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

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

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 people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...

, '' Hercule Poirot's Christmas'' *

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

, '' A Christmas Carol'' *Charles Dickens, '' The Chimes'' *Charles Dickens, '' The Cricket on the Hearth'' *Charles Dickens, '' The Battle of Life'' *Charles Dickens, '' The Haunted Man and The Ghost's Bargain'' *

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 Stepha ...

, '' Visions of Sugar Plums'' * Frederick Forsyth, '' The Shepherd'' * Jostein Gaarder, '' The Christmas Mystery'' *

John Grisham John Ray Grisham Jr. (; born February 8, 1955) is an American novelist, lawyer, and former politician, known for his best-selling legal thrillers. According to the Academy of Achievement, American Academy of Achievement, Grisham has written 37 ...

, '' Skipping Christmas'' * Maureen Johnson, John Green 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 (novel), ttyl'', ''ttfn (novel), ttfn'' and ''l8r, g8r''. Her book ''Thirteen Plus O ...

, '' Let It Snow'' * C. S. Lewis, '' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' * Stephen V. Masse, '' Christmas Ransom'' formerly '' A Jolly Good Fellow'' * Christopher Moore, '' The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror'' * Kate Douglas Wiggin, '' The Birds' Christmas Carol''

Short stories

* Hans Christian Andersen, " The Fir-Tree" *

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" (published in '' Mademoiselle'') * John Cheever, " Christmas is a Sad Season for the Poor" *

, '' The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding'' *

, '' A Christmas Tragedy'' * Fyodor Dostoevsky, " A Christmas Tree and a Wedding" *Fyodor Dostoevsky, " The Beggar Boy at Christ's Christmas Tree" () (from '' A Writer's Diary)'' *

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...

, " The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" * Nikolai Gogol, " Christmas Eve" (from '' Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka'') * O. Henry, '' The Gift of the Magi'' * E. T. A. Hoffmann, " The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" (''Nussknacker und Mausekönig'') *

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy Tolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; ,Throughout Tolstoy's whole life, his name was written as using Reforms of Russian orthography#The post-revolution re ...

, " Papa Panov's Special Christmas" (translation of Saillens) * Dylan Thomas, '' A Child's Christmas in Wales'' * Philip Van Doren Stern, '' The Greatest Gift'' *

Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut ( ; November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American author known for his Satire, satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfict ...

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

Children's

* Tony Abbott, '' Kringle'' * Janet and Allan Ahlberg, '' The Jolly Christmas Postman'' *

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

, ''Amazing Peace'' * L. Frank Baum, '' The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' * Raymond Briggs , Father Christmas * Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, '' Stick Man'' * Richard Paul Evans, '' The Christmas Box'', ''The Light of Christmas'' * Cornelia Funke, '' When Santa Fell to Earth'' * Matt Haig, '' A Boy Called Christmas'' * Dr. Seuss, '' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' * Astrid Lindgren, '' Brenda Brave Helps Grandmother'' (''Kajsa Kavat hjälper mormor'') * Astrid Lindgren, '' A Calf for Christmas'' (''När Bäckhultarn for till stan'') * Astrid Lindgren, '' Christmas in the Stable'' (''Jul i stallet'') * Astrid Lindgren, '' The Runaway Sleigh Ride'' (''Titta Madicken, det snöar!'') * Astrid Lindgren, '' The Tomten'' (''Tomte är vaken'') * Astrid Lindgren, '' The Tomten and the Fox'' (''Räven och Tomten'') *

John Masefield John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer. He was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate from 1930 until his death in 1967, during which time he lived at Burcot, Oxfordshire, near Abingdon ...

, '' The Box of Delights'' * Stephen V. Masse, '' The Taste of Snow'' * Robert L. May, '' Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer'' * Mary Pope Osborne and Ned Bittinger, '' Rocking Horse Christmas'' * Chris Van Allsburg, '' The Polar Express'' * Martin Waddell, ''Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale''

Poetry

*" Old Santeclaus with Much Delight" * Clement Clarke Moore, " A Visit from St. Nicholas" (also known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas") * George Robert Sims, '' Christmas Day in the Workhouse'' * T. S. Eliot, " Journey of the Magi" * Viktor Rydberg, '' Tomten''

Collections

* Bettye Collier-Thomas, ''A Treasury of African American Christmas Stories'' * David Sedaris, '' Holidays on Ice'' *

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 Rawlinson ...

, '' Letters from Father Christmas'' * Jeanette Winterson, ''Christmas Days''

Nonfiction

* Francis Pharcellus Church, " Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" (1897 newspaper editorial)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christmas-themed literature

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...