Christmas is the most amazing time of the year. There are a lot of playful lights in every house and building, white snow covering the streets, popular stores are full of customers, and cute presents are already placed under the Christmas trees. When December came, it seemed like all the struggles and challenges that are happening in the world and replaced with hope, fun, and silver linings for the remaining days of 2020 and for the years to come.
Additionally, there are various platforms that celebrate this beautiful holiday — one of them is literature. In fact, there are a lot of books in different genres that centers and highlights the essence of Christmas. That said, listed below are the ideal books to read on, before, and even after Christmas.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The great Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol at that moment when the British were discovering and re-assessing the past Christmas rituals, including carols, and current traditions like Christmas trees. It was originally published in 1843 in England by Chapman & Hall. The protagonist of the story is an old grumpy and workaholic man who doesn’t acknowledge Christmas named Ebenezer Scrooge. Because of his attitude towards the holiday, he was visited by spirits. The first visitor was his late business partner named Jacob Marley, who warned him about his actions and the other spirits. The next visitors were Spirit of Christmas Past, Spirit of Christmas Present, and Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come. After the visitation, Scrooge started to view Christmas from another angle and developed a positive attitude towards the holiday.
Is it Santa by Nelibeth Plaza
Published on November 26, 2020, Is it Santa by Nelibeth Plaza is a remarkable tale based on real events. The book follows the story of Mother Rebekkah who has been anticipating the arrival of Santa Claus by baking delectable Christmas cookies. She soon started to organize the cookies in a beautiful gift basket, which she wrapped with clear cellophane. After she came home from getting her kids, Charlie, Mya, and Jacob from school, she found out that her cookies were withdrawn from the baskets and transferred to the kitchen counters and the living room. Her kids assumed that it was the works of Santa. But Mother Rebekkah immediately elaborated that it wasn’t Santa due to several foul plays, such as the takedown of the red poinsettias by the window sill. Everyone is frustrated upon figuring out the person behind it and solving the mystery. Jacob started to investigate the scene by utilizing his investigative skills and the magnifying glass.
Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle
Let it Snow is a young adult fiction book co-authored by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle. The book was published by Speak: The Penguin Group in 2008 and is also available in e-book format. It contains three tales of different teenagers that were somehow connected together. The part written by Maureen Johnson was The Jubilee Express, John Green was A Cheertastic Christmas, and Lauren Myracle was The Patron Saint of Pigs. The tales center on three teenagers who went through a strong snow storm during Christmas in Gracetown. Because of how it depicted Christmas and the teenage life, it was adapted into film by Netflix and has received multiple recognitions.
Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Ember published one of the books that were co-authored by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn titled The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily in 2011. It centered on the story of Lily and Dash, two teenagers that were brought together and connected by a red moleskin notebook on the holidays. Lily left her notebook somewhere on the shelves of NYC’s bookstore. She is just waiting for the person who is willing to do the dares, which turned out to be Dash — a teen who is not in a good mood on the season. He accepted Lily’s dares, and before they knew it; they have fallen in love with one another. Moreover, this book was adapted into a Netflix series that was released last November. It also has a sequel titled Twelve Days of Dash & Lily.
The Happy Hammock 