The following is a navigational list of notable literary works which are set at

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

time, or contain Christmas amongst the central themes.

Novels and novellas

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

, ''

Hercule Poirot's Christmas ''Hercule Poirot's Christmas'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 19 December 1938 (although the first edition is copyright dated 1939). It retailed at seven ...

'' *

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

, '' A Christmas Carol'' *Charles Dickens, ''

The Chimes ''The Chimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In'', commonly referred to as ''The Chimes'', is a novella written by Charles Dickens and first published in 1844, one year after '' A Christmas Carol''. It is t ...

'' *Charles Dickens, ''

The Cricket on the Hearth ''The Cricket on the Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Home'' is a novella by Charles Dickens, published by Bradbury and Evans, and released 20 December 1845 with illustrations by Daniel Maclise, John Leech, Richard Doyle, Clarkson Stanfield and Edwin ...

'' *Charles Dickens, ''

The Battle of Life ''The Battle of Life: A Love Story'' is an 1846 novel by Charles Dickens. It is the fourth of his five "Christmas Books", coming after '' The Cricket on the Hearth'' and followed by '' The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain''. The setting is ...

'' *Charles Dickens, ''

The Haunted Man and The Ghost's Bargain ''The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain, A Fancy for Christmas-Time'' (better known as ''The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain'' or simply as ''The Haunted Man'') is a novella by Charles Dickens first published in 1848. It is the fifth and ...

'' *

Janet Evanovich Janet Evanovich (née Schneider; April 22, 1943) is an American writer. She began her career writing short contemporary romance novels under the pen name Steffie Hall, but gained fame authoring a series of contemporary mysteries featuring Steph ...

, ''

Visions of Sugar Plums ''Visions of Sugar Plums'' is a 2003 novella by Janet Evanovich. It is the first of (to date) four "Between the Numbers" volumes in Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, featuring the adventures of the eponymous bounty hunter in Trenton, New Je ...

'' *

Frederick Forsyth Frederick McCarthy Forsyth (born 25 August 1938) is an English novelist and journalist. He is best known for thrillers such as '' The Day of the Jackal'', '' The Odessa File'', ''The Fourth Protocol'', '' The Dogs of War'', '' The Devil's Alt ...

, '' The Shepherd'' *

Jostein Gaarder Jostein Gaarder (; born 8 August 1952) is a Norwegian intellectual and author of several novels, short stories, and children's books. Gaarder often writes from the perspective of children, exploring their sense of wonder about the world. He often ...

, ''

The Christmas Mystery ''The Christmas Mystery'' (Norwegian: ''Julemysteriet'') is a 1992 Norwegian novel for children by Jostein Gaarder. The story has one chapter for each day of Advent. Story Using the device of a "Story within a story A story within a stor ...

'' *

John Grisham John Ray Grisham Jr. (; born February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas) is an American novelist, lawyer and former member of the 7th district of the Mississippi House of Representatives, known for his popular legal thrillers. According to the Am ...

, ''

Skipping Christmas ''Skipping Christmas'' is a comedic novel by John Grisham. It was published by Doubleday on November 6, 2001 and reached #1 on ''The New York Times'' Best-Seller List on December 9 that year. It was also released as a four-CD audiobook, narrate ...

'' *

Maureen Johnson Maureen Johnson (born February 16, 1973) is an American author of young adult fiction. Her published novels include series leading titles such as ''13 Little Blue Envelopes'', ''The Name of the Star'', ''Truly Devious,'' and ''Suite Scarlett''. ...

John Green John Michael Green (born August 24, 1977) is an American author, YouTube content creator, podcaster, and philanthropist. His books have more than 50 million copies in print worldwide, including '' The Fault in Our Stars'' (2012), which is ...

and

Lauren Myracle Lauren Myracle (born May 15, 1969) is an American writer of young adult fiction. She has written many novels, including the three best-selling "IM" books, ''ttyl'', ''ttfn'' and ''l8r, g8r''. Her book ''Thirteen Plus One'' was released May 4, 201 ...

, ''

Let It Snow "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", also known as simply "Let It Snow", is a song written by lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne in July 1945 in Hollywood, California, during a heat wave as Cahn and Styne imagined cooler conditions ...

'' *

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univer ...

, ''

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1950. It is the first published and best known of seven novels in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' (1950–1956). Among all th ...

'' * Christopher Moore, '' The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror''

Short stories

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consist ...

, "

The Fir-Tree "The Fir-Tree" ( Danish: ''Grantræet'') is a literary fairy tale by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875). The tale is about a fir tree so anxious to grow up, so anxious for greater things, that he cannot appreciate ...

" *

Truman Capote Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics, ...

, "

A Christmas Memory ''"A Christmas Memory"'' is a short story by Truman Capote. Originally published in ''Mademoiselle'' magazine in December 1956, it was reprinted in ''The Selected Writings of Truman Capote'' in 1963. It was issued in a stand-alone hardcover editi ...

" (published in ''

Mademoiselle Mademoiselle (abbreviated as ''Mlle'' or ''M'') may refer to: * Mademoiselle (title), the French-language equivalent of the title "miss" Film and television * ''Mademoiselle'' (1966 film), a French-British drama directed by Tony Richardson * '' ...

'') *

John Cheever John William Cheever (May 27, 1912 – June 18, 1982) was an American short story writer and novelist. He is sometimes called "the Chekhov of the suburbs". His fiction is mostly set in the Upper East Side of Manhattan; the Westchester suburbs; ...

, " Christmas is a Sad Season for the Poor" *

, ''

The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding ''The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding and a Selection of Entrées'' is a short story collection written by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 24 October 1960.Chris Peers, Ralph Spurrier and Jamie Stur ...

'' *

, '' A Christmas Tragedy'' *

Fyodor Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...

, "

A Christmas Tree and a Wedding "A Christmas Tree and a Wedding" (russian: Ёлка и свадьба, ''Yolka i svad'ba'') is a short story written by Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky published in 1848. The piece is narrated by a guest at a New Year's Eve ball. He observes t ...

" *Fyodor Dostoevsky, "

The Beggar Boy at Christ's Christmas Tree "The Beggar Boy at Christ's Christmas Tree" (russian: Мальчик у Христа на ёлке; ) is a Christmas-time short story written by Fyodor Dostoevsky in 1876. It was first published in '' A Writer's Diary'', January 1876. This story ...

" () (from ''

A Writer's Diary ''A Writer's Diary'' (russian: Дневник писателя; ''Dnevnik pisatelya'') is a collection of non-fiction and fictional writings by Fyodor Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Д ...

)'' * Arthur Conan Doyle, "

The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

" *

Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...

, "

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipati ...

" (from ''

Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka ''Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka'' (russian: «Вечера на хуторе близ Диканьки») is a collection of short stories by Nikolai Gogol, written in 1829–1832. They appeared in various magazines and were published in book f ...

'') *

O. Henry William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910), better known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American writer known primarily for his short stories, though he also wrote poetry and non-fiction. His works include " The Gift of the ...

, '' The Gift of the Magi'' *

E. T. A. Hoffmann Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann (born Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann; 24 January 1776 – 25 June 1822) was a German Romantic author of fantasy and Gothic horror, a jurist, composer, music critic and artist.Penrith Goff, "E.T.A. Hoffmann" in E. ...

, " Nussknacker und Mausekönig" (''The Nutcracker and the Mouse King'') *

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...

, "

Papa Panov's Special Christmas "Where Love Is, God Is" (sometimes also translated as "Where Love Is, There God Is Also" or "Martin the Cobbler") is a short story by Russian author Leo Tolstoy. The title references the Catholic hymn Ubi Caritas. One English translation of t ...

" (translation of Saillens) *

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems " Do not go gentle into that good night" and " And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Unde ...

, ''

A Child's Christmas in Wales ''A Child's Christmas in Wales'' is a piece of prose by the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas recorded by Thomas in 1952. Emerging from an earlier piece he wrote for BBC Radio, the work is an anecdotal reminiscence of a Christmas from the viewpoint of a ...

'' *

Philip Van Doren Stern Philip Van Doren Stern (September 10, 1900 – July 31, 1984) was an American writer, editor, and American Civil War, Civil War historian whose story "The Greatest Gift (story), The Greatest Gift", published in 1943, inspired the classic Christma ...

, ''

The Greatest Gift "The Greatest Gift" is a 1943 short story written by Philip Van Doren Stern, loosely based on the Charles Dickens 1843 novella '' A Christmas Carol'', which became the basis for the film ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946). It was self-published as ...

'' *

Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and ...

, '' While Mortals Sleep'' (book of short stories)

Children's

Janet and Allan Ahlberg Janet Ahlberg (21 October 1944 – 15 November 1994; née Hall) and Allan Ahlberg (born 5 June 1938) were a British married couple who created many children's books, including picture books that regularly appear at the top of "most popular" lis ...

, ''

The Jolly Christmas Postman ''The Jolly Postman or Other People's Letters'' is an interactive children's picture book by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. The innovative project required five years to complete, and much discussion with both the publisher Heinemann and the printer ...

'' *

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and ...

, ''Amazing Peace'' *

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not inclu ...

, ''

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus ''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' is a 1902 children's book, written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Mary Cowles Clark. Setting Plot As a baby, Santa Claus is found in the Forest of Burzee by Ak, the Master Woodsman of the World ...

'' *

Julia Donaldson Julia Donaldson (born Julia Catherine Shields; born ) is an English writer and playwright, and the 2011–2013 Children's Laureate. She is best known for her popular rhyming stories for children, especially those illustrated by Axel Scheffler, ...

, and

Axel Scheffler Axel Scheffler (born ) is a German illustrator and animator based in London. He is best known for his cartoon-like pictures for children's books, in particular ''The Gruffalo'' and '' The Gruffalo's Child'', written by Julia Donaldson. He has a ...

, '' Stick Man'' *

Richard Paul Evans Richard Paul Evans (born October 11, 1962) is an American author, best known for writing '' The Christmas Box'' and, more recently, the Michael Vey series. Biography Evans graduated from Cottonwood High School in Murray City, Utah. He graduat ...

, '' The Christmas Box'', ''The Light of Christmas'' *

Cornelia Funke Cornelia Maria Funke () (born 10 December 1958) is a German author of children's fiction. Born in Dorsten, North Rhine-Westphalia, she began her career as a social worker before becoming a book illustrator. She began writing novels in the late 1 ...

, ''

When Santa Fell to Earth ''When Santa Fell to Earth'' (german: Als der Weihnachtsmann von Himmel fiel) is a 2004 novel by German author Cornelia Funke. It was translated into English and published by the Chicken House in 2006. The novel was by Oliver Dieckmann, which p ...

'' *

Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss"
''

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' is a Christmas children's story by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel written in rhymed verse with illustrations by the author. It follows the Grinch, a grouchy, solitary creature who tries to cancel Christmas by s ...

'' *

Astrid Lindgren Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren (; ; 14 November 1907 – 28 January 2002) was a Swedish writer of fiction and screenplays. She is best known for several children's book series, featuring Pippi Longstocking, Emil of Lönneberga, Karlsson-on- ...

, ''

Brenda Brave Helps Grandmother ''Brenda Brave Helps Grandmother'' (original title: Kajsa Kavat) is a 1950 story by Astrid Lindgren about a young girl named Brenda (Kajsa) in Sweden. The book about the character has been translated into many different languages. Plot As a bab ...

'' (''Kajsa Kavat hjälper mormor'') *

, ''

A Calf for Christmas ''A Calf for Christmas'' (original title: ''När Bäckhultarn for till stan'') is a children's book by Astrid Lindgren. Plot Johann is sad because Embla, the cow of his family, has died. It was the only cow that the family had. Soon it will be ...

'' (''När Bäckhultarn for till stan'') *

, '' Christmas in the Stable'' (''Jul i stallet'') *

, '' The Runaway Sleigh Ride'' (''Titta Madicken, det snöar!'') *

, '' The Tomten'' (''Tomte är vaken'') *

, '' The Tomten and the Fox'' (''Räven och Tomten'') *

Martin Waddell Martin Waddell (born 10 April 1941) is a writer of children's books from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He may be known best for his picture book texts featuring anthropomorphic animals, especially the ''Little Bear'' series illustrated by Barbara F ...

, ''Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale''

Poetry

Old Santeclaus with Much Delight "Old Santeclaus with Much Delight" is an anonymous illustrated children's poem published in New York in 1821, predating by two years the first publication of '' A Visit from St. Nicholas'' (''Twas the Night before Christmas''). It is the first p ...

" * Clement Clarke Moore, "

A Visit from St. Nicholas ''A Visit from St. Nicholas'', more commonly known as ''The Night Before Christmas'' and ''Twas the Night Before Christmas'' from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously under the title ''Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas'' i ...

" (also known as "'Twas the Night before Christmas") *

George Robert Sims George Robert Sims (2 September 1847 – 4 September 1922) was an English journalist, poet, dramatist, novelist and ''bon vivant''. Sims began writing lively humour and satiric pieces for '' Fun'' magazine and ''The Referee'', but he was soon c ...

, ''

Christmas Day in the Workhouse ''In the Workhouse : Christmas Day'', better known as ''Christmas Day in the Workhouse'', is a dramatic monologue written as a ballad by campaigning journalist George Robert Sims and first published in '' The Referee'' for the Christmas of 1877. ...

'' *

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...

, "

Journey of the Magi "Journey of the Magi" is a 43-line poem written in 1927 by T. S. Eliot (1888–1965). It is one of five poems that Eliot contributed for a series of 38 pamphlets by several authors collectively titled the Ariel Poems and released by the Briti ...

" *

Viktor Rydberg Abraham Viktor Rydberg (; 18 December 182821 September 1895) was a Swedish writer and a member of the Swedish Academy, 1877–1895. "Primarily a classical idealist", Viktor Rydberg has been described as "Sweden's last Romantic" and by 1859 was " ...

, ''

Tomten A (, ), tomte (), , or () is a mythological creature from Nordic folklore today typically associated with the winter solstice and the Christmas season. They are generally described as being short, having a long white beard, and wearing a coni ...

Collections

Bettye Collier-Thomas Bettye Collier-Thomas (born Bettye Marie Collier, February 18, 1941) is a scholar of African-American women's history. Early life and education Collier-Thomas was born the second of three children of Joseph Thomas Collier, a business executive an ...

, ''A Treasury of African American Christmas Stories'' *

David Sedaris David Raymond Sedaris (; born December 26, 1956) is an American humorist, comedian, author, and radio contributor. He was publicly recognized in 1992 when National Public Radio broadcast his essay "Santaland Diaries.” He published his first co ...

, ''

Holidays on Ice ''Holidays on Ice'' is a 1997 collection of essays and stories about Christmas, some new and some previously published, by David Sedaris. Sedaris was named by '' The Economist'' as one of the funniest writers alive. This is one of his first wo ...

'' *

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...

, '' Letters from Father Christmas'' *

Jeanette Winterson Jeanette Winterson (born 27 August 1959) is an English writer. Her first book, '' Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit'', was a semi-autobiographical novel about a sensitive teenage girl rebelling against convention. Other novels explore gender pola ...

, ''Christmas Days''

Nonfiction

Francis Pharcellus Church Francis Pharcellus Church (February 22, 1839 – April 11, 1906) was an American publisher and editor. Born in Rochester, New York, he graduated from Columbia University and embarked on a career in journalism. With his brother, William Conan ...

, "

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" is a line from an editorial by Francis Pharcellus Church titled "Is There a Santa Claus?", which appeared in the New York newspaper '' The Sun'' on September 21, 1897, and became one of the most famous ...

" (1897 newspaper editorial)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christmas-themed literature

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to inclu ...