The Best Christmas Books for Adults

16 Best Christmas Books Right Now | Time

Books to get you in the mood for Christmas

35 Best Christmas Books to Read Right Now [2022]

35 Best Christmas Books of All Time

On a frost-bitten Christmas Eve, a grumpy and stingy elderly man named Ebenezer Scrooge is working in his accounting office. He declines to heat the workspace for his underpaid employee, Bob Cratchit, and rejects the holiday cheer brought by his nephew Fred and two charity workers, greeting them with a scathing "Bah! Humbug!"

That night, in his freezing flat, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley. Marley, burdened with heavy chains as punishment for his life of greed, warns Scrooge he will receive visits from three spirits over the following nights, aiming to prevent Scrooge from suffering the same fate. The first apparition, the Ghost of Christmas Past, takes Scrooge on a tour of his early Christmases. Scrooge witnesses his own past, full of missed opportunities for happiness and love, leading to profound regret.

The Ghost of Christmas Present guides Scrooge around modern London, revealing an underwhelming Christmas feast at the Cratchit house and the valiant spirit of Bob's disabled son, Tiny Tim. The ghost also takes Scrooge to Fred's Christmas party, which Scrooge finds surprisingly enjoyable. The final ghost, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, presents a series of enigmatic scenes related to an anonymous man's recent passing. Scrooge is horrified to discover that he is the deceased man when he sees his own name on a tombstone. He pleads with the ghost to change his destiny, promising to embrace Christmas and abandon his selfish ways. Waking up in his own bed, Scrooge is ecstatic to realize he has a second chance.

Embracing his opportunity for redemption, Scrooge starts spreading Christmas cheer. He surprises the Cratchits with a large Christmas turkey and pleasantly shocks the guests at Fred's party with his unexpected attendance. Over time, Scrooge lives up to his promise, treating Tiny Tim as a surrogate son, generously assisting the needy, and extending kindness and warmth towards his fellow citizens.

A Christmas Carol

Un Canto de Navidad

Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas

Desenvolviendo la Historia Completa de Amor de la Navidad

The Greatest Gift

El Mayor Regalo

The Polar Express

El Expreso Polar

Hercule Poirot, Book 20

Hercule Poirot, Libro 20

Hercule Poirot's Christmas

La Navidad de Hercule Poirot

One Christmas, and The Thanksgiving Visitor

Una Navidad, y El Visitante del Día de Acción de Gracias

A Christmas Memory

Un Recuerdo de Navidad

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

¡Cómo el Grinch robó la Navidad!

The Book That Inspired the Hilarious Classic Film

El Libro que Inspiró la Divertida Película Clásica

A Christmas Story

Una Historia de Navidad

Nutcracker

Cascanueces

Little Women, Book 1

Mujercitas, Libro 1

In the heart of the 19th century, four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March, sit despondently in their home, bemoaning their financial predicament. As Christmas approaches, they initially plan to treat themselves to presents, but soon decide to buy gifts for their mother instead. Their father, a chaplain in the Civil War, sends a letter that inspires the girls to bear their hardships graciously. The girls discover books under their pillows on Christmas Day and are encouraged by their mother to donate their breakfast to a needy family. Their act of charity is rewarded by their enigmatic neighbor, Mr. Laurence, who sends over a feast. The sisters' holiday season concludes with a party invitation from a wealthy friend, where Jo meets Laurie, Mr. Laurence's grandson.

Jo forms a friendship with Laurie, and eventually introduces him to her sisters. Beth, the third sister, forms a special bond with Mr. Laurence, who gifts her his late granddaughter's piano. The sisters endure various trials and tribulations: Amy is punished at school resulting in her mother withdrawing her from the institution; Jo's resentment towards Amy leads to a near-drowning incident; and Meg learns the superficiality of appearances at a party where gossip circulates about her marrying Laurie for his wealth. In the midst of these adventures, the March sisters form a family club, publishing their own newspaper, and integrating Laurie into their gatherings.

The close-knit family is jolted when they learn their father has fallen ill in the capital. In her haste to assist her parents, Jo sells her hair to contribute funds for the journey. In her absence, the sisters fail to keep up with their responsibilities, except for Beth, who contracts scarlet fever from the needy family they had previously helped. As Beth hovers between life and death, the family is reunited with their recuperating father. Amidst the turmoil, love blooms between Meg and Mr. Brooke, Laurie's tutor. As time moves forward, Meg marries and starts her own family, while Jo pursues a writing career in New York, where she also declines Laurie's proposal. Jo's return home is marred by Beth's death. However, love blossoms again as Amy marries Laurie and Jo finds herself hoping for a marriage proposal from Professor Bhaer, a German language teacher she met in New York. Their eventual marriage, coupled with Jo transforming her inherited property into a boys' boarding school, ends the tale on a hopeful note, with each sister grateful for their blessings and familial bond.

22 Best Christmas Books of All Time

A Christmas Carol

The Greatest Gift

Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas

The Polar Express

Hercule Poirot's Christmas

Hercule Poirot, Book 20

A Christmas Memory

One Christmas, and The Thanksgiving Visitor

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

A Christmas Story

The Book That Inspired the Hilarious Classic Film

Nutcracker

Little Women

Little Women, Book 1

One Day in December

A Novel

The Night Before Christmas

Comfort & Joy

A Fable

Letters from Father Christmas

Royal Holiday

The Deal of a Lifetime

The Gift of the Magi

Starry Night

A Christmas Novel

Last Christmas in Paris

A Novel of World War I

Mr. Dickens and His Carol

A Novel

Christmas Days

12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days

The Tailor of Gloucester

Amazing Peace

A Christmas Poem

Sources

What To Read Next

22 Best Christmas Books of All Time

A Christmas Carol

The Greatest Gift

Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas

The Polar Express

Hercule Poirot's Christmas

Hercule Poirot, Book 20

A Christmas Memory

One Christmas, and The Thanksgiving Visitor

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

A Christmas Story

The Book That Inspired the Hilarious Classic Film

Nutcracker

Little Women

Little Women, Book 1

One Day in December

A Novel

The Night Before Christmas

Comfort & Joy

A Fable

Letters from Father Christmas

Royal Holiday

The Deal of a Lifetime

The Gift of the Magi

Starry Night

A Christmas Novel

Last Christmas in Paris

A Novel of World War I

Mr. Dickens and His Carol

A Novel

Christmas Days

12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days

The Tailor of Gloucester

Amazing Peace

A Christmas Poem

Sources

What To Read Next

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