Christmas Anthology Stories

One of the many joys of Christmas comes from the traditions associated with it. Best-selling author Caroline Kennedy drew on her own family's traditions to create this charming collection of favorite stories, poems, and writings that celebrate the holiday spirit.

A magical and hilarious short-story collection from 13 bestselling, much-loved storytellers. This is the perfect seasonal listen featuring 12 brand-new short stories based on their author’s favourite Roald Dahl characters.

The holidays have arrived in Avalon, Illinois and everyone is filled with festive cheer. Well, maybe not everyone. The husbands of Avalon have started a Bah Humbug Club. A neighborhood cookie exchange wreaks havoc on Erin Meeks' carefully planned life. Melvin O'Malley's daughter has abandoned him for the holidays in a senior facility, and shop owner Margot West is intent on creating the best holiday shopping experience for her customers when a stranger threatens to ruin it. But a few surprises await them as well.

Here is the preface to 12 magnificent stories, originally part of The John Cheever Audio Collection, in which John Cheever celebrates - with unequaled grace and tenderness - the deepest feelings we have.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on 4th July 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, a town synonymous with the earlier Salem Witch Trials. It was instrumental in Hawthorne’s later use of American Gothic and dark romanticism in his writing. Hawthorne’s short stories were first published in magazines but in 1837 were collected and published as ‘Twice-Told Tales’. A steady literary career still did not come his way and so he worked in a good position at Salem’s port and married the love of his life Sophia Peabody. Finally, in 1850 came spectacular literary and commercial success with ‘The Scarlet Letter.’

The Barrali family has seen its share of scandals. But what of those who work for the famous royals? This collection of three romantic holiday tales takes you to the Barrali Winery, to an elegant royal yacht, and through the palace's secret garden to experience the passions of those who serve.

An entertaining selection of short stories including 'An Odyssey of the North' by Jack London, 'A Christmas Tree' by Charles Dickens and 'After the Race' by James Joyce.

Ten-year-old Effie lives the life most children dream of - with every day filled with delicious treats and wonderful toys. One night she experiences a dream that will forever change the meaning of Christmas for her. In it, she meets a group of under privileged children and she is inspired to create a Christmas they will never forget.

"A Christmas Tree" is perhaps best described as Dickens' "other" Christmas story. This is an elderly narrator's reminiscence of holidays past, each incident inspired by the gifts and toys that decorate the traditional tree. There is a range of appeal in the story itself, from snug memories of beloved toys to the passing along of eerie stories surrounding various childhood haunts.

'Rumpole and the Old Familiar Faces' finds the claret-loving barrister spending Christmas in chilly Coldsands, staying with an old school friend of Hilda. When he is introduced to the new owner of the Old Manor House, he is surprised to realize that they've met before in more unsavoury circumstances. And Donald Compton's is by no means the only familiar face Rumpole will encounter during this particular festive period.

Lady Elizabeth craved excitement and adventure. Unwilling to endure further boring Seasons, she convinces her uncle, who has lived a more adventurous life than anyone else she knew, to let her work for him. A few years later, Elizabeth was established in Tuileries Castle, a servant in Napoleon's court known as Lisette Renard. John Phillip Trent has been working in the stables of Tuileries as Jean Pierre Bouvier for the past two years.

Celebrate the season of miracles with this collection of short stories about the lives of ordinary people and the lessons they learn during an extraordinary time of year. You’ll meet a young boy who reevaluates his perceptions after he’s forced to spend Christmas with his stern grandfather, an attorney who seemingly has everything but really has very little; a burned-out homecoming queen who grows weary of her own excuses for failure; and many other memorable characters.

A Christmas anthology from legendary historian and Christmas Cracker compiler John Julius Norwich. This year go carol singing in the Cotswolds with Laurie Lee or attend church with a grumpy Samuel Pepys. Make plum puddings for bemused French villagers with Elizabeth David; go present shopping with Virginia Woolf, or eat far too much with Agatha Christie. Celebrate Christmas at Chatsworth, in the workhouse or marooned in the ice with Shackleton....

The holidays mean many things to many people. Christmas Beyond the Box takes that notion a great deal farther, and provides some truly unconventional looks at the season from several unusual perspectives. Suitable for all but the very young, there's sure to be a tale worth retelling in this collection for many Christmases to come. Though the stories in the collection take place during the holidays, don't assume they won't generate smiles at any time of the year.

Christmas is coming – and so is love. Love is in the air this Christmas, and three couples are finding that working at the holidays comes with an unexpected benefit – a soul mate. This holiday anthology includes three previously published novellas, together for the first time in one collection. Each steamy story features a midlife couple, an alpha male, an independent woman, meddling friends, and a guaranteed happily ever after. Dating Santa: A Hot Workplace Seasoned Romance Forty-year-old Samantha has never had much interest in falling in love. Her troubled childhood taught her that ...

American author Washington Irving is known for his legendary tales like Sleepy Hollow, but also as the great architect behind how Americans now perceive Christmas. In his 1819 collection, The Sketch Book, he devotes one story to a reflection on the meaning of Christmas and its celebration. The story’s protagonist reflects on how its ancient rituals may have vanished almost completely, but that the warmth of togetherness will still prevail for those who welcome it.

Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas in Five Staves when he was 31. Now with numerous adaptations for film, television, radio, stage - and indeed in audio - it has become an essential part of Christmas for many. Raconteurs Audio has created this collection to include Dickens’ two Christmas novellas, The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth, as well as some of his lesser known short stories with a Christmas theme.

Attorney Desiree Contando can think of only one word to describe her very first home: disaster. The vintage Queen Anne is beautiful - or will be, in about 1,000 years. Certainly not in time to host the family Christmas gathering. “Disaster” also describes the bad breakup that left her picket-fence vision in tatters. Even the carpenter she’s hired is a reminder of lost dreams - the high school crush who never spared her a passing glance. But she’s a grown-up now, perfectly capable of keeping things professional.

This Christmas, escape into a world of romance with this delightful anthology of stories from Aurora Rosewood. In this collection, listeners will explore the joys of the holiday season through the eyes of two diverse couples as they embark on their own unique adventures of love, heartache, and redemption.

Angie Reynolds' heart aches for a husband and family of her own. Unfortunately, she's looked for love in all the wrong places with nothing to show for it but disappointment. None of the guys she's dated is worthy of her, including her ex-husband. This Christmas season looks to be another one spent alone. Yet until Angie realizes her own worth, she will never be able to accept the gift of love from someone like Brad Miller.