For hundreds of years the spirit of Christmas has been a joyous bond, bringing family, friends and strangers closer together during this most festive season of the calendar. When the air is filled with the jingle of sleigh bells, rich with the scent of holly and the tantalizing aroma of roasting chestnuts, these festive moments are made deeper and warmer by the telling of those marvelous stories that emphasize and enhance the delight of the holiday. All nations and periods have produced a wealth of tales and poems, and in this collection the editors have selected more than fifty of the finest, traditional and modern, funny and touching.
Charles Dickens, the master of literary holiday mirth, is here with "A Christmas Carol" and "Christmas at Dingley Dell." Saki and A. Conan Doyle are represented by two little-known tales, and there is a witty French story by Antoine Droz. The renowned Leo Tolstoy gives his inimitable style to a deeply touching and tender selection. There are poems by Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Frost and T.S. Eliot, and several carols and seasonal pieces from Spain, England and France. in addition, F.Van Wyck Mason provides a moving recreation of the nation's first Christmas at Valley Forge with Washington. The effervescence of Ogden Nash is represented by a seasonal offering, and there is a special Christmas selection from Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House on the Prairie."
At this most nostalgic of holiday times, this is an irresistible book that should find its way under every tree. Every member of the family will find something to enchant or entertain him in this stockingful of favorite Yuletide stories. Celebrating the joyfulness of this special season,recalling some old friends and introducing some new ones, this collection will find a permanent place in every home and make the holiday an even happier, more meaningful time.
Edited by James Charlton and Barbara Gilson
