Here are some very short Christmas-themed tales from a handful of late, great authors. They won't take much time to squeeze into your Advent reading, and I'm sure digital copies are easy to track down. (The image above is the beautiful Christmas tree at the Adelaide Mortlock Library.)
1) I Saw Three Ships by Elizabeth Goudge
This seasonal novella is under 100 pages.
Orphaned Polly Flowerdew lives with her maiden aunts, Dorcas and Constantia, in a temperate coastal town. Polly wishes to observe an old custom to leave their doors unlocked on Christmas Eve night, to welcome the Three Wise Men, but the aunts are too nervous. Aunt Dorcas thinks the notion of wise men is hard to swallow anyway. In her experience, only the women in their family ever possessed any wisdom at all, while the men have been foolish.
In the course of this story, three men, each wise in his own way, end up converging on Holly Cottage. It puts me strongly in mind of another famous Elizabeth G's story, and that is Cranford. (Gaskell instead of Goudge.) Here we have similar straitlaced elderly aunts, whose high-spirited brother ran away to sea many years ago. They employ similar ruses to make themselves appear more financially stable than the really are, and the presence of a young, dependent niece brings out the sort of merriment they haven't had beneath their roof in years.
The illustrations by Margot Tomes add lovely ambience to this story.
2) The Gift of the Magi by O'Henry
It's a short story, first published in 1905, which has become a classic for excellent reason.
Mr and Mrs James Dillingham Young, aka Jim and Della, are in their early twenties and struggling to make ends meet. Della has only managed to save $1.87 by Christmas Eve, which is nowhere near enough to purchase any present worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim. She has the sudden idea to sell her crowning glory, her beautiful hair, to buy a wonderful, classy fob chain for Jim's cherished watch.
I won't spoil the bitter-sweet twist of an ending, if you haven't read it before. Even though I have read it in the past and knew what was coming, it still brought tears to my eyes. Perhaps it strikes close to home, since I know what it's like when your income barely covers your living expenses, and then another December slips around. Poor Jim and Della have generous natures, but are forced to penny pinch just to survive.
O'Henry makes the observation toward the conclusion of his story that the magi started the tradition of gift giving at Christmas time. Those star-followers had no idea of the centuries of angst they set in motion with their tributes of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Perhaps if they could have foreseen the mad commercialism of modern Christmases, they might have had second thoughts.
All jokes aside, this is a lovely seasonal tale that highlights the sacrificial nature of true love.
3) Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie
The Queen of Crime attributes nostalgia for the decadent Christmases of her childhood to her writing of this short mystery, which can be read in one sitting.
Hercule Poirot's heart sinks at the prospect of a freezing, British country Christmas, but he's coerced to visit a manor estate named King's Lacey to help solve a crime. A significant dynastic family ruby has been pilfered by the fly-by-night girlfriend of a young eastern prince. There's good reason to believe some of the Lacey family's guests may be involved.
Meanwhile the elderly Laceys are concerned that their granddaughter, Sarah, is infatuated with the unsavoury Desmond Lee-Wortley, who preys on upper-crust girls. Sarah herself wishes to hide her sentimental appreciation of the festivities from the cynical Desmond. And three young teens, Colin, Michael, and Bridget, plan to make Poirot the butt of a prank, by staging a fake murder.
A flaming, boozy, custardy Christmas pud laden with favors and trinkets is the main hero, and turns out to save the day. The satisfying and surprising solution to this story comes in the nick of time.
4) The Burglar's Christmas by Willa Cather
Nineteenth century Chicago is the scene (think the Gilded Era) and a young homeless tramp named William is the main character. Once the pride and joy of his parents, he now reflects how far he's fallen. At one time he'd demanded great things from the world, including fame, wealth, and admiration. Now it's simply bread. Hunger is the powerful incentive that makes him consider stealing; a recourse he's never resorted to before. But it's harder than he anticipates to adopt a thief's mindset.
I can relate to William because he shares my Christmas Eve birthday. Whenever I come across anyone else born on December 24th, I think, 'Haha, poor sucker,' but the date worked well for Will in the past. His mother never skimped on birthday feasts for him when he was young. 'It's too much to have your birthday and Christmas all at once.'
This story focuses on his experience in the house he intends to rob. The theme is revealed in a sentence toward the end. 'Love has nothing to do with pardon or forgiveness, it only loves and loves and loves.'
Since William has only just turned 24 on the day of the story, he undoubtedly has plenty of time for making amends, and has learned some sober lessons about the world which many older men never learn.
Have you read any of these?
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