A Christmas Treasury: Twelve Unforgettable Holiday Stories

by Frank L Baum

A handsome collection includes stories by such authors as Katherine Paterson, Louisa May Alcott, and O. Henry and ranges from humorous to inspirational, sentimental to classic.

Genres: Christmas, Short Stories, Holiday

208 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2000

Reviews

[Adrianne Rosal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twelve holiday stories all in one book. What is there not to like? How about everything!! Some of the greatest authors all wrapped up in one. Great read!!!!!

[Don LaFountaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had 12 stories, though some of them were only parts of stories, to celebrate the wonderful Christmas holiday season. The stories within the pages are written by some very famous writers, and they include:
- The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- Yes, Virginia , There is a Santa Claus (The editorial response to Virginia O'Hanlon's question of whether Santa Claus exists)
- Miracle on 34th Street - A novelization by Todd Strasser
- Angels and other Strangers by Katherine Paterson
- The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
- The Fir Tree by Hans Christian Anderson
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
- My Side of the Mountain by jean Craighead George
- Santa Paws by Nicholas Edwards
- A Christmas Memory, One Christmas and the Thanksgiving Visitor by Truman Capote
- The Cat Who Came for Christmas by Cleveland Amory

Some of the stories are wonderful. For me, I loved The Gift of the Magi, Santa Paws, and The Cat Who Came for Christmas. Others were alright, but I was not a fan of reading a part of a story such as in the excepts from Little Women and Miracle on 34th Street. This took away from the enjoyment for me. With that said, it is a nice book for people to read, especially children, during the Christmas season. I would recommend mostly to young children.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Scholastic Publishing Compilation of Christmas stories from 2000, A Christmas Treasury: Twelve Unforgettable Holiday Stories, contains several wonderful Christmas stories. The collection contains the whole letter entitled “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” in New York Sun in 1897 by Francis P. Church in response to a letter from Virginia O’Hanlon. The collection includes the whole short stories, “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry and “The Fir-Tree” by Hans Christan Andersen. The collection includes parts of Christmas stories by L. Frank Baum, Louisa May Alcott, Todd Strasser, Katherine Paterson, Barbara Robinson, Jean Craighead George, Nicholas Edwards, Truman Capote, and Cleveland Amory. I really enjoyed “The Gift of Magi” by O. Henry, “Angels and Other Strangers” by Katherine Paterson, “The Cat Who Came for Christmas” by Cleveland Amory, and the selection of holiday writings by Truman Capote. The only real story that flops for me is the part from the novel by Todd Strasser based on the 1994 remake of the movie Miracle on 34th Street from 1947. I agree with the Goodreads reviewer Don LaFountaine that only having part of Strasser’s novel, “Miracle on 34th Street” does seem to fit the mood of the rest of the collection. A Christmas Treasury is a wonderful introduction to the world of writings about Christmas.

[Kellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. More like twelve forgettable holiday stories. Nothing really special here, and a lot of them just not memorable at all. The ones that did stand out were Santa Paws, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. This book didn't really make me feel Christmasy in the slightest.