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Original poster

books/stories that conjure up CHRISTMAS ! what do you always read...

38 replies

MaryAnnSingleton · 27/11/2008 16:22

inspired by another thread..
I love to read Dylan Thomas' A Child's Christmas in Wales and the Christmassy chapters in Alison Uttley's A Counntry Child - both gorgeously atmospheric...
what are your favourites ?

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Fleurlechaunte · 07/01/2009 17:07

The Bullaby Children. Childrens books written by Astrid Lindgren. There was a Christmas one and it was just so old fashioned and Christmasy I loved it.

blackrock · 04/01/2009 18:26

Velveteen Rabbit

MorrisZapp · 31/12/2008 17:09

The Christmas Bower by Poly Redford is fab - it's about a boy who loves bird watching but comes from a famous department store family who are all obsessed with 'the store'. Absolutely brilliant, and illustrated by the same guy who did the Shrinking of Treehorn.

Much as Bridget Jones irritates me, I do like her Christmassy scenes.

And I'm delighted to discover that my favourite writer (David Lodge) has a family Christmas set piece in his latest novel, Deaf Sentence. Made even better by me receiving the book for my crimbo!

EffiePerine · 27/12/2008 21:49

it is a very slow read (lots of extraneous detail) but I rather like that in books I read again. The Midnight Folk is good too.

NancysGarden · 27/12/2008 21:47

Maybe I'm wired all wrong

EffiePerine · 27/12/2008 21:45

Box of Delights - re-read it every year

NancysGarden · 27/12/2008 21:38

I don't like the box of delights, I'm sorry. I too watched the BBC series as a kid and although this probably makes me a philistine the series as a child did more for me than the book as an adult...

barbarianoftheuniverse · 19/12/2008 00:10

The Tailor of Gloucester

Lulubee · 18/12/2008 23:24

The Children of Green Knowe - absolutely packed with Christmas atmosphere. The BBC TV adaptation captured it really well - why do they never repeat these things?

littlebrownmouse · 16/12/2008 19:42

ooh, Box of Delights every time for me! I'm reading it right now as I always do at this time of the year and have just finished watching the BBC adaptation with DH, DS(5) and DD(3). We love it and especially enjoy watching it in front of a roaring fire on a Sunday tea time.

tissy · 10/12/2008 20:17

Christmas on Exeter Street

reminds me of Christmas at my mum's house- whole family piles in, sleeping anywhere ther is space. Often there are unexpected guests too.

purplemonkeydishwasher · 10/12/2008 20:15

winter solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher.
always puts me in a christmas mood. and makes me want to move to teh highlands.

constancereader · 10/12/2008 20:13

Yes to the Dark is Rising. Love it.

The Christmas bit in Cider with Rosie.

All time fave is The Children of Green Knowe. Absolutely brilliant.

AlderTree · 10/12/2008 20:11

Love The dark is rising. I have the whole set in one book ISBN 0-14-031688-4

RaggedRobin · 06/12/2008 21:05

wow... i haven't read 'the dark is rising' since i was at school, but i LOVED susan cooper's books. i'm off to check if there's a box set available.

HaveYourselfAJammyLittleXmas · 06/12/2008 18:53

The Woman in Black - Susan Hill
The only Christmas thing about it is that the story starts with a family telling ghost stories on Christmas Eve, and the main part of the book is the father of the family remembering what happened to him when he was younger. But I love this book, and it is easy enough reading to fit in on Christmas Eve.

BobtheWoodmouse · 06/12/2008 18:41

'The Birds of the Air' by Alice Thomas Ellis

Widowed mum in small neat bungalow has one grown-up daughter living with her (daughter unable to cope following the death of her son) and her other daughter plus husband/family and sundry others all descend for Christmas. Bitter sweet and very funny.

I think it was a pice of cathartic writing for A T Ellis after her own son died in an accident.

solidgoldbrass · 28/11/2008 21:09

I also love reading the middle bit of Mist Over Pendle at Xmas - there's a couple of chapters devoted to describing a 17th century Christmas party in Lancashire. Actually the whole book is fab, though I think I heard somewhere that it's historically more than a little suspect.

TwoIfBySea · 28/11/2008 20:22

The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder, especially as the chapters unfold like an advent calendar so you follow one each day.

MincePirate · 28/11/2008 11:18

i'd not heard of it either am thinking my sis would enjoy it? she loves kids books!!!

MincePirate · 28/11/2008 11:17

i remember choosing it form the school book club in about 1078!! I loved it, mind you i always liked books about kids that felt alone!!!

I stil have the same copy and i read it to my dd6, and she realy enjoyed it too.!!

NotSoRampantRabbit · 28/11/2008 11:10

Oh the Box of Delights - I completely loved the TV adaptation when I was little.

Am going straight to Amazon to buy the book.

And agree re Little Women. Am going to seek out The Dark is Rising. Hadn't heard of it.

barbarianoftheuniverse · 28/11/2008 11:09

That story is lovely, MPirate!

MincePirate · 28/11/2008 11:07

The Story of Holly and Ivy

Rummer Godden

PenelopePitstops · 28/11/2008 11:06

the night before christmas, i know technically its a poem but we used to have a book of the poem and it was magic!