My Favorite Christmas Stories

My all-time favorite Christmas stories are The Gift of the Magi and A Christmas Carol. Each Christmas season, I have my copies out ready to read. I never tire of the beautiful messages that are woven into the words written by O. Henry and Charles Dickens. These stories touch my heart.

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

Della and Jim, a young married couple, are in love. They are as poor as church mice but long to give each other a special Christmas gift – a thoughtful one to show their love. Even though neither of them has any extra money to buy an expensive gift, each is willing to sell a most precious possession to buy one. Jim sells his gold watch to buy tortoise-shell combs to adorn Della’s long hair. Della sells her hair to buy a watch fob for Jim’s watch. In the end, the expensive gifts seem a bit foolish since neither Della nor Jim can use them. So, why is the title The Gift of the Magi? The magi were wise men who traveled a long distance to give precious gifts to the baby Jesus. Although you may not agree, Della and Jim were wise when they chose their gifts for one another. The gifts represent the incredible sacrifice each was willing to make to express their love for one another. Now that’s what I call true love!

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Scrooge was not always a gruff man, but over the years,  greed slowly consumed him as money became more important to him than anything and anyone else – including his only nephew, Fred who is kind-hearted, and Bob Cratchit, his clerk, who loves his large family, especially Tiny Tim who uses a crutch and wears braces on this legs. Scrooge has a cold heart and cares for no one. On Christmas eve, the ghost of Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s deceased partner in business, appears to Scrooge warning him to change his ways before it’s too late. Much to Scrooge’s dismay, Marley tells Scrooge he will be visited by three ghosts – The Ghost of Christmas Past, The Ghost of Christmas Present, and The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. With each ghostly visit, Scrooge’s icy heart slowly begins to melt. Scrooge remembers the happy things from his past, sees the spirit of Christmas come alive in the present as he observes the happiness in his nephew’s home and the love and warmth found in the Cratchit family’s home. By the time Scrooge meets the ominous Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, he vows to become a better man. In the following days, Scrooge reconciles with his nephew, Fred, becomes a generous benefactor in his community and is like a second father to Tiny Tim. This is a story of greed, redemption, generosity, and kindness. It’s a reminder to keep the spirit of Christmas alive all year long.

“And so, as Tiny Tim observed, “God Bless Us, Every One!”

Explore posts in the same categories: Holiday Books

Tags: Charles Dickens, Christmas Stories, Greed, Love, O. Henry, Redemption, The Spirit of Christmas

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