A Christmas Carolby Charles Dickens
Ebenezer Scrooge is probably the most miserly man of all times. He's also mean, selfish, unhappy, and an evident grouch. He scorns his nephew who invites him to the family Christmas feast, scowls at his clerk for taking a day off for Christmas, barks at Christmas carollers who bring cheer during the season, and shoos away people looking for charity.
He's tied to his riches and scorns everything else. One evening, after he gets home from work, he sees the face of his business partner Jacob Marley in place of his door knocker. This may have been mildly remarkable in ordinary circumstances. However, it is astounding because Marley has been dead for seven years. He had passed away on this very day — Christmas Eve.
Scrooge tells himself he is imagining it but the ghost of Marley refuses to leave. He tells Scrooge that he will be visited by three spirits: that of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come. Marley tells Scrooge to pay heed to each of them. His life depends on it.
The Gift of the Magi By O Henry
William Sidney Porter a.k.a O Henry, a popular short story writer, has a penchant for surprise endings. The Magi (pronounced may-jai) are said to be the three wise men who paid homage to the infant Jesus. O Henry’s reference to the wise men seems misleading at first glance, but the reader discovers the significance at the end of the narrative.
Christmas knocks at the door of Mr. James Dillingham Young and his wife Della (who affectionately calls her husband Jim). The couple lives in a furnished home that costs $8 a week, and each cherishes one possession – Jim’s gold watch inherited from his father; Della’s long and silky hair that reaches down to her knees. There was a time when he was paid $30 a week, but it isn’t the same anymore. Della is left with just $1.87 to buy her beloved husband a gift he will never forget. But nothing that good costs under $1.87. How will Della get the money she needs to buy Jim his Christmas gift?
The Box of Delights By John Masefield
Kay Harker is on his way back from boarding school when he meets an old man who entrusts him with a box. The strange man also gives him with a cryptic warning - "The wolves are running". Suspicious things begin to happen after the entry of this box into Harker's life. This is no ordinary box. It magically shrinks him and lets him travel through space and time. Being the owner of the box brings its share of dangers. The criminal wizard, Abner Brown, his witch-wife, Daisy Pouncer, and a group headed by them desire this box too. They will go to any lengths to possess it: from kidnapping Harker’s friends to cancelling all Christmas celebrations. Will Harker be able to keep the box of delights safe? And will Christmas be saved?
A sequel to The Midnight Folk (1935), this book is indeed a box of delights that transports you with the protagonist through different worlds and marvellous adventures. The story has been adapted for radio, TV, and theatre.
