caribbean Christmas stories.)

Teenagers have a timeless holiday classic in The Gift of the Magi by O Henry. The story of a poor couple trying to buy the perfect gift for each other is touching and humorous, but also presents a subtle message about how the search for that perfect gift can backfire.

Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances by John Green, Lauren Myracle and Maureen Johnson is still arguably the best Young Adult (YA) Christmas read. These popular YA authors offer three interlocking, teenage romantic stories with characters that appear in each other’s stories.

Mr Ives’ Christmas by Oscar Hijuelos is still my favourite book for the season. It is an unforgettable novel about dealing with tragedy and forgiveness. This could have been a sad book about an old man dealing with his son’s senseless killing, but the late Cuban-American writer penned an uplifting story of courage and kindness while evoking the Christmas spirit.

There are Christmas stories for everyone. If you enjoy John Grisham’s thrillers, you’ll be surprised to read his humorous novel Skipping Christmas, which raises the question of what happens when we decide not to follow our holiday traditions. Mystery buffs will enjoy Agatha Christie’s novel Hercule Poirot’s Christmas 1938, a murder mystery that takes place on Christmas Eve.

Here are some of the books I’ve added to my list of favourite Christmas books this year:

A Dog Named Christmas by Greg Kincaid: An unexpected hit movie in 2009 made this novel, which is part of a trilogy, a popular Christmas read. The story of an autistic boy who wants to participate in his community’s take-a-dog home for Christmas programme raises many questions about holiday spirit.

This book is special because it doesn’t present typical Christmas conflicts. Instead, Kincaid offers a dilemma that makes compelling reading. Should the family risk getting attached to a dog they have to take back? Will the father lose the lessons he wants to teach his child if they decide to keep the dog? The story is fun and unpredictable.

The Night Before Christmas by Nikolai Gogol, published in 1832, might just be the most overlooked Christmas classic. As a village prepares for Christmas, a witch emerges from one of the chimneys belching out smoke. Gogol offers a ghoulish Christmas story that rests comfortably in the realm of the fantastic. It's fun to explore holiday stories from other cultures.

A Treasury of African-American Christmas Stories by Bettye Collier-Thomas lives up to its title. This collection of stories from a generation of freed slaves captures the holiday spirit and the culture of the post-civil war era. Each story includes short biographies of the writers, most of whom were educated black women, a remarkable feat for that era.

These writers never forgot their cultural roots or the poverty that defines most black people’s lives. Many stories are about children who believe in goodness, kindness and a benevolent Santa Claus. Their struggling parents try to conjure up a magical Christmas. One story of a teacher with children who expect nothing of Christmas is particularly poignant.

This is a remarkable collection of stories that shows how the post-slavery black culture dealt with a holiday and religion imposed on them through slavery.

Mr Nicholas: A Magical Christmas Tale by Christopher de Vinck, published just last year, is an endearing story about a man learning lessons of trust, hope and imagination from a down syndrome child as he struggles with his marriage and the meaning of his life. This novel brings home the message that we have to make our own magic for the holiday and in life.

Check local bookstores for Christmas books in stock, and keep these books in mind to build your own Christmas library collection. Start your own tradition of Christmas reading.