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Inspirational Christmas Short Stories :The Gift of the Magi" by O'Henry and Others
You can't have an inspirational Christmas short stories list without these (The following short stories can be accessed here.).
"The Gift of the Magi" by O'Henry - Della and Jim can't decide what to get each other for Christmas. With little money in their pockets and a lot of love in their hearts, Della and Jim give up what they love most to give the other a Merry Christmas. Lesson ideas include teaching allusions and teaching irony.
"A Kidnapped Santa Clause" by L. Frank Baum -Who would dare kidnap Santa Clause? Only the the Cave Daemons of Selfishness, Hatred, Envy, and Malice. After their failed efforts to tempt Santa Clause into their abode, these Cave Daemons resort to felony kidnapping. This story is better suited for younger audiences. It contains the elements of folktales and is a great story for teaching allegory (follow the link for an explanation of allegory). Make a chart like the one in the linked lesson plan and adapt it for this story. The connections are very obvious. The story also contains excellent examples of personification.
"Bertie's Christmas Eve" by Saki - For those tired of the same old inspirational Christmas short stories, try Bertie's interpretation of a Merry Christmas. Bertie, the family "ne'er do well" is tired of his stuffy family and locks them in a barn. Drunk, stranded motorists are invited in by Bertie to share some of his family's best champagne. As with all Saki short stories, this one contains enough irony to occupy irony minded students for an entire class period.
"How Santa Clause came to Simpson's Bar" by Bret Harte - Harte uses a familiar formula in his rendition of Christmas in a California mining town. Roads are flooded and Simpson's Bar is unreachable, or is it? Harte's story shows that the redeeming value of Christmas applies to all, even the broken down men of Simpson's Bar.
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More Christmas Stories
Although not short stories, these Christmas Stories delight during the holidays.
- "A Christmas Memory" by Truman Capote - Capote uses Christmas as a controlling image in sharing a memory of his elderly cousin, Buddy. "A Christmas Memory" provides inspiration for writing personal narratives. After reading "A Christmas Memory," have students write a personal narrative about a special holiday.
- "A Child's Christmas in Wales" by Dylan Thomas - Thomas uses imagery and figurative language to relate his memory of Christmas past. Make a web diagram with the word "A Child's Christmas in Wales" in the middle. Draw 5 large circles around the middle circle and connect them. Label each circle with one of the five senses--touch, sight, sound, smell, taste. As you read "A Child's Christmas in Wales," fill in the circles with specific images from the memoir. After you are finished reading and filling in, instruct students to create their own web diagram, with a holiday of their choosing. Instruct them to use their web diagram for a descriptive essay or personal memoir of their own.
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Classics
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - Dickens' novel is the classic Christmas tale of redemption. The novel is suitable for teaching characterization, stereotypes, and figurative language. Check out this writing style of Charles Dickens' study guide for Great Expectations, where Dickens portrays a darker sife of Christmas, for help teaching A Christmas Carol. A Christmas Carol has inspired several movies including A Muppets Christmas Carol, Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol, Scrooged (my personal favorite), and of course several adaptations of A Christmas Carol.
"'Twas the Night before Christmas" by Clement Clarke Moore - The modern image of Santa Clause comes primarily from this classic poem. Assign students a poem writing assignment, in which they must describe a holiday creature in the same rhyming manner as Clarke.
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Check out this multicultural holiday project to make all students feel included or to satisfy the politically correct at your school. Feel free to read the "Next Christmas Classic" available exclusively on Brighthub.com beginning on page 2.
Feel free to share your favorite Christmas short stories by clicking "comments" above.
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Cheesy, Humorous Christmas Short Stories
You could always have your kids write a cheesy humorous Christmas short story, like this one.
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"The Next Christmas Classic" by Trenton S. Lorcher
“And tickets for the big game are sold out!” blared the TV announcer as Tim watched the news with his father. Both their heads sank with disappointment. Tim had tried his hardest to get tickets for the big Christmas day football game. He wanted to give his dad a Christmas they’d never forget.
John Spreweather, Tim’s dad, had also tried to get tickets for the game but he too had failed. He had gotten out of bed four hours early and waited in line in the freezing cold, but as he approached the ticket window a “sold out” sign appeared.
Tim wished his mother were still alive. He felt somewhat responsible for her death; after all, he was driving the car when it overturned on the interstate. The police assured him the icy roads had been the cause, not his driving. After months in the hospital working with physical and mental therapists, Tim was much better. He still walked with a noticeable limp, but the mental scars were becoming less and less of a hindrance. Oh to be able to spend Christmas with his dad at the Lion’s game would certainly help both of them cover up the disappointment of not having Tim’s mother there for Christmas.
Tim’s dad had always possessed a certain something that separated him from other father’s in the neighborhood. Despite being in his forties, he was still very athletic and, before the accident, had often played football with Tim and his friends. He still had flowing sandy brown hair with a touch of distinguished gray. His sharp jaw complemented his stone-hewed cheeks, and his eyebrows set perfectly above his eyes, which had unfortunately lost their sparkle since the death of his wife and the crippling injury to his son.
Tim admired his father, as did all the neighbor kids who, in the past, had looked to him for advice. Even the neighborhood girls took a liking to Tim’s father, whose good looks were surpassed only by his gentlemanly manners. This was not overlooked by Tim’s friends who frequently went to him for dating tips. It could even be argued that the happiness of many a young man can be traced back to a meeting with Tim’s father.
Tim stared over at his father and noticed a pained look on his father’s face. Even though he could never erase the memory of his mother’s death, Tim knew he could at least enjoy Christmas with his father. Tim vowed to himself he would get tickets to that game no matter what it required. He stood up, hugged his dad, limped to the door and headed out.
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Tim’s first stop was the local box office where he had made his original attempt for tickets.He stood shivering weekly in the cold.Since the accident he had lost much of the muscle.As a result, his 6-foot frame looked unnaturally small.His friends at school also treated him differently; he was no longer the big football star, and even his girlfriend, captain of the cheerleaders, stopped seeing him shortly after the accident.Tim tried to hide his pain, but the last 6 months had taken its toll.In public, he forced a smile, but when alone, a frown was his constant companion.
Tim stepped up to the ticket window and inquired whether or not someone had perhaps turned in his tickets or sold them back.The man at the ticket window looked at him stupidly and shewed him away.As he turned around he saw his former basketball coach.“Hey Coach, how are you?” Tim asked.At one time Tim had been the star of the basketball team and had shared a special friendship with his coach.He now looked at him somewhat ashamedly.Tim continued, “What brings you here coach?”
“I’m just buying figure skating tickets for me and my daughter.It will be a great Christmas present.She’s been waiting to see this for some time; and to be honest with you, I don’t mind seeing the girls in those short skirts either.”Tim laughed hesitantly.The coach continued, “I heard your conversation with the ticket lady, and there may be a place on 34th street that buys large amounts of tickets and sells the excess at exorbitant prices to desperate fans.”
“I’ll go see.Thanks Coach!” yelled Tim as he walked away.Tim was certainly a desperate fan, not of the Lions, but of his father.He entered the dingy ticket office andnervously examined the old sports photographs hanging on the dingy walls.There were two other desperate fans in the room.They left and Tim stood there alone hoping the man behind the counter could help fulfill his Christmas wishes.
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"The Next Christmas Classic" Continued
“Can I help you Sonny?” asked the short plump man behind the counter. The man was wearing a grimy white shirt stained with morning coffee. His shirt didn’t quite cover his belly, which protruded over his faded jeans.
“Yes sir. I’m looking for… tickets… for the Lion’s game on Christmas day,” Tim asked as he stared nervously at the bars on the ticket window.
“You’re in luck my boy, but it’s gonna cost ya. This game’s sold out.”
“How much?”
“$250 each.”
Tim’s smile changed into a frown. “But sir, these tickets are row VV upperdeck, and I certainly can’t afford to pay that much money.”
The plump man looked angrily at Tim and replied, “Well I guess you won’t be goin’ to the game now, will ya’? Get out of my store so I can help real customers.” Tim walked out, went home and prayed for a Christmas miracle.
Tim rolled out of bed Christmas Eve trying to think of how he could get tickets for the game. He then noticed the Sony Play Station in the corner and his problems were solved. Tim hurriedly unhooked the system, grabbed his 57 games and went to earn his $500. He came home 7 hours later with two tickets to the game and $50 left over for hotdogs. He would miss his video games, but the joy of his father would more than compensate.
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Tim’s father sat at work dreaming about the big game and how badly he wanted to go. He was the last one at the office and decided it was time to go home. “It is Christmas Eve!” he thought to himself. He walked over to turn off the radio when his fortunes changed.: “Caller 10 wins two front row tickets to the big game tomorrow!” Tim’s father dashed to the phone and dialed frantically. Four tries. Four busy signals. “One more try,” he thought.
It rang.
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Conclusion
“Hello, you’ve reached Extreme Radio!” shouted the voice on the other end of the phone.
“Am I caller 10?Am I caller 10?” asked Tim’s father excitedly.
“You sure are, my friend!And you’re going to the game tomorrow!”Tim’s father went straight to the radio station and came home with a front row surprise in his wallet.
Neither could sleep that night.Both Tim and his father were too excited about the big game and the Christmas surprise.The morning finally arrived, and the father and son met at the table for a Christmas breakfast.Tim could no longer contain his excitement.“Dad, let me go get your Christmas present!”
He ran to his room, grabbed his tickets, came back and handed them to his father.
Tim’s father looked at the tickets in shock.“But how did you get these?The game sold out long ago Timmy.”
Tim looked at his father proudly and answered, “I sold my Play Station.I know they’re only VV upper deck, but we can still feel Lion excitement!”Tim’s father looked at his own tickets, front row tickets, which he kept hidden under the table.
Tim’s father held the upper deck tickets in his hands.He looked at them and began to weep.Then a sudden change came over him, an unexplained change on the countenance of his face.He thought about the pain and suffering he had gone through and of his deceased wife.He began to weep more.Tim tried to hug him but his father pushed him away.
John held Tim’s tickets in his hand with tears in his eyes and began to speak softly, “Tim, I know it must have been hard for you to sell your video games…” Tim’s eyes beamed with joy.
“Dad, I love you,” he wept.
Tim’s father stood up and proclaimed, “son… I want you to know… from the bottom of my heart… how much of a loser I think you are.All you could get was row VV upper deck!I got front row you stupid crippled loser!”Tim sat in astonishment as his dad walked over, punched him in the face, grabbed his tickets, and ripped them up.Tim’s father walked to the door triumphantly, turned around and yelled, “I’m going to the game without you, you stupid gimp!”He was about to slam the door when he added, “Oh, by the way, thanks for killing my wife you idiot.Next time you get behind the wheel make sure you learn how to drive, you stupid murderer!!!”
Tim’s father left and picked up the 19 year old neighbor girl he’d been having an affair with for the last two years.They enjoyed one of the best games in NFL history.Tim stayed home all day crying.It was a Christmas he’d never forget.
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Christmas Stories with Lesson Ideas
Use these stories and keep students' interest high near the holidays.