I haven't done a "recommended reads" list in a while, and the holiday season has me thinking it's just about time I dust off the lists and do just that.
So, in honour of the holiday season, it's time for my (current) "recommended reads" list!
My super-scientific, in no way exhaustive, and in no way in order of preference or any other order...list!
I'm curious... What do you agree with? What did I miss?
Yes, the movie is loved by some. (I like it too!) And not loved by others. But the book is its own kind of special, and flipping through the pages is kind of like getting your own ticket some place special.
It's a classic story of giving and sacrifice and irony, all wrapped up in a neat Christmas bow. It's been retold via Christmas specials and cartoons (even Mickey and Minnie had a go at it!) but read the original short story.
You've probably seen (or at least heard of) Wicked. But what the play didn't do was follow the story outlined by Maguire. After he said goodbye to Oz, he turned his attention elsewhere; including the classic Nutcracker story.
Before the Jim Carrey movie, and before the short animated classic, there was the book, and my favourite version, all about the grouchy Grinch, who learns that "Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more." It's Seuss at its best, and Christmas at its best.
A man in despair wishes he'd never been born, and he is given a gift: to see what the world would be like without him. That's right, the classic Christmas film, It's a Wonderful Life, is based on this short story.
A Christmas story? Kind of. Some people read Harry Potter when they're feeling festive (Okay, I get that, too), but for me, the March girls' celebrations of Christmas are the highlight of this novel, so if you want Christmas but not too much Christmas, this may be the way to go. Plus when Beth sits down to play the piano... I don't care what time of year it is, that is ALL the Christmas "warm and fuzzies".
Confession time: I haven't read this. But I have watched - and loved - the movie. An interpretation of the writing of A Christmas Carol, this story is as much about writing as it is about Christmas. Crazy to think that a last-ditch attempt to save his career ended up creating so many details people now consider quintessentially Christmas.
And speaking of...
Well, it's not exactly like I was going to leave this classic off the list, right? It's definitive Christmas. It's been adapted and reimagined and recreated and retold and everything else. And while I love Bill Murray in "Scrooged", and the quintessential Scrooge for me is Michael Caine in "The Muppets Christmas Carol" (my favourite movie version for sure), absolutely nothing beats Dickens' original classic tale of redemption and generosity. A lot gets left out of the movie versions, so no matter how much you love them, take the time to read this novella that started it all and created what, for so many people, simply IS Christmas.
Okay, I know I left a lot off the list (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for one...), but I want to know what are YOUR favourite Christmas books? Share them below or via my contact page. Love to share the reading inspiration!