When it comes to Christmas stories, who doesn't think first of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens? We all have our personal favorite adaptations to pull out every year. For my family, it's 1951's version with Alistair Sim as Scrooge. I strongly recommend pestering J. E. Petersen for a copy of an essay he wrote years ago about ol' Ebeneezer Scrooge.
In fact, all of my known favorites were written/created by men: A Christmas Story, It’s a Wonderful Life, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Polar Express, etc.
They all deserve the undying love they've earned from so many of us! But, didn't women have stories to tell? With a little digging, I've discovered they have, OF COURSE, written many delightful stories! This one will be read by my grandkids and I soon! Who doesn't love Beatrix Potter?
Not just one, but a whole collection of Christmas stories by L. M. Montgomery! is readily available, too. Most of us know and love Louisa May Alcott, I will hazard to guess, but who’s read A Country Christmas? Sigh. I haven't--yet. Her words, along with those by "Willa Cather, Grace Paley and Ntozake Shange," are included in May Your Days Be Merry & Bright, a "collection of Christmas stories that spans over 100 years -- and includes some of the best short fiction ever written by American women."
In searching for more stories written by women for the Yuletide season, this delightful collection of little-known Christmas stories popped up: Bag Full of Books' "Stories for Christmas and the festive season from The British Library Women Writers Series." These authors were born and live(d) during my mother's era but I, for one, have never heard of any of them. Happily, this collection's also available on Amazon!
December is a crazy busy month for my family and me, both in joyous and not-so… ways, just as it is for you. I've started a blog about one of the lesser known Brontë sisters, but decided she deserves more time than I can devote this month. Controversial in her day, all but forgotten in ours, Anne Brontë’s one of my new favorite authors and she'll ring in 2024 with me!
Meanwhile, introduce yourself to some potentially new-to-you (& me) classics by lovely women who celebrated this holiday season (or struggled through it), too!
And, here’s a little offering from me to you:
I believe in Santa Claus,
Faeries, Angels, and things,
the only thing that’s make-believe is the suit,
and maybe, the wings.
Thank you for sharing these works with us. I tend to forget about them. But it is nice getting back to them year after year.
It is always enlightening to read of new, old authors who can open our eyes to another side of life. I too, really enjoy the Bronte sisters. Merry Christmas and happy writing .