List of Christmas-themed literature explained

The following is a navigational list of notable literary works which are set at Christmas time, or contain Christmas amongst the central themes.

Novels and novellas

• Agatha Christie, Hercule Poirot's Christmas
• Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
• Charles Dickens, The Chimes
• Charles Dickens, The Cricket on the Hearth
• Charles Dickens, The Battle of Life
• Charles Dickens, The Haunted Man and The Ghost's Bargain
• Janet Evanovich, Visions of Sugar Plums
• Frederick Forsyth, The Shepherd
• Jostein Gaarder, The Christmas Mystery
• John Grisham, Skipping Christmas
• Maureen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle, Let It Snow
• C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
• Christopher Moore,
• Kate Douglas Wiggin, The Birds' Christmas Carol

Short stories

• Hans Christian Andersen, "The Fir-Tree"
• Truman Capote, "A Christmas Memory" (published in Mademoiselle)
• John Cheever, "Christmas is a Sad Season for the Poor"
• Agatha Christie, The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding
• Agatha Christie, A Christmas Tragedy
• Fyodor Dostoevsky, "A Christmas Tree and a Wedding"
• Fyodor Dostoevsky, "The Beggar Boy at Christ's Christmas Tree" (from A Writer's Diary)
• Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle"
• Nikolai Gogol, "Christmas Eve" (from Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka)
• O. Henry, The Gift of the Magi
• E. T. A. Hoffmann, "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" (Nussknacker und Mausekönig)
• Leo Tolstoy, "Papa Panov's Special Christmas" (translation of Saillens)
• Dylan Thomas, A Child's Christmas in Wales
• Philip Van Doren Stern, The Greatest Gift
• Kurt Vonnegut, While Mortals Sleep (book of short stories)

Children's

• Tony Abbott, Kringle
• Janet and Allan Ahlberg, The Jolly Christmas Postman^[1]
• Maya Angelou, Amazing Peace^{[1] [2]}
• L. Frank Baum, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
• Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, Stick Man^[1]
• Richard Paul Evans, The Christmas Box, The Light of Christmas^{[1] [3]}
• Cornelia Funke, When Santa Fell to Earth
• Matt Haig, A Boy Called Christmas
• Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
• Astrid Lindgren, Brenda Brave Helps Grandmother (Kajsa Kavat hjälper mormor)
• Astrid Lindgren, A Calf for Christmas (När Bäckhultarn for till stan)
• Astrid Lindgren, Christmas in the Stable (Jul i stallet)
• Astrid Lindgren, The Runaway Sleigh Ride (Titta Madicken, det snöar!)
• Astrid Lindgren, The Tomten (Tomte är vaken)
• Astrid Lindgren, The Tomten and the Fox (Räven och Tomten)
• John Masefield, The Box of Delights
• Mary Pope Osborne and Ned Bittinger, Rocking Horse Christmas
• Chris Van Allsburg, The Polar Express
• Martin Waddell, ^[4]

Poetry

• "Old Santeclaus with Much Delight"
• Clement Clarke Moore, "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (also known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas")
• George Robert Sims, Christmas Day in the Workhouse
• T. S. Eliot, "Journey of the Magi"
• Viktor Rydberg, Tomten

Collections

• Bettye Collier-Thomas, A Treasury of African American Christmas Stories^[5]
• David Sedaris, Holidays on Ice
• J. R. R. Tolkien, Letters from Father Christmas^[6]
• Jeanette Winterson, Christmas Days^{[6] [7]}

Nonfiction

• Francis Pharcellus Church, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" (1897 newspaper editorial)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Megan Christensen . 15 December 2021 . 10 cozy Christmas books to introduce to your kids this month . 1 January 2022 . ksl.com . Deseret Digital Media.
2. Book: Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem . kcls.bibliocommons.com . 2008 . King County Library System . 9780375841507 . 1 January 2022.
3. Web site: The Light of Christmas . kcls.bibliocommons.com . King County Library System . 1 January 2022.
4. Book: Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale . October 2004 . kcls.bibliocommons.com . King County Library System . 9780689868412 . 1 January 2022.
5. Book: A Treasury of African-American Christmas Stories . wccls.bibliocommons.com . 1997 . Washington County Cooperative Library Services . 9780805051223 . 1 January 2022.
6. Adrienne Westenfeld . 14 December 2021 . The 10 Best Christmas Books to Read During the Holidays . Esquire . Hearst Communications . 1 January 2022.
7. Web site: Christmas Days . kcls.bibliocommons.com . King County Library System . 1 January 2022.