Want some inspiration for your writing? Christmas is around the corner. Imagine your world filled with mistletoe, sinful treats like rich coffee, chocolate and mascarpone torte, caramel and nut tart, Christmas tree, gifts, friends and family. Over the years, Christmas has inspired some great tales. The spirit of love, sacrifice, forgiveness and generosity that Christmas signifies has inspired many writers to pen some amazing stories.
1. The Gift of the Magi – O. Henry
Written by the American writer O. Henry, The Gift of the Magi epitomizes the Christmas spirit: unconditional love, sacrifice and generosity. The characters Della and Jim are in love with each other and are financially strapped. Though cash-strapped, they are not selfish. When Christmas approaches, Della sells her hair and uses the money to buy Jim a chain for his watch. Jim sells his watch to gift Della combs for her tresses.
2. A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens’ novella A Christmas Carol is a tribute to the spirit of Christmas. The story traces the stingy Scrooge’s ideological/emotional transformation to a generous gentleman. The change in him is triggered by his visions of Christmases past, present and future. The novella is a celebration of Christmas and the good tidings it brings in people’s lives.
3. At Christmas Time – Anton Chekhov
Russian writer Anton Chekhov’s short story At Christmas Time is a sad and bleak story that takes place around Christmas. In the first part, an uneducated peasant woman hires a local man to write a letter on her behalf to her daughter who got married four years back and from whom she has heard no news. The mother asks him to wish her Merry Christmas through the letter. In the second part, the letter reaches the daughter who after reading it bursts into tears and cries out, “”Queen of Heaven, Holy Mother and Defender, take us away from here!” The story has remained popular ever since its publication in 1900 and is known as a Christmas classic today.
4. A Letter From Santa Claus – Mark Twain
Written in child-like simplicity, this short story depicts the fascination that Santa Claus holds in the hearts of children. The ending line of the story “Good-by for a few minutes, till I come down to the world and ring the kitchen doorbell” is memorable and easily captures the imagination of readers.
5. Papa Panov’s Special Christmas – Leo Tolstoy
This story was originally written by Ruben Saillens in French. Tolstoy translated it. The story is a thoughtful story based on the Bible and Christmas. These memorable lines capture Christmas cheer: “Well, I hope he comes,” the sweeper said, “you’ve given me a bit of Christmas cheer I never expected to have. I’d say you deserve to have your dream come true.” The character Papa Panov’s Christmas wish is to worship Jesus and present him with the finest pair of shoes. The story depicts how Papa Panov’s most joyful Christmas comes true and he learns that the best way to celebrate Jesus’ birth is by following what Jesus did in his life.
Image credit: Kevin Dooley on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0
I’m Smitha Abraham. I love traveling in my flights of imagination and use these flights to craft short stories and poetry. I am a budding writer from India. My passions are reading, creative writing, listening to music, learning new languages, meeting new people, getting acquainted with different cultures and traveling. Authors like Isabel Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, genres like magic realism, historical romance, and writing styles that are imaginative and flow effortlessly fascinate me. I love to unwind with a book curled up on a sofa or by gazing at the stars by the sea shore. I am a nature lover and spending time admiring the sunset and sunrise is relaxing for me.