A Classic Christmas

The editors at Thomas Nelson have gathered meaningful and heartwarming works of literature that celebrate the Christmas season and published them together in A Classic Christmas: A Collection of Timeless Stories and Poems. Authors like Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning often wrote about the spirit of Christmas and the grace and hope that have come from Christ’s birth; and in this collection, we hope to inspire readers to slow down and remember that kindness and generosity is the natural outpouring of hearts who observe the birth of Christ as a moment that changed the world and brought us an abounding and eternal joy.

We imagine you, dear reader, sitting and reading this collection aloud to your family or sharing it with a loved one who needs encouragement during the holiday season. We understand how easy it is to lose sight of the meaning of Christmas amid the hustle and bustle of meal preparations, work obligations, and family visits. For this reason, many of the poems or stories we’ve included are short and can be enjoyed in a fleeting moment or over a cup of coffee or tea. We also packaged this book so that it can be a treasure for your library for years to come or as a beautiful gift a friend would be thrilled to receive in their stocking or in an exchange. We want to encourage you this season and to remind you that we have so much for which to be grateful, and we hope A Classic Christmas will be that gentle reminder.

As a sample, here is a lovely poem we chose to include called “The Waits” by Margaret Deland. It paints a vivid portrait of the delight we all ought to feel anew each Christmas morning.

At the break of Christmas Day,
Through the frosty starlight ringing,
Faint and sweet and far away,
Comes the sound of children, singing,
Chanting, singing,
“Cease to mourn,
For Christ is born,
Peace and joy to all men bringing!”

Careless that the chill winds blow,
Growing stronger, sweeter, clearer,
Noiseless footfalls in the snow,
Bring the happy voices nearer;
Hear them singing,
“Winter’s drear,
But Christ is here,
Mirth and gladness with Him bringing.”

“Merry Christmas!” hear them say,
As the East is growing lighter;
“May the joy of Christmas Day
Make your whole year gladder, brighter!”
Join their singing,
“To each home
Our Christ has come,
All Love’s treasures with Him bringing!”

Our prayer for you, friends, is that you may approach the coming season with joy and gratitude for the greatest gift we have ever received: the introduction of Christ our Lord to the world. May we all spend our holidays sharing kindness and turning our eyes back toward God, whose peace shall reign. And in the words of Tiny Tim, “God bless us, every one!”

Written for Faith.full by the Thomas Nelson team.

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Your Turn

This Christmas, we can be intentional in remembering that kindness and generosity is the natural outpouring for Jesus-lovers. This is the season to proclaim His great gift! It’s such a great time to celebrate the world-changing birth of Christ, the reason for our joy! ~ Laurie McClure, Faith.Full