rose, what a wonderful Christmas you have given your daughter. I suspect she'll remember that for a very long time. ( agree with her tho, blue and white trees, with silver and crystal ornaments, are so elegant. Makes me think of winter and light)

The only book I can think of is Christmas Carol - which isn't as overdone as you might think. We have been reading it for another book group, and I'm finding much there which the various movie versions either neglect to mention, change, or completely distort. For example, in the book, Scrooges nephew is much more smarmy and overly earnest - not as sympathetic a character as we've known.

BTW, my fav version is the one with Alistair Sim. Anything I think of the book I think of him.

I'm sure you are probably familiar with "Gift of the Magi" (O'Henry, I think). Just now, the only other one that comes to mind is "A Bird's Christmas Carol", a sad, older book for children. If you find this one, keep your kleenex handy....

I enjoy the Christmas novellas by Anne Perry-she now has 4 in the collection, and all the titles start with Christmas...Christmas Guest, Christmas Journey, Christmas Visitor and Christmas Secret. They all feature minor characters pulled from her mystery novels.

The Gift of the Magi is one of my favorite stories, Christmas or no. There is another story, I think called 'The Other Magi', about a fourth Magi who never makes it to see baby Jesus because he is too busy doing good deeds along his journey. Both are quite splendid reads.

Now, if you are looking for something quite irreverent, something hilarious, and possibly just this side of offensive: try Let Nothing You Dismay by Mark O'Donnel. Its a satire on how we celbrate Christmas in our culture, through the eyes of the narrator who wakes up realizing he has six parties that he much attend that day....

Here is a link that might be useful: Let Nothing You Dismay

Jan Karon has some books with Christmas settings if she isn't too sweet for you.

I second the Anne Perry novellas.

Kathy - Scrooge's nephew smarmy and overly earnest? That's not how I see him at all - and I know him far better from the book that I do from the films. He's a cheerful guy with not much money, with a rich but misearble uncle who he'll do his best to wish (and who he truly wishes!) a Merry Christmas, despite being rebuffed at every turn. And when Scrooge does turn up to dinner, he's absolutely delighted.

Where do you get smarmy and earnest from? He's a lovely bloke - I wish there were more like him.

Sorry, sorry - I meant Cindy, not Kathy.

Paula you might enjoy the old children's book from the 1920's The Box of Delights by English Poet Laureate John Masefield. His hero Kay Harker first appeared in The Midnight Folk and this time is spending Christmas in the country when he finds himself battling with the forces of good and evil.
The BBC made a wonderfully atmospheric radio play of this book and it was reprinted in paper back a couple of years ago.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Box of Delights

I agree with Martin-I have always found the nephew (and we read the book every year for years for December bedtimes before all nestling in for the Muppets version-my personal favorite) to be sincere and well-meaning, with a refreshing faith in humanity.

Boy, this is scarey stuff! Shouldn't we be worried about the kids in the audience?

Naah, this is culture.

My favourite too!

ccr and Martin, I suspect I was reading it with my curmudgeon control on high. Never mind. Carry on.

martin-don't you wish you could have been on the set when they filmed that? Michael Caine and Gonzo acting on the same stage. Bliss.

How about Christmas Party by Rex Stout? It's a Nero Wolfe mystery novella from the book And Four To Go.

And yes , it IS a murder mystery. ;-)

Hey, anybody know of any more Christmas mystery stories? I'm just curious.

Agatha Christie has Hercule Poirot's Christmas and The Christmas Pudding Mystery
Joanne Fluke did The Sugar Cookie Murder mind you-I'm not passing judgement, but this one was weak on mystery and long on recipes...
Valerie Wolzien has Deck The Halls With Murder, We Wish you A Merry Murder and Tis the Season to Be Murdered.

When I was a kid I read Little Women over and over for the Christmas part because it just seemed like the Marches' Christmas was what Christmas ought to be. I am so sentimental -- I always have been.

I just asked older son what his favorite Christmas story is, and he had a ready reply: The Stupidest Angel, Version 2.0 by Christopher Moore. He says the "Version 2.0" in the title is very important. I thought he was pulling my chain, at first, because I have never read the story and I tend to forget that it's possible for him to have had other Christmas-reading experiences beyond what he had with us, his family. That's dopey-mother thinking, and I rightfully had to apologize.

I looked up Moore's Christmas book at Amazon -- well, I didn't want to spring it on you without knowing what I'm recommending, if recommending is what I'm doing! Anyway, from the synopsis, apparently it's satire, irony, parody -- all those things that can either tickle or insult the fancy of a reader, so be warned that I'm only passing along the word! I think I will try to read it myself, and I'll let you know if I'm tickled or insulted. :-)

Have you read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson? It is a fun read as well as one that can make you think, if you pay attention to it. But you don't have to think about it to enjoy it

Not one, not two, but THREE different chances to see that performed around here this year-two schools and our church. Love the movie.

Frieda - I'm with your son. The Stupidest Angel is one of my favorite (twisted) Christmas books. Although, I disagree about the Version 2.0. The first version I read was a reviewers copy; then I bought the 2.0 version at CostCo. I think I liked the first version better ... but it may just be my faulty memory. Anyway, I like both versions. It's even more fun if you've read a couple of his earlier books -- "Island of the Sequined Love Nun" and "The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove." Characters from both of those books show up in "Stupidest Angel." In fact, the angel makes his first appearance in "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal."

There's Washington Irving's Old Christmas which I haven't read in years.

Paula, a question. If you, or anyone else in the US, put their 'live' tree up at the beginning of December do you still have any needles left on it by Christmas Day?
Here in the UK we often find we buy a 'freshly cut' tree and no sooner have we got it into the back garden in readiness for a soak in a bucket of water than half the needles flutter gently to the ground. The other half fall onto the carpet once we get it in the house.

Veer, a live tree can be good for about three weeks under ideal circumstances. The variety of tree, how it is cared for, and how fresh it is all influence how long it holds onto its needles.

We will take ours down shortly after Christmas Day.

Rosefolly

Here is a link that might be useful: Christmas tree varieities in the USA

I've given up on live trees - they just don't work for us. We have a cut tree stood outside which normally lasts to early January - then we take it down to the local civic centre and they recycle it. They put it through a huge shredder - the smell of chopped pine around there on that day is just wonderful!

Indoors, I'm afraid it's a realistic fake which we get out every year.

For years we bought a balled tree, dug the hole in early Dec. before the ground froze, put the dirt in the garage so it didn't freeze, hardened off (or I guess softened off) the tree by bringing it onto the porch, then into the garage, then the sunporch, then the house-had it inside for 1 week, then did it all in reverse, then planted it out on what always proved to be the coldest day of the winter. Thank goodness the hedge is finished and that nonsense is over-but all but one of them is living still, so we're proud. Realistic artificial now, since we found out that real sets off allergies and asthma.

We've done an artificial tree for the past several years ourselves, to my daughters' abject horror and my environmentalist son's satisfaction. This year was a special request.

I am thinking, though, of a color theme tree again next year, since I liked this one so much. I'm giving my younger daughter all our blue and silver ornaments for her own home, so I'm considering a red-and-gold tree next year, perhaps Victorian in mood, perhaps folk art-ish. We'll see.

Ah, back to the books. Lots of suggestions here and I'm going to follow them up. In the meanwhile, I wanted to mention a favorite of mine I forgot to list earlier, a children's picture book called Fair's Fair by Leon Garfield. In a unidentified Dickensonian city, two homeless children get their just desserts on a cold winter's day, very satisfying. Life should be so tidy.

Rosefolly

Artificial trees are known locally as Woolworth Spruce.
I think envioronmentally a 'real' tree may be considered rather more 'green', as they are grown specially for the purpose and in the production of the fake variety various non-green resources are used.
But at least you don't find needles under the carpet in July!
In the UK the tradition is to keep all Christmas decorations up until 6th January Twelth Night.

A tradition my neighbor and I have tried to start is to keep the outside lights lit until SuperBowl Sunday, leave then up all year and plug them in for the 4th of July. Hey...it's a festive holiday too...

Veer, you may be right about the environmental issue. I have heard that argument. I have also heard it claimed that an artificial tree, though environmentally awful to produce, if used for a number of years, redeems itself in the real trees it saves. I personally suspect that it is six of one, half a dozen the other.

In any case we are getting bids for installing rooftop PV panels to produce most of our own electricity from solar energy. Here in sunny California that is a very efficient method. I expect that will end up being our major environmental contribution to the world. That along with our lesser efforts, almost-organic gardening (I do use weed-killer) and participation in the community-sponsored recycling program.

On the debit side, I drive too much and don't use public transportation very often. Perhaps my next car will be a hybrid. I considered it this time, but could not find a hybrid station wagon.

Rosefolly

On Christmas stories, there's Dylan Thomas's A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN WALES which is a memory from his childhood. Very funny as well as atmospheric.

How about Thomas Hardy's UNDER THE GREENWOOD TREE which starts with the carol singers. He uses a lot of memories of his own childhood and youth in Dorset here, too, in this tale of Fancy Day the young schoolteacher who turns up in the village, and of Dick's love for her.

Then, from Susan Cooper's children's series of 4 books called THE DARK IS RISING, the second novel, actually called by that title, is set over Christmas, That series of books is an all-time favourite of mine - about The Old Ones who span time and space and who fight, of course, for The Good against the powers of evil. A couple of them are set in Wales; one, at least, in Cornwall.

For Christmas, I think I'll take that last one away with me (to Stratford upon Avon where we'll spend 4 days) to read again. And, not christmassy at all, but Jane Austen's EMMA which I haven't read in years; though I've just taken in PERSUASION and MANSFIELD PARK again. Her heroines are so very real and so touching - particularly Anne Eliot.

Dido

For Christmas reading, there is also E.T.A Hoffmann's "Tale of the Nutcracker." I'd advise finding a really professional performance of the ballet to enhance your holiday reading, as well. Worth the ticket price, IMO.

I also have a small book called Christmas with Rosamunde Pilcher, copyright 1997 by Rowohlt Verlag GmbH. It has some lovely pictures, writings, recipes, etc.