London for Christmas
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Books
Here are some suggestions on books and stories that will capture Christmas for you. The section has been broken down into:
Traditional
Grace MacCarone
Maccarone retells the story of Jesus' birth in very short, rhyming sentences: "A Newborn cried, His mother sighed. Shepherds feared as angels appeared." However, the watercolors, outlined in soft, black pencil, are tenderly expressive, and the details of the setting are caught with accuracy and pleasing simplicity. Young children will especially enjoy the animals - from the playful dog in the market to the awestruck sheep, to the amusingly proud camels bringing the Three Kings.
Charles Dickens
The classic tale by Charles Dickens of tight-fisted, cold-hearted Scrooge who undergoes a transformation at Christmas. The ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Future guide Scrooge to a better knowledge of what Christmas truly means. Tip: read a chaper per night starting on 20 Dec and ending with the last (fifth chapter) on Christmas morning.
Raymond Briggs
A picture book of the "Father Christmas" stories that creates a great christmas feel. The comic-strip style appeals on many levels.
Dr Seuss
For 53 years, the Grinch has lived in a cave on the side of a mountain, looming above the Whos in Whoville. The noisy holiday preparations and infernal singing of the happy little citizens below annoy him to no end. The Grinch decides this frivolous merriment must stop. His "wonderful, awful" idea is to don a Santa outfit, strap heavy antlers on his poor, quivering dog Max, construct a makeshift sleigh, head down to Whoville, and strip the chafingly cheerful Whos of their Yuletide glee once and for all.
Rick Osborne, Jim Griffin (Illustrator)
This wonderful Christmas tale, set in the late 1800s, shares the touching story of a young boy named Peter. He sells newspapers to help his family while his father is away at sea, and he's been saving a bit of his earnings to buy a model schooner in the woodworker's shop. But after Uncle Jim, the woodworker, tells him the story of St. Nicholas, Peter discovers the meaning behind the hanging and filling of Christmas stockings and learns a heartfelt lesson in kindness and generosity.
Filled with the rich, realistic illustrations of Jim Griffin, children ages 4 to 8 will discover the depth of God's love shown through others as they learn the Christian meaning revealed in The Legend of the Christmas Stocking. Through imaginative and innovative products, Zonderkidz is feeding young souls
Laurie Knowlton
Laurie Knowlton's lovely and sensitive retelling views the first Christmas through the eyes of the mother of Jesus as she undertakes the long journey to Bethlehem where, in a crude stable, Jesus Christ is born."The Story of Christ's Birth" is the essence of the worldwide celebration known as Christmas. Resonating beyond the gifts and the glitter, the joyous true meaning of this festival shines through in this inspiring version of the Nativity.
Delightful painting by Kasi Kubiak capture the rejoicing of angels, shepherds and kings as they welcome the newly born Jesus into the world.
Clement C. Moore
Another true classic. Santa's on his way, the kid's are in bed, and it's Christmas Eve. Clement Moore's festive description of the night's events leading to a glorious Christmas morning will surely get you in the Christmas spirit, and even take you back to your childhood, when you, like the children couldn't wait for Santa to arrive.
Chris Van Allsburg (Illustrator)
On Christmas Eve a boy boards the mysterious train that waits for him: the Polar Express bound for the North Pole. When he arrives, Santa offers the boy any gift he wants. The boy asks for one bell from the reindeer's harness. It turns out to be a special gift.
Neale Donald Walsch and Em Claire
Eight-year-old Melinda Carson hopes to keep herself awake until the wee hours of the morning on December 25th to make sure that she sees Santa. She's waited every year, but this year she makes it! Santa's arrival is witnessed. And, furthermore, she gets to talk to Santa himself! And this is where it gets interesting. For, among the questions she asks Santa is 'Who is your God?. She tells him about her classmates at school some of whom pray to Allah, some to Jehovah, some to the Lord, some to Yahweh, some to Krishna and asks Santa 'Which God do you pray to? Which is the real God?' Santa's answer brings the world a message that will warm the heart of every person who hears it.
Rachel W. N. Brown
Wise Balthazar is going on an important journey; he is following a brilliant star and looking for a baby king! Small Camel and his mother are going, too, and Small Camel is carrying a special bundle tied to his hump. What is in the bundle?
It''s a long, hard trip across the great desert. Small Camel is very tired, and his feet hurt.
When will we get there? he asks Mama.
At long last the star leads them to a humble little house. A poor carpenter works outside. Can this be the home of the baby king?
Rachel W. N. Brown''s sweet nativity story will touch the hearts of children everywhere.
Raymond Briggs
A little boy makes a snowman. When he looks through the window at night, the snowman has come to life. The little boy shows the snowman around the house and later they go and visit Father Christmas. When the boy wakes up in the morning, the snowman has melted.
Modern
John T. Cullen
Arthur Latchloose is a grumpy old banker who feels left behind by the world, though perhaps he unknowingly helped cause his estrangement from his late wife and their children. He hasn't a friend in the world, not even a pet, and has not celebrated a Christmas in years. He does have an unusual hobby to go along with his considerable wealth. He collects antiquities. Not just old antiques, but rare and valuable items from long ago.
The Christmas Clock is just the right story to get you in the mood for a Merry Christmas, offering lovers of SF and dark fantasy just the right mix of holiday wonder, mystery, humor, human drama, and a sentimental payoff worthy of Dickens' A Christmas Carol. It's a suspenseful roller-coaster ride, not for the faint of heart, spirit, or imagination. It is definitely not a kid story, but it's good clean fun for any grownup willing to suspend disbelief for a while, and let the imagination go for a wild ride in time and space.
Jostein Gaarder
Fifty years ago a girl called Elisabet Hansen disappeared from her home in Norway. She ran after a lamb - and found herself travelling right across Europe to Palestine, and back through 2000 years to meet the Holy Family in Bethlehem. As she ran she met angels, shepherds, wise men and other biblical characters who joined her on her pilgrimage; and she heard of many of the things that happened in the world in the last 2000 years.
In present-day Norway, a boy called Joachim acquires a strange old Advent calendar. Hidden in each of the windows is a tiny piece of paper unfolding Elisabet's story. And it is because of Joachim that we learn what happened to Elisabet, and that she returns to Norway at last.
Mary Higgins Clark, Carol Higgins Clark
Alvirah Meehan, the lottery winner turned amateur sleuth, joins forces once again with private detective Regan Reilly to solve a Christmas mystery. This time they must track down the beautiful ninety-foot tree that is hijacked on its way to Rockefeller Center for the Christmas season. What they do not know is that a hole in the trunk of the tree contains the fortune in priceless gems that Packey Noonan, a scam artist just released from prison, had hidden there twelve years ago.
What they do know is that this particular tree is irreplaceable. It has been chosen because it was in the forest near the Vermont home of Maria von Trapp, and the Christmas festival in Rockefeller Center is geared to the fortieth anniversary of the film The Sound of Music. The rumor is that Maria von Trapp loved to sing songs from the film under that tree.
David Baldacci
Tom Langdon, a weary and cash-strapped journalist, was banned from flying in the U.S. when an overly probing search wand caused him to blow his top at LaGuardia Airport. Now, the train is his only option to get to Los Angeles for Christmas to be with his girlfriend. To finance the trip, he pitches a story about a train ride taken during Christmas season to his ex-flame editor, Eleanor. Thereupon begins one of the most hilarious - and heartwarming - train rides ever.
Along the way Tom encounters mechanical failures, derailments, and eccentric characters like Agnes Joe, who rides trains all the time, though no one knows why. There's also a mysterious passenger whom Tom suspects may be a fugitive, an avalanche that changes everyone's Christmas plans, unexpected romance, and a rekindling of holiday spirits. As the mighty Southwest Chief chugs along, Tom Langdon and his wonderful train adventure will have you laughing as you turn the pages. It will also reacquaint you with what makes Christmas truly special.
Matt Beaumont
The further adventures of the characters from "e" takes them into the run-up to Christmas - once again told entirely in a series of e-mails. Harriet's determined to make her first party as MD mega-memorable, but even her much-tested imagination can't predict what actually happens.
Robin Jones Gunn
In Finding Father Christmas, Miranda Carson's search for her father takes a turn she never expected when she finds herself in London with only a few feeble clues to who he might be. Unexpectedly welcomed into a family that doesn't recognize her, and whom she's quickly coming to love, she faces a terrible decision. Should she reveal her true identity and destroy their idyllic image of her father? Or should she carry the truth home with her to San Francisco and remain alone in this world?
Whatever choice she makes during this London Christmas will forever change the future for both herself and the family she can't bear to leave. Robin Jones Gunn brilliantly combines lyrical writing and unforgettable characters to craft a story of longing and belonging that will stay with readers long after they close the pages of this book.
Richard Paul Evans
The Christmas season is supposed to be full of joy, but not for Mark Smart. Life had dealt him one body blow after another: he lost his scholarship and had to drop out of school; his beloved mother had died in a car crash; his girlfriend dumped him, and now, late on a snowy night in November, his car had broken down. Stumbling into a coffee house, he was looking for a phone to call a tow truck. What he found was a beautiful young woman with an unusual name who, through a simple act of kindness, changed his life forever.
Macy Wood had little memory of her birth parents, and memories she'd rather forget of her adopted home. A Christmas ornament inscribed with the word "Noel" was the only clue to the little sister she only vaguely remembered, a clue that would send her, and Mark on a journey to reclaim her past, and her family.
Cecelia Ahern
If you could wish for one gift this Christmas, what would it be?
Everyday Lou Suffern battled with the clock. He always had two places to be at the same time. He always had two things to do at once. When asleep he dreamed. In between dreams, he ran through the events of the day while making plans for the next. When at home with his wife and family, his mind was always someplace else.
On his way into work one early winter morning, Lou meets Gabe, a homeless man sitting outside the office building. Intrigued by him and on discovering that he could also be very useful to have around, Lou gets Gabe a job in the post room.
But soon Lou begins to regret helping Gabe. His very presence unsettles Lou and how does Gabe appear to be in two places at the same time?
As Christmas draws closer, Lou starts to understand the value of time. He sees what is truly important in life yet at the same time he learns the harshest lesson of all.
This is a story about people who not unlike parcels, hide secrets. They cover themselves in layers until the right person unwraps them and discovers what's inside.Sometimes you have to be unravelled in order to find out who you really are. For Lou Suffern, that took time.
Agatha Christie
It is Christmas Eve. The Lee family reunion is shattered by a deafening crash of furniture, followed by a high-pitched wailing scream. Upstairs, the tyrannical Simeon Lee lies dead in a pool of blood, his throat slashed. But when Hercule Poirot, who is staying in the village with a friend for Christmas, offers to assist, he finds an atmosphere not of mourning but of mutual suspicion.
It seems everyone had their own reason to hate the old man.
J.R.R. Tolkien
Every December an envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for J.R.R.Tolkien's children. Inside would be a letter in strange spidery handwriting and a beautiful coloured drawing or some sketches.
The letters were from Father Christmas. They told wonderful tales of life at the North Pole: how all the reindeer got loose and scattered presents all over the place; how the accident-prone Polar Bear climbed the North Pole and fell through the roof of Father Christmas's house into the dining-room; how he broke the Moon into four pieces and made the Man in it fall into the back garden; how there were wars with the troublesome horde of goblins who lived in the caves beneath the house!
Sometimes the Polar Bear would scrawl a note, and sometimes Ilbereth the Elf would write in his elegant flowing script, adding yet more life and humour to the stories. No reader, young or old, can fail to be charmed by the inventiveness and 'authenticity' of Tolkien's Letters from Father Christmas.
Janet Laurence
Jessica Fletcher hopes to spend a quiet Christmas in her hometown of Cabot Cove, Maine, but her work catches up with her when the neighbour who played Santa Claus at the annual celebration is murdered.
Patricia K. Davis
It was the bleakest winter of Charles Dickens's life. In 1843, with his most recent books bringing in almost no income and his wife pregnant with their fifth child, Dickens had to face facts. Only an innate sense of courage could make him risk losing everything and result in one of the greatest literary gifts ever given to the world: the magical A Christmas Carol.
Jane Gordon-Cumming
William Shirburn really isn’t into Christmas – all that jingly tinsly presenty stuff makes him feel queasy. He’d prefer to spend it alone watching trash with his cat. But there’s an unwritten law that elderly people are not allowed to be left alone at Christmas, especially if they live in a vast old mansion that could be a gold-mine in the right hands – and William’s relative are very keen to ensure that Haseley House does end up in the right hands!
This particular family Christmas is going to change everybody’s lives.
John Grisham
John Grisham has turned a satirical eye on the overblown ritual of the festive season, and the result is Skipping Christmas, a modest but funny novel about the tyranny of December 25. Grisham's story revolves around a typical middle-aged American couple, Luther and Nora Krank. On the first Sunday after Thanksgiving they wave their daughter Blair off to Peru to work for the Peace Corps, and suddenly realise that "for the first time in her young and sheltered life Blair would spend Christmas away from home".
Luther Krank sees his daughter's Christmas absence as an opportunity. An accountant, Luther quickly estimates that "a year earlier, the Luther Krank family had spent $6,100 on Christmas", and had "precious little to show for it". Luther makes an executive decision, telling his wife, friends and neighbours that "we won't do Christmas". Instead, Luther books a 10-day Caribbean cruise. All goes well until people get wind of the Kranks' subversive scheme. Everyone, from Christmas card salesmen to horrified neighbours, besieges the couple with questions; what about the Christmas party, carols and the erection of Frosty the Snowman? Things start to turn nasty in the local neighbourhood.
Jane Green, Jennifer Coburn & Liz Ireland
"Vacation" by Jane Green. Manhattan realtor Sarah feels her spouse Eddie is a stranger even after eight years together and two children. She rarely remembers the happy moments that they shared as she believes their two children who she loves have nuked their relationship. At the same time Eddie finds his self-esteem on empty. Deciding to separate, this looks like the last Christmas that Sarah and Eddie will remain married barring a Yuletide miracle.
"The Second Wife of Reilly" by Jennifer Coburn. When Prudence went to Ann Arbor for a reunion she had a weekend fling with her college lover and ended her marriage to Reilly, but feeling guilty as her husband did nothing wrong, she searches for a new spouse for him. Six months later second wife Sarah decides to insure wacky Prudence stays out of their lives by turning the tables and searching for a husband for the first wife.
"Mistletoe and Holly" by Liz Ireland. Holly loves spending Christmas with her family, but afterward feels lonely as her two sisters and brother always have someone with them before, during, and after. This year Holly takes Jason with her, but as the days go by she has doubts as he fits in very nicely with her picture perfect family while she does not and even under the mistletoe her mind wanders back to work.
These are three well written comedic family dramas that are fun frolics for sub-genre readers; however any vacation time could have been the setting as the Christmas holiday gala is not essential to these three fine novellas.
Annie Sanders
Meet two women with two totally different approaches to the festive season.
First there's Beth - it's only September and already she has performance anxiety. Not surprising when she has agreed to lay on the annual Christmas Eve village bash - the piece de resistance of her husband's former wife - not to mention having to host Christmas for his difficult offspring. New to this frenzied build-up to the festivities, Beth begins to lose sight of what it all means. To her the Christmas lights are looking more like the headlamps of an oncoming train.
Then there's Carol, glamorous magazine editor, who put her aspirational Christmas issue to bed sometime in July and is so involved in finding a scoop to save her ailing magazine that she fails to notice the impending festive rush. Panicked and wracked with guilt, she determines to make it a picture perfect time for her little boy and, opting for convenience, books a lovely-sounding cottage in a quaint village.
But even the best laid plans have a habit of unravelling - and no plan at all is a recipe for disaster. So when these two Christmasses collide, it looks like it's going to be anything but goodwill toward men ...
Other
Gaby Morgan
Absolutely everything a school could need for Christmas. A winter wonderland of a book, The Big Book of Christmas is packed with Christmas songs, poems, bible readings for carol services, carols, three plays, including a fantastic song-filled nativity play, and tips, things to make and recipes for class Christmas parties. It really does contain everything a school could need to celebrate at Christmas. With an introduction by Philip Ardagh.
Kevin Cuddihy, Phillip Metcalfe
This anthology of humour and trivia is a celebration of the fun side of Christmas - the songs, the movies, the TV shows, the history, the people, the laughs, even the commercialism ... It features "top ten alternative" lists including "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and "A Christmas Carol". Read about traditions and the traditions of gift giving around the world; discover how different song genres celebrate Christmas in music; and relive the births, deaths and historical events that have occurred on Christmas Day.
This is the latest addition to the popular "Most Wanted" series - 75,000 plus copies sold in this series to date. This is a perfect stocking-filler gift: It contains 40 top ten lists of all things merry and festive, the most fascinating Christmas trivia and more.
Roger Highfield
A lighted-hearted scientific look at the rituals and icons of Christmas. How does snow form? Why are we always depressed after Christmas? How does Santa manage to deliver all those presents in one night? (He has, in fact, little over two ten-thousandths of a second to get between each of the 842 million households he must visit.) This new edition has been extensively updated and contains a new chapter on the latest seasonal science - how religion can help your mental life!
Nigella Lawson
"Nigella Christmas" comprises reliable, practical, easy-to-follow recipes and reassuring advice about planning and cooking ahead, presented in a gorgeous glittering package which will make this the ultimate gift to yourself and for family and friends. Illustrated with over 150 fabulous full-colour photographs by Lis Parsons (photographer of the bestselling "Nigella Express"), including method photos and lavish double-page 'spreads', "Nigella Christmas" is in a new, larger and irresistible format. It includes everything from scrumptious Christmas cakes and puddings, to quick and easy homemade presents (biscuits, preserves and other standbys) and edible tree-decorations, recipes for feeding friends and family over the holiday season with minimum stress and maximum enjoyment (cook and freeze ahead or slow-cook in the oven), as well as Christmas party food and drinks. And, of course, exciting and inspiring variations for the Main Event itself - from traditional super-juicy turkey, festive ginger-baked ham, special trimmings and the Ultimate Christmas Pud, all the way to the special vegetarian Christmas feast, by way of goose or pork-and-cranberry options and a Prodigious Pavlova ...
Her cakes, as always, gladden the heart, and her 'At-a-Glance Christmas Dinner Countdown' helps take the stress and strain out of the Big Day itself."Nigella Christmas" will surely be a perennial favourite, the book we will all reach for - for inspiration and reassurance - as soon as the Christmas lights start going up ...
Anthea Turner
So you're organising Christmas this year. What are you going to give everyone? How can you make it that extra bit special? This guide helps you to prepare and execute a Yuletide to remember, with ideas to make your Christmas special - from handmade decorations and shopping tips to planning a festive party and the all important Christmas dinner.
Delia Smith
Delia has long been the person we turn to for stress-free Christmas celebrations. This year, she celebrates 40 years of writing recipes and brings you "Delia's Happy Christmas" - the definitive guide to all aspects of cooking for Christmas. This cookbook will help you to plan your Christmas festivities to the very last culinary detail, acting as an invaluable Christmas organiser from reminding you to make your Christmas pudding and chutneys in November to giving you a crucial countdown for the Last 36 Hours. "Delia's Happy Christmas" will give you 150 recipes, including 100 new recipes and 50 much-loved classics, plus menu plans and shopping lists, illustrated with glorious full-colour photography.
There are recipes for all your favourite traditional dishes - Delia's Classic Christmas Cake recipe has been in print for over 40 years and has never been bettered, but Delia has also created Chestnut Cupcakes recipe to satisfy modern tastes. Of course there is Delia's foolproof recipe for a Traditional Roast Turkey and all the trimmings, and The Only Traditional Christmas Pudding as well as ideas for parties, boxing-day suppers, vegetarian feasts and what to do with leftovers. Organisation is the key to success. If you follow Delia's Christmas calendar, you will be sure to create a very special Christmas. And even if you don't, there is always Delia's The Last-Minute Christmas - a chapter for those who leave things to the eleventh hour. Everyone needs Delia at Christmas.
Delia Smith
This collection of Christmas recipes from Delia Smith includes five different Christmas cakes, a complete vegetarian menu, recipes for gifts such as chocolate truffles, and many traditional favourites. There are also ideas for festive occasions from drinks parties to dinner parties, with dishes such as roast goose with potato, sage and apple stuffing; caramelized orange trifle; and a terrine with four cheeses.
Philip Ardagh
Who decided to celebrate Jesus' birthday on 25th December... and why? Who exactly was Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus)? Why do we kiss under the mistletoe? When was the first Christmas card sent? What on earth has a Yule log to do with Christmas? What does "nativity" actually mean? Did Father Christmas really used to wear green? Who invented the advent calendar? What do fankincense and myrrh look like? What do crackers have to do with Christmas? Where do the flying reindeer come from? Was there really once meat in mince pies? What's all the holly and ivy for? Why are carols called carols? What exactly is a manager? Why are Christmas puddings Christmas-pudding shaped? Why hang Christmas wreaths to celebrate Christ's birth? Were Christmas trees really introduced to England by Prince Albert? Why have a fairy, not an angel at the top of the tree?
These are just some of the questions you'll find answered in this fact-filled book.
Joshua Piven, David Borgenicht
Turkey on fire? No plans for New Year's Eve? Obnoxious relatives headed your way? The authors of the best-selling The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook are here to help you survive the dangers of the holiday season, from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. Learn how to rescue someone stuck in a chimney, survive the office holiday party, and escape a runaway parade balloon. Expertly deal with a meddling parent, silence a group of carolers, and treat a tongue stuck to a frozen pole.
Illustrated, step-by-step instructions guide you through these and dozens of other festive scenarios. With a helpful appendix of holiday excuses, last-minute gift ideas, and creative drink recipes for when the liquor runs out, this is truly the perfect gift. Gleaming silver cover. Fits all sized stockings.
