Christmas or The Good Fairy

by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Genres: Christmas, Fiction, Short Stories

Unknown Binding

Published January 1, 1850

About the author

Great political influence of Uncle Tom's Cabin , novel against slavery of 1852 of Harriet Elizabeth Beecher Stowe, American writer, advanced the cause of abolition.

Lyman Beecher fathered Catharine Esther Beecher, Edward Beecher, Henry Ward Beecher, and Harriet Beecher Stowe, another child.

Harriet Elizabeth Beecher Stowe, an author, attacked the cruelty, and reached millions of persons as a play even in Britain. She made the tangible issues of the 1850s to millions and energized forces in the north. She angered and embittered the south. A commonly quoted statement, apocryphally attributed to Abraham Lincoln, sums up the effect. He met Stowe and then said, "So you're the little woman that started this great war!" or so people say.

AKA:
Χάρριετ Μπήτσερ Στόου (Greek)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet...

Reviews

[K. Anna Kraft · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've arranged my thoughts on this story into a haiku:

"This story argues
Giving nice gifts is wasteful
Rather than polite."

[Grace RS · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moralistic tale, but a good one, nonetheless. Harriet Beecher Stowe, in her accustomed fashion, thinks of those in need and reminds readers that gift giving should be more heartfelt and considerate. Instead of wasting money on items that people don't need or even want, we should make better use of our money by giving to the impoverished, to those barely getting by and having to sacrifice much. "It seems but appropriate to commemorate his [Jesus'] birthday by an especial remembrance of the lowly, the poor, the outcast, and distressed." Stowe rounds out her message by including the story of the lady who gave the alabaster box to Jesus, thus saying that there's a time and a place for giving extravagantly to those we love, while still not forsaking the needy.

Found in "A Christmas Treasury" collection.

[Donna Huber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story is part of the anthology A Christmas Treasury. Though written in 1850, the message is still applicable today. HBS's message of social justice is as clear in this short story as it is in Uncle Tom's Cabin.
"There are worlds of money wasted, at this time of the year, in getting things that nobody wants, and nobody cares for after they are got..."

[Barbara Mahoney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Christmas story was written in 1850. The message is timeless.

[Sophie Bowns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too short!

[Jeannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas; or, The Good Fairy is a short story by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Another great holiday read because it really gets at the spirit of this time of year. The lesson really digs into the importance of charity and why selfless acts are the greatest gifts.