Merry Christmas from all of us at Mecha Panda Publishing! Tis the season for festive stories so we wanted to share a few of our favourites with you – including where to find a copy for yourself. These are stories I’ve been reading and re-reading for most of my life without ever getting tired of them – Amanda
- “The Velveteen Rabbit” by Margery Williams
- “A Christmas Dream, and How It Came to Be True” by Louisa May Alcott
- “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- “The Little Match Girl” by Hans Christian Andersen
- “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens
I used to read an old copy of The Velveteen Rabbit every year at my grandmother’s house during Christmas time. It was always in the same spot – the spare closet in my mom’s old bedroom. It tells the story of a stuffed rabbit given as a present in a child’s stocking one Christmas and his journey to become real. While not the cheeriest of holiday stories, the descriptive language used is lovely and it’s neat to read about the life trajectory of a Christmas present from the perspective of the toy itself.
Louisa May Alcott has also been a favourite author of mine since I read Little Women for the first time in elementary school. I then went looking for everything else she’d written and found this short story about a spoiled girl named Effie who decided she had had too many Christmases and couldn’t bear another one. This obviously sparked my interest as a kid who LOVED all things Christmas and I needed to know how that worked out. Like any good Christmas story, this one has a heartwarming ending.
Can you think of anything better than Sherlock Holmes at Christmas? Neither can I.
A heartbreaking story about a young girl’s last night on earth. Hans Christian Andersen describes her final thoughts and experiences with a beauty that dims the ugliness of death. Instead of being afraid, the girl is comforted by visions of her grandmother and much better surroundings than the alley she was sitting in. Not a story to read when you’re feeling blue, but definitely a true classic.
This is often the first story that comes to mind when I think about Christmas stories – and I’m not alone since A Christmas Carol is actually mentioned early on in Lousia May Alcott’s A Christmas Dream. I’ve watched all of the film adaptations and many television retellings, but reading the words Dickens used in his original telling is always the most enjoyable.
These festive stories encompass a captivating blend of nostalgia, warmth, and timeless charm that has a profound impact on the holiday season. From the enduring journey of “The Velveteen Rabbit” to the heartwarming conclusion of “A Christmas Dream,” these narratives evoke a sense of tradition and goodwill. As you read with these cherished tales, they remind you of the enduring magic of Christmas and the power of storytelling to unite people in joy and reflection.