Christmas Short Stories Anthology

Melisa Hart has a soft spot for her brother Connor's ex-best buddy, Rob Reed. Unfortunately, Rob slept with Connor's girlfriend and is no longer welcome with any of the Harts. Melisa lends her pet lovebird for a Christmas Toy Drive, but a mix-up brings her face to face with Rob and his lovebird. Melisa is drawn into a whirlwind romance with Rob and discovers he hasn't told her the entire story. Can two little lovebirds and Christmas cheer open Melisa's heart to giving Rob another chance?

Siblings Alexina and Stephen are down on their luck this year and resign themselves to not having a Christmas dinner. But when their wealthy, gourmand uncle James invites himself to their house for Christmas, the pair scramble to lay out a sumptuous feast, including his favorite, Mince pie. But 10 minutes before the turkey is done, an unforeseeable disaster occurs that threatens to ruin everything.

Albert is terrified that his interfering niece will not only ruin his Christmas but take over his life. Luckily help is at hand. Mary and Joe get lost on their way to visit Mary’s mum in Cornwall. Then Mary goes into labor earlier than expected, but just in time they find a village inn. Robert is stuck in a nursing home for Christmas, and he is not happy. The food is awful, and there is nothing for him to do–until he meets an unexpected ally.

Christmas is one of the best times for huddling round the fire, wrapping up in a cozy blanket and telling each other stories. Storyteller Vicky Parsons brings a series of Christmas stories to charm and delight the whole family. Her lyrical style and humour gives a unique take on age-old stories, and new stories from her own imagination.

You know the tale of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. But what happened after Ebenezer Scrooge turned his life around? What about those that helped to rescue him? Charles Dickens’ redemption story is not just about saving one man, but about saving many. Return to the world of Dickens’ best-loved story to see how other characters were redeemed through the efforts to save one cranky old miser.

Nothing puts a damper on the Christmas spirit more than a fluffy white rooster named Sweetie. Reginald and his flock plot to serve the big bully a helping of humble pie with the aid of their fellow farm animals and some creative storytelling. Will they end up on Santa's naughty list? Or Martha's stewpot? And can they teach a humbug how to get along?

Christmas chaos hits Josiane. All she want to do is get to her family's Christmas Eve dinner for once on time. Instead, she gets stuck in her office's elevator with a tall stranger in the dark. When she meets Carsten will Josiane find that holiday romance may come in the strangest places?

Being the only mortal in a world of magical elves isn’t easy for Chrissy Star, especially at Christmastime. Feeling as if she’s in the way, she escapes Christmas Town and her duties as CFO for a week long vacation on a Greece isle. If she could have her Christmas wish, she’d meet a man who would not only heat up her love life, but understand her unusual family. Nick Christopoulus has met Chrissy before, but a lot has changed in five years.

In "A Christmas Dream, and How It Came True", 10-year-old Effie lives a comfortable life and experiences Christmases filled with delicious treats and wonderful toys. One night she has a dream that forever changes the meaning of Christmas for her. Encountering a group of underprivileged children, she is inspired to give them a Christmas they will never forget.

Christmas hadn't been celebrated in this old New England Puritan Church for years. Not until Nathan Stoddard arrived at work one morning, Christmas morning, to see an old man knock upon the door and have the door of the empty church flung open. Nathan rushes to a window at the rear of the church only to peer in to see the interior of the church filled with people dressed from a bygone era decorating the church. A lovely ghost story by Anna Wales Abbot.

Cory never expected to run Baker's Secret Hideaway, but when she needs help, Dex Trenton enters her life in more ways than one. Chris Day isn't looking forward to Christmas. But injured skier Raven Chase lands in Red Rock Clinic on Christmas Eve, and her holiday plans change. All Noelle McGregor wants is real mistletoe for her first Christmas without family, but getting it leads to literally falling for Matt Spicer. Sonata Sullivan returns home where she encounters her widowed high school boyfriend, Tommy Henderson. But her heart belongs to Jamali in Morocco.

The beloved Victorian Christmas ghost storytelling tradition continues to thrive in modern day, and this multi-genre anthology of short stories is proof. Cuddle up next to a crackling fire with some holiday music playing softly in the background, and lose yourself in eight amazing Christmas stories by a gang of super-talented, cross-genre authors. Not only are they heartwarming, but they incorporate mystery, science fiction, romance and ghosts!

When Talia's father makes a shocking revelation over dinner one night, she feels as though her life has just been leveled by a mortar blast. As she struggles to fit the pieces of her life back together, she turns inward, refusing help from those who love her the most, including Jack. Can she learn to forgive the father who raised her single-handedly? Will she open up to the man who loves her? Will Jack find the patience to go the distance, or will he resort to his old coping mechanisms and leave his family behind?

A Christmas ball sets the plans in motion for the wealthy Julian Mastakovich, for an immensely wealthy business man has just announced that his daughter has a dowry of 300,000 rubles. First published in 1848, and adapted into a motion picture in 2000, Dostoyevsky shines a light on the business end of well-moneyed marriage. It begins when an 11-year-old girl gets an extravagant doll at a Christmas ball.

Christmas, the happiest time of year. Plum puddings, candy canes, carols by the fireside. But outside, the mist lies deep and still. Frost gnaws at your fingertips. Shadowy forms lurk in the evergreens. It’s the season for ghost stories.

Descubre la adaptación de Cuento de Navidad de Charles Dickens. La adaptación ha sido realizada por Kathleen Hershner y está concebida para que la comprensión auditiva se adapte a un nivel intermedio, de esta forma puedes seguir la historia y mejorar tu inglés al mismo tiempo.

Papa was a great storyteller, and his daughter wouldn’t settle for recycled tales. While Papa was not interested in telling stories he was badgered enough to come up with a whopper. Prepare to smile, and to wonder what it would really be like if it were Christmas every day - at least the way we often celebrate it.

Outshone by a gregarious stepsister and overbearing stepmother, Lady Athena Cummins is used to fading into the shadows. Beloved only by her youngest sister, Persephone, Athena has accepted her destiny as a spinster. But Persephone has a different scheme in mind, and conspires to send Athena out for one night of fun at Lord Finchley’s masquerade Christmas Ball. The masked beauty catches the Lord’s eye but, determined to avoid the wrath of her stepsister, Athena leads Lord Finchley on a wild chase to discover her true identity.

In their first encounter, Isabella becomes infatuated with Marc, a handsome young man who makes fantastic potato chips. Fifteen years later while Isabella purchases a picturesque Victorian house she discovers Marc is the seller. His magnetism stirs her emotions and pulls her into his troubled world. Soon Isabella realizes her new house, nestled deep in the woods, is haunted. By communicating with the house's spirit, she hopes to learn secrets, which can help Marc resolve his conflicted past and move him into the future.

Here is the preface to 12 magnificent stories, originally part of The John Cheever Audio Collection, in which John Cheever celebrates - with unequaled grace and tenderness - the deepest feelings we have.