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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 ?

OP posts:
barbarianoftheuniverse · 28/11/2008 11:05

The Piper in the Wind- Anne Hepple
I love the Alison Uttley's Christmas chapters too, MAS.

Eleanor Estes wrote good Christmases too, and Rumer Godden in "In This House of Brede."

solidgoldbrass · 27/11/2008 21:06

Oooh other people have read and love The Dark Is Rising!
My other recommendations are 101 Dalmations (the original Dodie Smith not the various disney versions)
Jo Of The Chalet School by Elinor Brent Dyer (classic depiction of a Tyrolean Xmas in the 1930s)

Actually I also have a soft spot for some of the Jilly Cooper megabooks depictions of Xmas - Rivals, Polo and Appassionata all feature fraught-but-fun episodes.

Habbibu · 27/11/2008 21:02

Oh, dark is rising for me too! Have read it every year at Christmas since I was about 12.

Mercy · 27/11/2008 20:50

Apollinare

fluffles · 27/11/2008 20:46

the dark is rising = christmas

i'm ashamed to admit that i didn't know the box of delights was a book - i remember the bbc series, it was ace. that's going to be my book this year

KM1 · 27/11/2008 20:44

The Christmas Reader edited by Godfrey Smith (out of print but plenty of second hand copies listed on amazon) and The Faber Book of Christmas edited by Simon Rae. Both good collections of Chrsitmas extracts, poems etc.

Apollinare · 27/11/2008 20:43

I love the Miss Read one as well and reread it every Christmas, especially after battling around M&S xmas shopping. 'Christmas at Fairacre has a few short stories in as well. How sad am I?

Also love Fannie Flagg's 'A Redbird Christmas'.

barbarianoftheuniverse · 27/11/2008 17:30

The Dark is Rising- Susan Cooper
Box of Delights- John Masefield

Mercy · 27/11/2008 16:55

I love Little Women.

Haven't read it for many years but I liked one by Miss Read (probably called 'Village Christmas') and also the chapter in one of the Adrian Mole books (must look it up)

procrastinatingparent · 27/11/2008 16:44

I still love the beginning of A Christmas Carol:

'Marley was dead: to begin with.'

And I've just posted on the children's Christmas books thread about 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever' by Barbara Robinson which has lots of sly jokes directed at the adults.

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 27/11/2008 16:29

oh,and the beginning of Little Women, of course

OP posts:
Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 27/11/2008 16:29

Arf !

OP posts:
Mercy · 27/11/2008 16:26

lol, excellent choice