Heartwarming Holiday Stories
(December 11, 2001)
'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, the patrons were all listening, both husband and spouse. The readers were snuggled and curled up in bed while heartwarming holiday stories danced in their heads. Okay, so it is a little corny, but there is nothing corny about these wonderful holiday stories. For a great Christmas read, try one of the titles below selected by Reader Advisor Susan Higgins. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good read!
To order any of these titles, contact the library by email, mail or phone. You may also request these titles online through our OPAC. Happy Reading!
The Blue Bottle Club by Penelope J. Stokes.
RC 49238.
On Christmas Day, 1929, in an act of faith, four young women write their dreams on slips of paper and hide them in a blue bottle in the attic. Sixty-five years later a demolition worker discovers the bottle
and hands it to reporter Brendan Delaney, who searches for the four women.
Christmas in My Heart: A Treasury of Holiday Classics compiled by Joe Wheeler.
RC 47455.
Heartfelt Christmas stories chosen for their Christ centered messages. In "A Gift from the Heart" by Norman Vincent Peale, a foreign girl, unable to buy presents for her employers, has a unique solution for
gift giving. In "The Candle in the Forest" by Temple Bailey, a rich boy learns the meaning of love from the impoverished family next door.
The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder.
RC 43882.
Young Joachim's father buys him a dusty, old Advent calendar with little doors to open each day until Christmas. Behind the first door, Joachim finds a note that begins the story of a little girl who travels back
in time to the Nativity. On Christmas Eve, the tale magically blends into the present and a contemporary miracle.
The Christmas Tree by Julie Salamon.
RC 43548.
Inspired by the New Jersey nuns who in 1995 donated a large Norway spruce to Rockefeller Center for its official Christmas tree. The Center's chief gardener tells this tale of his yearly search for the perfect
Christmas tree and of what happens when the one he wants is the best friend of an elderly nun.
The Christmas Wish by Richard M. Siddoway.
RC 48102.
Will Martin has returned to his childhood home during the holidays to settle his grandfather's estate. When Will asks his grandmother her Christmas wish, she shows him her husband's journals, which include
notes of a yearly visit to Lillian. Will's efforts to identify Lillian result in a surprising discovery.
The Dog Who Came to Stay by Hal Borland.
RC 11760.
Pat came to the Borland's Connecticut farm one sleety Christmas night and stayed in spite of their doubts. An affectionate account of a "national dog's" exploits in hunting and fishing, brushes with
skunks and poachers, and skirmishes with bobcats and porcupines.
Home Free by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey.
RC 33421.
It is not the best of Christmas Eves. Kate Hart's husband of 25 years tells her he is leaving her for another woman. But fate has something in store for Kate this Christmas Eve in the form of a dispossessed Iowa
farm family whose old station wagon breaks down in front of her luxurious Los Angeles home. Ford and his family desperately need shelter, and Kate needs a new direction in life. Will the combination work?
In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd.
RC 48446.
Ralph returns to the Indiana mill town where he grew up. When he walks into his childhood friend's bar, the two reminisce about their boyhood, which included Red Ryder BB guns, Orphan Annie, fishing, the Chicago
World's Fair, and Fibber McGee and Molly. The movie A Christmas Story is based on this book.
An Irish Country Christmas by Alice Taylor.
RC 48633.
Taylor recalls the work and the celebration of a Christmas that "glowed like a warm fire in the middle of a long, cold winter" when she was nine years old. She describes preparing the Christmas goose,
cleaning the chimney, gathering the holly and ivy, and having a parcel arrive on Christmas Eve.
A Magical Christmas by Heather Graham.
RC 47384.
Even though she is contemplating divorce, Julie Radcliff reluctantly agrees to spend Christmas with her husband, Jon, and their three kids at a country inn in Virginia. Once there, the family finds the hosts dressed
in Civil War costumes. Regaling in the peaceful environment, the couple soon regains their mutual love. Meanwhile, strange, old fashioned characters appear.
More Than Seven Watchmen by Helen Norris.
RC 25431.
An unexpected, restless urge possesses childless widower Tom Beckett, the 57-year-old rector of Saint Stephen's, as he writes his Christmas Eve sermon. It is almost as if he is prescient. The stage is set for
Tom's heart and soul to confront the beauty and fullness of God's world. And a runaway child, among others, is about to help that happen.
My Cat Spit McGee by Willie Morris.
RC 52219, BR 13597.
Mississippi author recalls how he had to overcome his fear of cats when his beloved fiancé wanted one. On Christmas Eve the family took in a stray who later had kittens, one of which had two different eye
colors.
Once upon a Christmas: A Collection by Pearl S. Buck.
RC 27990.
A lifetime of Christmas reminiscences along with a collection of the author's own stories reflect the joy and spirit of the holiday. Buck's memories are first of festivals in China and later of the traditional
American celebrations of snow covered Vermont and Pennsylvania.
The Saturday Evening Post Christmas Book.
RC 22175.
A holiday feast of stories, carols, poems, and recipes for family enjoyment. Includes excerpts from Matthew and Luke and pieces by Billy Graham, Arthur C. Clarke, Charles Dickens, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and
many others.
The Story of the Other Wise Man by Henry Van Dyke.
RC 22150, BR 2498.
First published in 1895, this story about faith has become a Christmas classic. It describes the pilgrimage of a fourth wise man who does not reach Bethlehem in time to present his gift to the baby Jesus because he
stops along the way to help people in need. He spends the next 33 years searching for the Messiah.
This Year It Will Be Different and Other Stories by Maeve Binchy.
RC 43325.
Fifteen tales set in England, Ireland, and Australia telling how family members come to terms with Christmases that circumstances make "different." In the title story, a mother's listlessness leads to a
change in the way her family observes the holiday. In another, a resentful stepdaughter finds love within her new family.
Thundering Sneakers by Prudence Mackintosh.
RC 18457, BR 4958.
Amusing memoirs by a mother of three boys and one tomcat. Anecdotes about Christmas, the first birthday party, shopping at the supermarket, and other domestic trials that turn mom into a shrew and a
martyr.
Tidings of Comfort and Joy by T. Davis Bunn.
RC 48425.
It was supposed to be a wonderful Christmas in Hawaii for 14-year-old Marissa and her family. But she has come down with a mysterious illness and must spend the holiday with Gran. As they come to terms with the change
in their plans, Gran tells Marissa about a Christmas many years before.
Timepiece by Richard Paul Evans.
RC 43227.
David and MaryAnne Parkin of Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1908, attach special significance to a timepiece that becomes a symbol of the importance of time spent with loved ones. Parkin Family, Book 1. Series Code
PAF.
RC 20378.
In an English country town, a newly arrived family involves their neighbors and finally the whole village in an event that enriches everyone's Christmas.