Christmas Short Stories Anthology

Having lost the man she loved early on, Crystal vowed to live freely for the rest of her life. But, after her business is threatened due to theft, she hires a private financial investigator to plug the leak. Falling for the tall, dark, and very serious stranger was certain, what she hadn’t expected was for it to be true love. Rory has lived a life of the straight and narrow, he’s always been an eye on the prize, kind of guy. The prize? Retirement in the tropics where doesn’t have to worry or work. Sure, he was prepared to take some hits to achieve the goal, mainly his health, relationships, and his state of mind. Now this new-age hippy woman wants him to relax. But, he’s got a job to do, if his heart doesn’t betray him first.

It's the most wonderful time of year...or is it? Christmas Eve is a night of mystery and magic, but not always in ways we expect. Things lurk in the shadows, and they're not the least bit jolly or merry. Let's just say some presents are better left unopened. 'Tis the season to be screaming along with our 13 tales of holiday horrors. Ghosts. Monsters. Demons. And more! This Christmas, be careful what you wish for....

In a small town in the American South, it is night in the middle of the 20th century. Carter, a high-school teacher and football coach in the newly desegregated schools, is awaiting news of two of his students who have been in a serious altercation. Outside the building where Carter has kept his vigil, a crowd of townspeople have also gathered to keep watch. Carter must choose how much he wants to participate in the spectacle and how much he can afford to keep his distance.

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.

It all started ten months ago. I had just gotten to Fallen Peak and met my new boss. Ledger Miles. He’d be the man of her dreams if he wasn’t such a jerk. When the accident happens and I’m called to the hospital, I’m shocked to learn that Ledger doesn’t remember his life. In fact, the only thing he is sure of, is that we’re married.

Christmas is coming to Salem, but so is an evil force that threatens all mankind. In this memorable collection led by New York Times best-selling author Heather Graham, four powerful Keepers must save their community as a strange, eternal night creeps over the town. Forced to choose between their time-honored responsibilities or the lovers their hearts desire, these four extraordinary women must risk their own happiness to save the holiday.

Twenty-five more timeless Christmas stories from Enid Blyton. The excitement of singing carols, exchanging gifts and a bit of her trademark mischief can all be found in this festive collection. Stories include 'The Pantomime Wolf', 'Christmas in the Toyshop' and 'The Extraordinary Christmas Tree'.

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.’

It's Christmas in the windy city of Chicago with two award-winning stories to warm your heart for the holiday season, "Dante’s Gift" and "Merry Christmas, Henry"....

This is an omnibus that features all three volumes of Twelve Days of Christmas Horror in one box set. Including such stories as "'Twas the Night Before Murder", "The Nativity of the Living Dead", "Secret Santa for the Sadistic", "Elf on a Shelf", and "A Christmas Carol: The Aftermath". It's time for your festivities to get frightening.

Alice McKinney was supposed to be home for the holidays. Instead, she’s trapped in a blizzard, held up in a small cabin somewhere on the coast of Oregon. If that wasn’t bad enough, her brother had sent his best friend, Eric, to drive her home instead. The man of her childhood dreams. It was supposed to be a simple road trip for him, too: Go down to Cali, grab Alice, and bring her home to Portland. But spending 15 hours in a car with the girl he’d always wanted - but couldn’t have - was punishment.

A Chicago journalist finds himself in a small Texas town on Christmas Eve. Lonely and alone, he encounters old faces and new facts: a hand carved manger, a father's guilt, a young girl's faith. The trip into the past holds his key to the future, and a scarlet cross shows him the way home.

A Baker’s Dozen - A collection of 13 classic Christmas stories.

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.

Four dark tales of the holiday spirit. In "Christmas Eve Gift", Old Bill sets out on her annual Christmas Eve journey to her niece's house and encounters an unexpected darkness along the way. In "A Dark Christmas", Alice, a dark daughter of the vampire, Elizabet, turns the table on a family of hunters. In "On the 7th Day of Christmas", Sunny finally gets to throw a party, only a monster shows up and twists a small kink into her New Year's Eve festivities. In "Twelfth Night", A 13-year-old encounters the Woman with No Face for the first time.

After the death of his brother, Robert not only becomes Viscount Landers but also gives up his army career and agrees to marry his brother's beautiful fiancé to ensure the succession. When he's snowed in for Christmas with his shrewish betrothed and her attractive but practical cousin, Eleanor Carlisle, Robert realizes he's engaged to the wrong woman. As the temperature plunges, the heat is on Viscount Landers to untangle the ties of duty and the wishes of the heart.

Christmas brings out the best and the worst in us, as can been seen in this evocative anthology. Among what Thomas Love Peacock calls the "many poetical charms in the heraldings of Christmas," there are eulogies by saints and diatribes from curmudgeons. Here, Christmas is expounded by divines, sung by rustics, deplored by philosophers, made mystical in stories and summed up in a line by the poet Elizabeth Jennings: "The hush, the star, the baby, people being kind again."

From an impoverished student riding the rails home to be with the love of his life for Christmas to a family donating their Christmas to help a struggling neighbor, this is a book of 16 stories on the power of the spirit of Christmas. We must recognize that the world is but a looking glass, reflecting back on us the kindness and charity we show one another.

“The Santa Call” - After accidentally forgetting his wife at home during a weekend getaway, ol' St. Nick returns to discover she's left him. At wit's end, Santa turns to a radio talk show for some much needed love advice. But will he win Mrs. Claus back in time to save Christmas?

Also included: “Mad Dog” - Mad Dog is a drunk. He was also once the top sports announcer in the country, announcing everything from Cotton Bowls to Super Bowls. Now he's washed up and looking for work.

The beloved Victorian Christmas ghost storytelling tradition continues to thrive in modern day, and this multi-genre anthology of short stories is proof. Cuddle up next to a crackling fire with some holiday music playing softly in the background, and lose yourself in eight amazing Christmas stories by a gang of super-talented, cross-genre authors. Not only are they heartwarming, but they incorporate mystery, science fiction, romance and ghosts!