This week’s Book Blogger Hop question: What is your favorite book set around Christmastime?
Most of my holiday traditions, oddly enough, center around movies rather than books. The Charlie Brown Christmas Special is a must-watch every year, closely followed by It’s a Wonderful Life.
As to books though…I’m a traditionalist, and I like A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. A lovely message, with one of my favorite Christmas quotes–not Tiny Tim’s, but this rather longer one from Scrooge’s nephew, on the meaning of the season: “I have always thought of Christmas time…as a good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.”
A more recent favorite Christmas book is The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig. Arabella and the wonderfully-named Turnip join forces to investigate possible spies at a girls’ school during a Regency-era Christmas–with Jane Austen as a supporting character! It’s funny and sweet and Arabella and Turnip are two of my very favorite book characters.
I could use a few more good books set at Christmas…what are your favorites?
I did grow up with Christmas books, as well as movies. I still particularly love “Arthur’s Christmas” and “Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia” as they provide sometimes needed perspective about things not going to plan or not turning out as well as you’d thought while still being amusing.
In movies, I still must watch The Grinch Who Stole Christmas-it’s a must! I also really hope to see The Muppet Christmas where they go stay with Fozzie’s mom. Have already seen “White Christmas” though.
Also, have you seen Blackadder’s Christmas Carol? It’s great stuff. I also like to watch Poirot mysteries set over the holidays as Christmastime is the closest I’ve gotten to feeling like I’m at a grand house party like those.
I love Christmas movies too! Charlie is always a good one.
Charlie Brown’s Christmas Special is GREAT…I forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder.
I usually don’t read Christmas-themed books.
THANKS for sharing.
Enjoy your weekend.
There is a free download of A Christmas Carol on my blog courtesy of Atria Books if you want to stop by.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Book Beginnings
OOPS…the wrong link.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Blog Hop Answer
That’s a lovely Christmas quote from Dickens, actually much more meaningful than the now-clichéd Tiny Tim quote, “God bless us every one.” The nephew’s quote does sum up the way Christmas can (and should) feel, with people behaving more kindly toward each other and more generously to those less fortunate than themselves.