Christmas Short Stories Anthology

Twenty stories were originally published in the Christmas editions of the magazines “Household Words” and “All The Year Round”. Some of the stories have little holiday sentiment and exhibit much of the indignation Dickens felt at the social and economic injustices of his day. Some of the stories were written in collaboration with other authors.

When her beloved dog passes away just before Christmas, Gloria isn't sure about her best friend's advice. Holiday hilarity ensues when a new cat shows up on her doorstep each day. Who's leaving the cats? And why? Will Gloria's Christmas go up a poof of pet fur, or will it prove to be the most purrfect holiday ever?

From an unexpected visitor on Christmas Eve in "The Christmas Mouse" to an unwanted change of plan in "No Holly For Miss Quinn", Miss Read recounts some of the most memorable Christmas events where often, despite best-laid plans, things do not always go as expected.For heart-warming reading there is no writer to rival Miss Read, and this charming collection of Christmas tales is packed with unforgettable characters, enchanting stories and festive cheer.

An Off-White Christmas features a dozen stories all set on or around Christmas, though, with little to no clear religious emphasis. Instead, these stories explore life changes and choices and chaos in times of heightened drama, when family and friends and life partners merge to form cohesive units, happy or otherwise. The stories range from a gambling spree in Las Vegas to a caravan traveling to Baraboo; from a teepee hotel in Kentucky to a retro movie theatre in Arizona; from a jolly Santa lookalike to a frustrated Dickensian actor; from students to retirees.

Flagged down by Inspector LaStrade of Scotland Yard as they walk through the icy winter streets, Holmes and Watson are transported to the home of the aristocratic Lady Whitebread. Once there, she tells them her traditional holiday centerpiece has vanished in the midst of the Christmas dinner - right under the very noses of her guests. The decoration? An enormous work of the jeweler's art centered upon a three inch round emerald called...the Christmas Jewel.

Dive into a world of enchantment with Twinkling Tales of Christmas, a delightful collection of 30 captivating short stories that will transport children and parents to the wondrous spirit of the holiday season. Join our young heroes as they embark on thrilling adventures, discover the true meaning of Christmas, and share in the joy of giving.

Christmas is the perfect time of year to fall in love; especially if you're a specter or a retail employee, that is. At Holiday Falls Mall, love blooms in sweet and spooky ways for four shop employees during the holiday season. This collection features two stories from queer romance writer Imogen Markwell-Tweed, and two stories from sweet romance writer Wendy Dalrymple for a unique, intertwined anthology of paranormal romance novelettes.

Advent and Christmas are my favorite times of the year, with the coming celebration of the birth of Christ. However, the older I get, the more I have come to realize that Christ has been relegated to third or perhaps fourth place behind toys, decorations, and commercialism. I wanted to create a series of stories that might bring the true reason for the season back to its place of importance. These whimsical, multicultural tales evoke the timeless human needs of love, companionship, and purpose in life that are promised in the birth of a baby at Christmas.

Very much in the style of L. Frank Baum ( The Wizard of Oz), this story shows that Harry Potter was not the first remarkably popular world hit in junior literature. A Kidnapped Santa Claus, a fun fantasy, is actually a continuation of the first novel Baum wrote in this vein, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. In it, he charts his hero's life from a foundling in the forest to becoming all children's favorite uncle. This story, though, has the advantage of brevity.

Paxton Peterson’s favorite day of the year is his annual Gay Boy Christmas dinner. He’s checked and double-checked his to-do list, because nothing stresses him out like the unexpected. Confident everything will run smoothly, Paxton embarks on his yearly snowshoed hike through the Rocky Mountains near his home. His perfectly planned evening is cut short by Logan Charles’s careless enjoyment of his brother’s snowmobile, and Paxton is stranded in the woods. It’s the worst thing that could’ve possibly happened to him - or maybe the best.

Whether you've been naughty or nice, Santa has a treat just for you. Replete with visions of sugar plums, big juicy candy canes, and stockings eager to be filled, The Merry XXXmas Book of Erotica is a campy, blazing-hot feast of holiday erotica that will have you wishing the season of giving lasted all year long. Among these stories, Lynne Jamneck’s "What I Really Want for Christmas” is a tale of friendship igniting to passion with the help of an interfering family, good whiskey, and a Santa suit.

Merry Christmas! Your child will enjoy this cute Christmas audiobook full of fun stories for kids.

Welcome to the town of Kismet Bay where magic and fate are a way of life...Have all eight stories in one place and all new bonus material! Listen to the series epilogue never before been published! Follow the Strange family through their journey to love and their eventual happy-ever-after.

NEW YORK TIMES Bestselling Author This novel can be read as a stand-alone book or as part of the bestselling series, Simone: Adventures in Dating. Simone Stevens has never been lucky in love, but that doesn't stop her from trying. When she meets a sexy mall Santa who sweeps her off her stilettos, she vows to give herself--and him--a Christmas Eve to remember. After a passionate night in front of the fireplace, it soon becomes apparent that this Christmas-obsessed hunk is hiding something. When he leaves abruptly, Simone is left wondering whether their evening together was nothing more than ...

From the internationally best-selling author of The Alchemist comes The Pine Tree at St. Martin, a never-before-published Christmas parable for the ages. Fans of Paulo Coelho will immediately recognize the master storyteller's incomparable voice, and will treasure this story's simplicity and poignancy for many Christmas seasons to come.

Judging a chocolate-making competition for the women’s shelter’s annual fundraiser should be an easy, even pleasurable, assignment for Maise, new food critic for the Bloomingfield Daily Dispatch. Too bad just the smell of chocolate makes her stomach roil. By the time she reaches the last table, she hopes her face isn’t as green as her holiday sweater. But the tall, square-jawed man behind piles of fudge makes her want to linger, even savor the moment along with his chocolate-coffee-flavored confection.

Charles Dickens created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime and, by the 20th century, critics and scholars had recognized him as a literary genius. After the success of A Christmas Carol in 1843 Dickens continued the series throughout the 1840s, maintaining what he called "the Carol philosophy" to "strike a sledgehammer blow" for the poor, uneducated, and repressed.

The scent of balsam pine fills the air. The snow falls gently outside. A fire blazes merrily in the hearth. Grab a plate of Christmas cookies and a steaming cup of cocoa and sit down to enjoy this collection of cozy Christmas tales. In this audiobook, you'll find a magical Christmas tree that appears of its own accord every year, angels, ghosts, and a century-old hotel that miraculously reappears during the holiday season.

Let the magic of Christmastide in regency England warm your soul. Curl up with these three must-listen romance novellas in one heartwarming collection and transport yourself to another place and time. This audiobook collection features three books: How to Kill a Rogue, Christmas in the Duke's Embrace, and One Wicked Christmas.

In Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket, Lucy Rose tries to talk her folksy Aunt Cyrilla out of bringing her big, bulgy, funny-looking basket to the city to deliver Christmas goodies to their relatives in the city. When their train is stranded during a snow storm, Aunt Cyrilla and her fellow passengers team up to provide a proper Christmas morning for the little ones in their care.