I actually haven't read A Child's Christmas in Wales, but NarniaWebber Cymru (appropriately! ) introduced me to the movie version some years back. But that's a tale for another time. Suffice it to say, however, if the book is like the movie - and I'm certain it is - it's filled with nostalgia and memories of a different era. The older I get, the more I understand the value in that.

Perhaps due to all the movie and TV adaptations, I never read the original Christmas Carol till I was in my 30s or so. Embarrassing, I know. But it's such a brief little book, so filled with wit and visual images that film can't capture as well as the imagination. Now I read it each Christmas season.

I know the old Scrooge thing seems cliched, but this is the original! One of the most moving and yet chilling things I recall reading - anywhere - comes when

And the book ends with a great line - one that Scrooge has learned at considerable expense:

...and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and of all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!

And How the Grinch Stole Christmas seems at first blush to be a story to remind kids that there's more to the day than getting presents. Yet the Grinch can't keep Christmas from coming - any more than any of us can. And the Grinch learns a lesson about what the day really means - a great line in this children's book:

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.
"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

Hmmm, I didn't intend to get all philosophical when I started this post. It's interesting that the books I've mentioned here don't explicitly spell out the meaning of Christmas - yet ring with its spirit. What does the Cratchit family have to celebrate? They're cold, starving, and have a dying child. Yet they have joy and gratitude that sometimes seems to surpass what I have, in all my plenty. And the Grinch offers a reminder that there's just a little bit more...

I read A Child's Christmas in Wales last year sometime... there is a lovely poetry in some of the lines, and it was illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman so no complaints there! ...but while it exceeded expectations in those areas I was kind of left going "Meh" overall.

My little sister has been going through our collection of Little Golden Books, and she pulled out one of my favourites: The Cat that Climbed the Christmas Tree. Little Benny the kitten tries to get to the very top so he can see the angel. Awwww...

I also enjoy Louisa May Alcott's collection The Quiet Little Woman (which I always get mixed up with the other volume that looks almost exactly like it so maybe it's not the one with the Christmas stories in it...).

I also like Paul Harvey's reading of The Man and the Birds.

Hopefully I don't get confused, I know I haven't yet read many of the Christmas classics- due to the movies being around, which I assume will come in a later week.

Perhaps due to all the movie and TV adaptations, I never read the original Christmas Carol till I was in my 30s or so. Embarrassing, I know.

Don't worry. I'm 26 now, and for the same reasons as you, I still haven't gotten around to reading A Christmas Carol. I really should too. I don't expect it to be this year either.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas, I think I read that as a kid. Good story.
I know for sure I have read The Night Before Christmas, "not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse".
I used to have this as audio, but lost it somehow

Two unofficial Christmas stories I have read:
Narnia LWW, it's the only one I view as Christmas. And I know we've all read that one. Little Women, it's not a Christmas story but for some reason I view it as perfect for the holiday season. It opens with Christmas, and has another chapter later in the book on Christmas.

Aside of these, I can't recall any other book I might have read. *waits anxiously for the movie thread*

One Christmas book that gave me an opportunity to further reading was Mrs. Jeffries and the Feast of St. Stephen. I actually checked it out at the library because I'd had "Good King Wenceslas" stuck in my head all day. As it was Christmastime, I figured a good Christmas mystery would be nice. I loved the book so much that I continued on in the series, and they have become some of my favourite books. (The series is by Emily Brightwell if anybody is interested).

I read excerpts from "A Christmas Carol" when I was in 8th grade. I remember thoroughly enjoying it. Perhaps now that I'm an adult, a reread would be in order.

I was going to start out this post with "I don't think this really counts..." but I checked myself and realized that if the Bible doesn't count, then there's a serious problem (I suppose I react that way because I don't really think of the Bible as just a book or specifically Christmas related... but I digress).

Every year at Christmas, my family has the tradition of reading the very first Christmas story ... Luke 2:1-20 I don't remember a year of not reading that passage of Scripture.

fantasia_kitty, Well then yeah, I've read the first Christmas story too . Luke gives a great narration of the events! (I love reading it, and then follow it with Matthew's portion- though Luke's is "best").

I too never count the Bible as a book, but you've got a point. It does count.

One of our family traditions is to read through Madeleine L'Engle's The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas every year. Each Sunday of Advent, Mom or Dad will read the section of the book corresponding to the previous week out loud.

Another book we read almost every year is J.R.R. Tolkien's The Father Christmas Letters. Any of you who haven't read it should find a copy.

mmm... this is a toughy...

well does Narnia count

Also I love 'Twas the Night Before Christmas actually most of my fav christmas books are kids books, The Polar Express anyone?

I haven't actually read A Child's Christmas in Wales yet either, but I have a copy and will be reading it soon. I very much enjoyed the movie version, which I saw last year.

I also have the Focus on the Family production of A Christmas Carol to start soon. For those who haven't read Dickens' original story, you really should! It isn't long at all. My mom and I were at a booksale Saturday and when I found a copy for her, she said, "Is this really the whole thing?"

I really want to find The Father Christmas Letters! I buy most of my books secondhand or get them through swap sites, and that's one title I never see. No one wants to get rid of their copy, apparently.

I love A Christmas Carol, actually I am going to be part of a reenactment this weekend based on this book. My family always reads the Christmas story from the Bible before we open presents Christmas day to always remember to put God first.

We actually have several books (most of them picture books) that we only bring out during Christmas time. I'm not a kid anymore, but I still love them.

The list includes:
The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas by Madeline L'Engle
The Legend of the Candy Cane--a delightful book with gorgeous illustrations telling about the symbolism of the candy cane in the form of a story. And one of my favorites.
The Legend of the Christmas Tree--not quite as good as the previous one story-wise, but the illustrations are still gorgeous. And it documents a nice little history of the tradition of the tree.
And several more that are escaping my memory at the moment.

We also have a copy of A Christmas Carol, but we keep that one on the shelf all the time.

I love Charles Dickens books. Very Christmasy. I read A Christmas Carol for the first time last year, and I'm planning to read his other Christmas books hopefully soon, like The Chimes and Cricket on the Hearth.

I read the Narnia books for the first time at Christmas 2005. So the Chronicles and Christmas always go together to me.

~Riella

Luke gives a great narration of the events! (I love reading it, and then follow it with Matthew's portion- though Luke's is "best").

I quite agree...Luke's account is a lot more detailed (which I guess is why it's my favorite of the Gospels), although I do miss the inclusion of the Wise Men portion.

This may seem a bit weird but way back during one Christmas in the 80's my sister gave me her set of the Chronicles of Narnia (one of the now unseen Americanized sets with the proper order, the World Ash Tree, and Fenris Ulf, among other things ) and ever since I try and read my Chronicles every year around this time. With time constraints I don't always get through the whole set, however I will say that LWW does have Christmas elements in it so perhaps it is fitting for this thread. My wife has never read the series, despite my constant badgering for her to do so. But lately just before she goes to bed I've been reading the LWW to her aloud each night, just a few chapters at a time, and she's taken a liking to it. Neat, eh?

There are so many things to like about what you just posted, SL

Eustace+Jill, how special that you associate Narnia so strongly with Christmas! What a wonderful present