Just one choice line: 'Have you wandered so far and paid such a bitter price for knowledge and not yet learned that love has nothing to do with pardon or forgiveness, that it only loves, and loves - and loves?'ДЄ Chapparal Christmas Gift by O. If you have a strong relationship with your parents or children - or if there's someone in your life that you need to forgive -В it will probably move you to tears. A modern version of the parable of the prodigal son. It'sВ somewhat tragic until.well, you just have to read it. This story, I believe, is a metaphor for prayer. That's pretty sad, given that I know what a strong influence he wasВ on aВ lot of other great literary figures (especially Tennessee Williams). I hate to admit this, butВ 'Vanka' is the first Chekhov story I've ever read. If you went to elementary school with me, you probably remember watching ' Martin the Cobbler' in the library every Christmas.В This is the story it was based on - a simple, beautiful taleВ that demonstratesВ howВ the Christian life should be lived. If you ever go to Barnes & Noble and look through their display of classic books, there are certain authors you are guaranteed to encounter: Ovid, Twain, Poe, Hawthorne, Austen, the Bronte sisters, etc.В Look a little closer and you'll also see a few by Anthony Trollope,В a great Victorian novelistВ who's always there but whom no one has ever heard of.В It's kind of a shame, because the man wrote very well.В Like all Victorians, he can be a little long-winded and overly obsessed with proper manners, but I assure you this is the best Christmas story you will ever read about mustard. Check it out.Д¬hristmas at Thompson Hall by Anthony Trollope. It's becauseВ they're fun to read, and this one is no exception. There's a reason these stories have stood the test of time and entered the popular imagination. Everyone knows how the formula works, of course: (1) Holmes finds some innocent-looking item and says that it gives him great insight into a mystery that has baffled the police (2) Watson asks what Holmes means (3) Holmes meticulously outlines the tiny details of the item and uses them as clues В (4) Watson and Holmes use the clues to set out on an adventure. If you've seen either of the Sherlock Holmes movies starring Robert Downey Jr., you owe it to yourself to go back and read the original stories. The Blue Carbuncle by Arthur Conan Doyle. It's strange and wonderful in the best sense of those words. This is one of the longer stories in the Everyman collection,В but I personally plan to make a Christmas tradition out of reading it. Best of all, the whole thing is written like a folk/fairy tale.

Along the way,В Gogol does some interesting things with his timeline andВ makes a number of funny observations about human nature and relationships. It begins with the devil stealing the moon from the sky and placing it in his pocket and then goes on to invoke everything from Jacob's struggle with God (Genesis 32) to 'Cinderella' to Catherine the Great. Not to be confused with '' Twas the Night Before Christmas', this story is, stylistically speaking, the most interesting one in the entire collection. The Night Before Christmas (may also be called Christmas Eve) by Nikolai Gogol. Note: this story is taken from a longer work called The Pickwick Papers. If you like nightmarish scenes (think Neil Gaiman), you'll love it.

Dickens's sense of horror is very strong here. This one is a little shorter, but theВ idea is basically the same: an unpleasant man is visited by spirits (goblins) on Christmas Eve В they scare the crap out of himВ until he pledges to be a nicer person. If you've read anything by Dickens, you've probably read that other Christmas story he's so famous for.

The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sextonby Charles Dickens. Here are some quick thoughts about each one, along with links where some of them can be found online.В Enjoy.В Merry belated Christmas. and it's only two months late! Yes, after spending January and the bulk of February getting strange looks from people on the bus and subway, I have finally made time to sit down and finish the Everyman Library's collection of Christmas stories.В LikeВ the ghost and love story collections,В this one was mostly great with onlyВ two or three blah stories tossed into the mix for good measure.

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