Curl up with these cozy classics this Christmas season
Nothing says Christmas quite like curling up with a classic book. Aside from being a pause in the rush of the holiday season, a good Christmas-themed book can fill the heart with warmth, the mind with wonder, and the soul with a little well-timed reflection.
From tales steeped in timeless traditions to magical adventures and humorous modern twists, these classics represent the heart of the holidays.
1. “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens
Of course, we have to start with this classic. It’s a good one to read every year, as a reminder not to get too bogged down by the holiday stress.
Dickens’ timeless themes of compassion, generosity, and critiques of social inequality can feel especially relevant amid the excesses of Christmas, too. You might think you know Ebenezer Scrooge from the movies or plays, but Dickens is a master for a reason, who writes his sentences beautifully.
2. The Bible
Amid the holiday rush, the Bible connects readers to the original Christmas story, the birth of Jesus. From the Nativity scenes, with the angels, the shepherds, and the magi, all materialized at Christmas in every belen and church, the Bible can offer various angles of reflection, ultimately pointing to core themes of love, salvation, and God becoming human.
To read the Bible at Christmas can provide spiritual hope and meaning, especially beyond the season’s commercialism.
3. “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis
This childhood favorite can feel especially right for Christmas. We might remember the eeriness of the White Witch and her perpetual winter, without Christmas. Then recall the joyful arrival of Father Christmas, bearing gifts of strength for Peter, Susan, and Lucy. And of course, there’s Aslan’s sacrifice and resurrection, which echo Christian ideas of redemption and salvation.
The gradual thaw of Narnia also mirrors the spiritual promise of light breaking through despair, while Lewis’ writing is always transportative and enchanting.
4. “Politically Correct Holiday Stories For An Enlightened Yuletide Season” By James Finn Garner
Let’s switch it up a bit. This is a funny one.
A less serious take on Christmas, Garner reworks holiday stories, some of which he points out carry outdated assumptions of society. He targets these blind spots with a sharper social lens in reinvented stories like “‘Twas the Night Before Solstice” and “Rudolph the Nasally Empowered Reindeer,” poking fun at old conventions while expanding the meaning of goodwill to be more inclusive, embracing women, children, and even animals.
5. “Letters From Father Christmas” by J.R. Tolkien
Each Christmas, J.R.R. Tolkien delighted his children with envelopes postmarked from the North Pole, filled with handwritten letters and whimsical illustrations supposedly sent by Father Christmas himself. The letters recounted mishaps with runaway reindeer, the misadventures of a clumsy Polar Bear, moon-breaking accidents, and even skirmishes with goblins lurking beneath the house, sometimes narrated in different voices by elves and other characters.
Collected as “Letters from Father Christmas,” these imaginative notes reveal a tender, funny side of Tolkien, which is great for devoted fans of “The Lord of the Rings.”
6. “The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding” by Agatha Christie
Another light Christmas read, this charming book by the Queen of Mystery shows Hercule Poirot drawn into a holiday gathering that doubles as a trap for a cunning jewel thief. First published in 1923, the story blends cozy English Christmas traditions with Christie’s signature suspense.
From ominous warnings about plum pudding to baffling deaths and seemingly impossible crimes, the case is unraveled by Poirot’s sharp wit and famously methodical mind, proving that even during the holidays, his little gray cells never rest.
A festive ritual of reading
Whether reading these books for the first time or revisiting a well-loved, dog-eared copy sitting on the shelf, you can make a ritual out of reading this Christmas, making the season a little more festive, a little more comforting, and a lot more meaningful.
So grab a blanket, pour a cup of tea, and let these cozy classics fill you with Christmas cheer!
