Must Read Christmas Book As Countdown To Christmas Begins

The countdown to Christmas has begun with the entrance into the Advent Season (the four Sundays before Christmas). Advent Season is a period of repentance, forgiveness and waiting. Thus, to ensure that we wait purposefully, LEADERSHIP Lifestyle wants to keep you engaged before Christmas with four classical literary works, spanning varied genres, that embody the message of the season.

‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens

Published in 1843, ‘A Christmas Carol’ tells the story of a cranky, old and miserly businessman, Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge distances everyone with his cranky, children-hating, and miserly ways. When he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, and the ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Future, his life takes a dramatic turn.

With this gothic novella, Charles Dickens writes about the importance of generosity, making time for family, and a cheerful heart. It leans heavily towards penitence, showing that it is never too late for anyone to change.

‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’ by E.T.A. Hoffman

Written in 1816 by Prussian author E.T.A. Hoffman, ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’ is the story of courage, imagination, and the need to see things from a different perspective.

On Christmas Eve, Marie Stahlbaum and her brother Fritz receive an automated gift (a clockwork castle with mechanical people moving around inside it) from their godfather, a clockmaker and supreme court justice – Drosselmeier.

Soon, Marie and her brother tire of the gift, and while Marie wanders around the room, she notices an ugly, distorted nutcracker on a table. Her father, Dr Stahlbaum, gives her the responsibility of caring for the figurine.

At night, however, the entire inanimate world comes alive. The mice begin to crawl out of the floorboards, just as the figurines in the glass toy cabinet do, as the nutcracker takes command of them, leading them into battle against the seven-headed Mouse King.

‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’ make a good read for both children and adults.

‘The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle’ by Arthur Conan Doyle

This mystery adventure is a part of author Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books, and often forms part of his Christmas stories collection.

Here, Sherlock investigates a case involving a goose and a hat that the commissionaire Peterson found post a street brawl. Following the discovery of a precious gem in the goose’s crop, the investigation leads from several vendors to the accused thief, and finally, to the thief.

Readers get to decide if Sherlock’s decision to temper justice and mercy is to the detriment of one to another.

‘Hercule Peirot’s Christmas’ (‘Murder for Christmas’ or ‘A Holiday for Murder’) by Agatha Christie

There is nothing as delightful or interesting as welcoming Christmas with a little bit of mystery, and you can never go wrong with the queen of mystery and detective herself, Agatha Christie.

In Agatha Christie’s ‘Hercule Poirot’s Christmas’, an elderly multimillionaire, Simeon Lee, calls for a family reunion in his home. Lee’s invitation is met by suspicion by his family – his sons and their wives – for the fact that the crafty old man was never big on family. They, however, showed up, and were shocked to see among his guests their dead sister Jennifer’s daughter and Lee’s granddaughter, Pilar Estravados, in attendance, and Stephen Farr, the son of Lee’s former partner in diamond mining.

Indeed, it appears Lee is intent on playing a cruel joke on his guests. However, the sound of a hideous scream and crashing furniture post a Christmas Eve dinner awakens the household, and sends them scurrying to Lee’s locked room. Upon forcing the door open, they find him dead with a slit throat. 

Enter Superintendent Sugden and Colonel Johnson, the latter, who was accompanied by Hercule Poirot, to investigate the situation.

Is this feeling familiar yet? There is a vague similarity of plot with the first movie of the ‘Knives Out’ mystery series.

‘Hercule Poirot’s Christmas’ was first released in the UK in 1938, and in the US, as ‘Murder for Christmas’ in 1939, and re-released in 1947 as ‘A Holiday for Murder’.

As a bonus, it’s worth noting that all the above literature texts have been adapted into movies. As any good reader would advise, it’s best to read the books first, as they are richer in content and storytelling. Then, curl up on a sofa with a nice mint or Arabic tea, and binge-watch the films for what they are – adaptations of the main source.