Christmas (Bookshelf)

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday characterized chiefly as a time for getting together with one's family (quality family time), spreading goodwill, feasting, and exchanging presents. Although many of the traditions of Christmas, e.g. the Christmas tree, go back to pre-Christian times, common knowledge holds that it marks the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Christmas combines the celebration of Jesus' birth with various other traditions and customs, many of which were influenced by ancient winter festivals such as Yule and Saturnalia. Christmas traditions include the display of Nativity scenes and Christmas trees, the exchange of gifts and cards, and the arrival of Father Christmas (Santa Claus) on Christmas Eve.

—Excerpted from Christmas on Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.

Readers's Choice

• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
  Leading the downloads in the weeks before Christmas.
• Twas the Night before Christmas: A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore
  Leading the downloads on Christmas Eve.

Short Stories

• Betty's Bright Idea; Deacon Pitkin's Farm; and the First Christmas of New England Harriet Beecher Stowe
• Christian Gellert's Last Christmas Berthold Auerbach
• The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh William Makepeace Thackeray (also in audio)
• Christmas Stories And Legends Phebe A. Curtiss
• The Gift of the Magi O. Henry (also in audio)
• In the Yule-Log Glow, Book I: Christmas Tales from 'Round the World
• In the Yule-Log Glow, Book II: Christmas Tales from 'Round the World
• In the Yule-Log Glow, Book 3: Christmas Tales from 'round the World
• In The Yule-Log Glow, Vol. IV (of IV)  (English)
• The Lost Word: A Christmas Legend of Long Ago Henry Van Dyke
• Nibsy's Christmas Jacob A. Riis
• Old Christmas From the Sketch Book of Washington Irving
• The Potato Child & Others Mrs. Charles J. Woodbury
• Some Christmas Stories Charles Dickens
• Two Christmas Celebrations Theodore Parker

Short, illustrated Christmas books

• And Thus He Came: A Christmas Fantasy Cyrus Townsend Brady
• The Blossoming Rod Mary Stewart Doubleday Cutting
• The Christmas Angel Abbie Farwell Brown
• The Christmas Child Hesba Stretton
• Christmas Comes but Once A Year Luke Limner
• Christmas Outside of Eden Coningsby Dawson
• Colonel Crockett's Co-operative Christmas Rupert Hughes
• The First Christmas Tree: A Story of the Forest Henry Van Dyke
• Lill's Travels in Santa Claus Land And Other Stories Ellis Towne, Sophie May and Ella Farman
• Mr. Kris Kringle: A Christmas Tale S. Weir Mitchell
• A Napa Christchild; and Benicia's Letters Charles A. Gunnison
• On Christmas Day in the Morning Grace S. Richmond
• On Christmas Day In The Evening Grace S. Richmond
• Peace on Earth, Good-will to Dogs Eleanor Hallowell Abbott (also in audio)
• A Reversible Santa Claus Meredith Nicholson
• The Romance of a Christmas Card Kate Wiggin
• Rosemary: A Christmas story A. M. and C. N. Williamson
• The Story of the Other Wise Man Henry Van Dyke
• The Thin Santa Claus: The Chicken Yard That Was a Christmas Stocking Ellis Parker Butler
• The Truce of God Mary Roberts Rinehart
• Uncle Noah's Christmas Inspiration Leona Dalrymple
• When the Yule Log Burns: A Christmas Story Leona Dalrymple

Novels

• The Abbot's Ghost, or Maurice Treherne's Temptation: A Christmas Story Louisa May Alcott
• The Battle of Life Charles Dickens
• The Burglar and the Blizzard: A Christmas Story Alice Duer Miller
• Christmas: A Story Zona Gale
• A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens
• A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens, illustrated by Arthur Rackham
• A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens
• Christmas with Grandma Elsie Martha Finley
• Evenings at Donaldson Manor: Or, The Christmas Guest Maria J. McIntosh
• The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain Charles Dickens
• Little Maid Marian Amy E. Blanchard
• Nan Sherwood's Winter Holidays: Rescuing the Runaways Annie Roe Carr
• Old Peabody Pew: A Christmas Romance of a Country Church Kate Douglas Wiggin
• Santa Claus's Partner Thomas Nelson Page
• The Upas Tree: A Christmas Story for all the Year Florence L. Barclay
• A Versailles Christmas-Tide Mary Stuart Boyd
• Weapons of Mystery Joseph Hocking

Poetry

• Christmas Eve Robert Browning
• Christmas Poetry and Hymn Collection (audiobook)
• Christmas Sunshine Various
• A Defective Santa Claus James Whitcomb Riley
• The Goblins' Christmas Elizabeth Anderson
• Twas the Night before Christmas: A Visit from St. Nicholas Clement Clarke Moore
• A Visit From Saint Nicholas Clement Clarke Moore
• The Baron's Yule Feast: A Christmas Rhyme Thomas Cooper

Children's books

• Campfire Girls in the Allegheny Mountains: or, A Christmas Success against Odds Stella M. Francis
• The Children's Book of Christmas Stories
• Christmas, A Happy Time: A Tale, Calculated for the Amusement and Instruction of Young Persons Alicia Catherine Mant
• Christmas Every Day and Other Stories
• Christmas Holidays at Merryvale: The Merryvale Boys
• Christmas in Legend and Story: A Book for Boys and Girls Elva S. Smith
• A Kidnapped Santa Claus L. Frank Baum
• Life and Adventures of Santa Claus L. Frank Baum (also in audio)
• Mrs. Budlong's Chrismas Presents Rupert Hughes
• The Night Before Christmas and Other Popular Stories For Children
• Six Little Bunkers at Grandpa Ford's Laura Lee Hope
• The Story of a Nodding Donkey Laura Lee Hope
• The Story of a Stuffed Elephant Laura Lee Hope (also in audio)

Plays

• The Christmas Dinner Shepherd Knapp
• Down the Chimney Shepherd Knapp
• Up the Chimney Shepherd Knapp
• The White Christmas and other Merry Christmas Plays Walter Ben Hare

Non-fiction

• Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, Christian and Pagan Clement A. Miles
• Christmas: Its Origin and Associations Together with Its Historical Events and Festive Celebrations During Nineteen Centuries Dawson, William Francis
• A Christmas Sermon Robert Louis Stevenson
• The Feast of St. Friend Arnold Bennett
• Shakespeare's Christmas Gift to Queen Bess Anna Benneson McMahan
• A Wonderful Night; An Interpretation Of Christmas James H. Snowden
• Yule-Tide in Many Lands Mary Poague Pringle

Français

• Contes de Noël Madame Henri de la Ville de Mirmont
• Contes de Noël par Josette Josephine Marchand Dandurand
• Noël dans les pays étrangers Alphonse Chabot
• La nuit de Noël dans tous les pays Alphonse Chabot

Suomi

• Jouluaattona juomarin kodissa Evald Ferdinand Jahnsson
• Jouluilta Johan Ludvig Runeberg
• Joululahjat Theodolinda Hahnsson

Music

• Christmas Carol Collection 2006 (Music) Various
• I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day (Music) Roger McGuinn
• O, Tannenbaum (Music) performed by the Nebe Quartett
• We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Music) Roger McGuinn

Miscellaneous

• By the Christmas Fire Samuel McChord Crothers
• Christmas Entertainments Alice Maude Kellogg
• A Christmas Garland Max Beerbohm
• Christmas: Its Origin, Celebration and Significance as Related in Prose and Verse Robert Haven Schauffler
• The Christmas Kalends of Provence: And Some Other Provençal Festivals Thomas A. Janvier
• Christmas Short Works Collection 2006 (audiobook) Various
• Christmas Tales and Christmas Verse Eugene Field
• A Little Book for Christmas Cyrus Townsend Brady
• Man in His Element: or, A New Way to Keep House Samuel W. Francis
• La Navidad en las Montañas Ignacio Manuel Altamirano
• Punch Among the Planets
• A Righte Merrie Christmasse
• The Spirit of Christmas Henry Van Dyke
• Trifles for the Christmas Holidays H. S. Armstrong
• A Budget of Christmas Tales by Charles Dickens and Others
• A Christmas Accident and Other Stories Annie Eliot Trumbull
• A Christmas Mystery : Story of Three Wise Men William J. Locke
• A Little Book of Christmas John Kendrick Bangs
• Mr. Kris Kringle