The best Christmas tradition of all is the tradition of Christmas reading. Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without stories like Dr Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas or Charles Dickens' novella A Christmas Carol. I still remember the magic of discovering O'Henry's The Gift of the Magi.There are so many lasting tales that have stood the test of time.
These are the stories that we look back on our whole lives when we think of Christmas. One holiday I discovered Mr Ives' Christmas by Cuban/American writer Oscar Hijuelos, and I thought of Christmas in a whole new light.That story introduced a new theme to the Christmas season: forgiveness. Mr Ives Christmas reminded me how broad the theme of giving really is. If you can give forgiveness from your heart, that might just be the best Christmas gift of all.
The good news is it's not too late to find some memorable Christmas stories in these few remaining days before you celebrate the holiday. You don't have to order Christmas stories from an online book store, and you don't have to buy books if you don't have any money left from all of your Christmas shopping, but I do recommend you buy books for Christmas presents.
Better yet, purchase a gift voucher from your favourite bookstore so that the special people in your life can choose the books they want.In the meantime, there are plenty of memorable Christmas stories you can find online for free. Christmas time is one of the best times to get into the habit of reading or reading to your children. All children like to hear Christmas stories, and a good Christmas story for adults can be a way to unwind from all of those Christmas parties.
Some of the children's sites featured below have Christmas stories you can read and activities that ease children, who mostly know the Internet for games, into reading.
Here are some of my favourite sites for Christmas stories:
1. Free Christmas Stories | Kids easy-to-read online Stories http://www.santagames.net/stories/default.htm– This colourful site has Christmas colouring pages, Christmas crafts, Christmas songs, Christmas recipes, Christmas e-cards, Christmas stories and a Santa Claus game.
The site is easy to navigate. Every time you press a link, a Christmas bell rings. The link for Christmas songs provides music and lyrics to sing along so that is a reading exercise in itself. A calendar counts down the days to Christmas with some upbeat Christmas music.
A variety of Christmas e-cards can be sent with personalised messages. There are recipes for Christmas cookies, chocolate truffles and Santa Claus French toast. Six Christmas stories are featured including The Little Match Girl, The Little Christmas Tree and The Carol Singers.
2. A site called American literature/Christmas, which can be found at http://americanliterature.com/christmas offers free Christmas stories from the masters including one of the most endearing stories of all, The Gift of the Magi by O Henry.
This story about a poor couple who gives up their prized possessions to buy Christmas gifts for each other is both touching and humorous. You can find Papa Panov's Special Christmas by Leo Tolstoy, A Kidnapped Santa Claus by L Frank Blaum (who wrote The Wizard of Oz) and Old Christmas by Washington Irving.
You'll be surprised how many famous authors have Christmas stories. There are some real Christmas treats on this site including stories by Anton Checkhov and Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Kate Douglas Wiggin's 1916 novella The Romance of a Christmas Card about a preacher's wife who decides to make her own Christmas cards.
3. A site called Why Christmas? that can be found at http://www.whychristmas.com/story/ offers stories about the history of Christmas celebrations around the world. There are fun Christmas activities including a tree to decorate online and Christmas puzzles with movable pieces. Christmas crossword puzzles and many interesting activities including an animated Christmas story make this a very interactive site for children to practise their reading in a fun-filled way.
4. A UK site at http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/christmas-stories-and-poems offers Christmas stories and poems that are just the right size for young children to practise their reading while enjoying an illustrated Christmas story or poem.There are Christmas bookmarks that can be downloaded, and many other surprises on this site. Create Christmas memories and create a tradition of reading in your home this Christmas. It's the best gift you can give your children.
Have a very merry and magical Christmas filled with good books and good reading.