Christmas Short Stories Anthology

'Rumpole and the Old Familiar Faces' finds the claret-loving barrister spending Christmas in chilly Coldsands, staying with an old school friend of Hilda. When he is introduced to the new owner of the Old Manor House, he is surprised to realize that they've met before in more unsavoury circumstances. And Donald Compton's is by no means the only familiar face Rumpole will encounter during this particular festive period.

In 'Rumpole and the Millennium Bug', the loveable barrister is regretting the advent of the 21st century, and the arrival of a new, computer-literate clerk. But as Christmas approaches, can Bernard 'the Millennium Bug' prove to Rumpole that technology can be useful after all? Bill Wallis reads this special seasonal story starring Horace Rumpole, scourge of all QCs and friend of the criminal classes.

Four short, sparkling seasonal tales to warm your heart.

Private investigator Jade O'Reilly thought her worst Christmas dilemma involved finding the perfect gift for her significant other. That was before she agreed to help Agnes Sturgis, the crankiest old biddy in all of Sweetwater, NC. Every day, for the 12 days leading up to Christmas, Agnes wakes up to a yard filled with Christmas decorations. But in Agnes's opinion, "they're not decorations; they're property damage!"

In this glittering and heartwarming collection, three of today’s bestselling sweet romance novelists offer up the gift of cheer for the winter holiday season.

Christmas Grace and Light is a collection of short stories and reflections on the promise of Christmas. While the reflections are based on actual events, the stories imagine a world where Christmas is new every year. Written for Christmas worship, they tell of people caught in the world’s worries, running away from hope, perplexed by their own lives, or discovering unexplainable events. Just like you and me. In those events and uncertainties, light breaks into the darkness. We discover the ever-present wonder of God’s grace that became human in the very first Christmas.

A Perfect Christmas with Chaos is a story that gives you a peek into Ember's first Christmas with Mav. Hear a part of their story that was never told before. Find out a little bit more about your favorite couple and Mav's sexy biker brothers. It's Christmas. And the Harbingers of Chaos are coming for dinner.

It's Christmas Eve - a time of wonder, magic, anticipation....And terror. A father who will go to any lengths to feed his hungry children. An unsuspecting woman who inherits a house with a deadly secret. A murderous widow who shares a train carriage with Jack the Ripper. Two burglars who bite off more than they can chew, during a late-night raid. These, and many more bedtime stories, come hideously to life, in Mark L'Estrange's 19 tales of terror - each set on the most festive night of the year.

Die Adventszeit hat begonnen und alle Kinder aus seiner Klasse freuen sich, nur Fritz ist traurig. Aber warum und kann ihm geholfen werden? Fräulein Glücklich ist eine Klassenlehrerin mit Leidenschaft zum Beruf. Jeder mag sie und was hat sie sich dieses Mal zum letzten Schultag überlegt?

Thomas Hardy wrote this engaging seasonal story for The Father Christmas Annual in 1877, which was very early in his career. One can just imagine the family sitting by the fireside after the big Christmas lunch, and listening as one member of the family read the story (set in the Wessex countryside he knew so well). By this time, he was already making his mark as a writer. One of his greatest achievements, Far From the Madding Crowd was published three years earlier.

All bakery-owner Lindsay Leeds wants for Christmas is for her former high-school crush Sheriff Keith "Bodey" Bodewell to quit playing games. The sheriff has been dancing around asking her out for months and Lindsay is tired of it. His "fake girlfriend" ploy was cute and it was sweet that he recruited her friends to find out what she likes, but enough is enough. She's a busy woman and he needs to step up or he's going to lose his shot.

Durante años Jeanette Winterson ha escrito un relato cada Navidad: cuentos llenos defantasmas y de carámbanos, de trineos y de muérdago, pero con esa dosis de ironía y reflexión que solo ella es capaz de transmitir.

Kat saw the warning signs that her marriage was on the brink of collapse. The pressure of middle-class existence, an absent sex life, and a husband about to lose his job all spelled disaster. In a last-ditch effort to save their marriage, she hatched a plan to remind Ethan of their sexier days. First, she convinced him to take her on his next business trip. Second, she mailed a negligee to the lodge where they would be staying. Third, she had to figure out which model Ethan gave the negligee to when he didn't realize it was for her.

Holly flieht über die Weihnachtstage aus New York, weil ihr der Rummel auf die Nerven geht. Die Rocky Mountains sind genau der richtige Ort, um zu arbeiten. Denkt sie. Nur hat ihr niemand gesagt, dass es dort Männer gibt, die nicht nur ihr Herz höher schlagen lassen, sondern auch noch mit Nachnamen Christmas heißen ... Eine Kurzgeschichte von Erfolgsautorin Kajsa Arnold, die nicht nur zu Weihnachten Spaß macht!

Runyon's short stories are almost always told in the first person by a narrator who is never named and whose role is unclear; he knows many gangsters and has no job that can be gleaned from his musings, nor does he admit to any criminal involvement; he’s a bystander, an observer, an average street-corner Joe. Runyon described himself as 'being known to one and all as a guy who is just around'. That line seems to say a lot about Runyon and his life.

"A New Way to Spend Christmas" describes a Christmas visit to Randall's Island in the East River, where orphaned and sick children are looked after. A charitable woman brings gifts and spreads "sunshine in that shady place" to the unfortunate children who live there.

This is the audio program to play at home over Christmas or during the car journey to see relatives. Dylan Thomas, "The Little Match Girl," and "The Nutcracker" are read by Jenny Agutter with accompanying Tchaikovsky's music - this is a must for Christmas. It contains new recordings as well as some of the finest tracks from the Naxos AudioBooks catalogue.

The holidays have arrived in Avalon, Illinois and everyone is filled with festive cheer. Well, maybe not everyone. The husbands of Avalon have started a Bah Humbug Club. A neighborhood cookie exchange wreaks havoc on Erin Meeks' carefully planned life. Melvin O'Malley's daughter has abandoned him for the holidays in a senior facility, and shop owner Margot West is intent on creating the best holiday shopping experience for her customers when a stranger threatens to ruin it. But a few surprises await them as well.

In The Twelve Ghosts of Christmas, you will even be chilled by the stories in the introduction to the book, never mind the devilish dozen true tales about eerie time slips, gory premonitions, heart-stopping exorcisms, heartbreaking tales of lost love, graveyard tricksters, and sinister old hags. Listen to a story about the devil that tempted a bishop with pleasures of the flesh in "The Missing Room" and of the titanic, ominous force that turned a 3,000-ton ship upside down and sent its crew of 75 into limbo, never to be seen again.

In this extraordinary collection of holiday novellas, vampires turn to Angelina Ricci - vampire matchmaker extraordinaire - to help them find that special someone to curl up with under the mistletoe....