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Charles Dickens' Christmas Stories
Cosy up for a festive reading bonanza with these heart-warming seasonal tales of Christmas by Charles Dickens. As well as the universally loved 'A Christmas Carol', the collection also includes lesser known treasures such as 'The Chimes', 'The Battle of Life', 'The Haunted Man' and 'The Cricket on the Hearth' all packaged in a beautiful hardback edition with jacket. Dickens was a tireless campaigner for social justice and his empathy with the deserving poor shines through in these stories, which often culminate in the change of heart of a misanthrope.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2017
50 people are currently reading
304 people want to read
About the author
Charles Dickens
13k books31.6k followersCharles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870) was a writer and social critic who created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.
Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens's creative genius has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.
On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered another stroke at his home after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. He never regained consciousness, and the next day he died at Gad's Hill Place. Contrary to his wish to be buried at Rochester Cathedral "in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner," he was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. A printed epitaph circulated at the time of the funeral reads: "To the Memory of Charles Dickens (England's most popular author) who died at his residence, Higham, near Rochester, Kent, 9 June 1870, aged 58 years. He was a sympathiser with the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world." His last words were: "On the ground", in response to his sister-in-law Georgina's request that he lie down.
(from Wikipedia)
Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens's creative genius has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.
On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered another stroke at his home after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. He never regained consciousness, and the next day he died at Gad's Hill Place. Contrary to his wish to be buried at Rochester Cathedral "in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner," he was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. A printed epitaph circulated at the time of the funeral reads: "To the Memory of Charles Dickens (England's most popular author) who died at his residence, Higham, near Rochester, Kent, 9 June 1870, aged 58 years. He was a sympathiser with the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world." His last words were: "On the ground", in response to his sister-in-law Georgina's request that he lie down.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
December 25, 2023
As the title suggests, this book is a collection of short stories related to Christmas, including a batch of lesser known of Dickens’s tales. They are written in his elaborate and elegant style, which I always enjoy. My favorite is A Christmas Tree (1850), in which Dickens presents “a lively realisation of the fancies of childhood.”
Other stories include:
What Christmas Is as We Grow Older (1851) – A short essay written after the deaths of Dickens’s father and daughter, this is a poignant reminder of the need for acceptance and understanding.
The Poor Relation’s Story (1852) – A “poor relation” tells a story around the Christmas fire, first a sad story of his life that turns into a more optimistic one, at least in his mind.
The Child’s Story (1852) – The narrator relates a parable about an explorer who meets six individuals, representing the narrator’s life from childhood to old age.
The Schoolboy’s Story (1853) – The narrator relates the story of Old Cheeseman, who went from fellow schoolmate to instructor, which created animosity among his former peers. It changes tone by the end (which is set at the holiday break) into one of friendship, where the bad feelings have been overcome.
Nobody’s Story (1853) – A hard-working man has little in material wealth but takes comfort in his family. This one criticizes Victorian society and highlights the needs of the marginalized.
I had not previously encountered any of these stories and this collection was a wonderful read for the holiday season. I always enjoy Dickens’s emphasis on the need for compassion and understanding in our world, a message that continues to be relevant today.
Other stories include:
What Christmas Is as We Grow Older (1851) – A short essay written after the deaths of Dickens’s father and daughter, this is a poignant reminder of the need for acceptance and understanding.
The Poor Relation’s Story (1852) – A “poor relation” tells a story around the Christmas fire, first a sad story of his life that turns into a more optimistic one, at least in his mind.
The Child’s Story (1852) – The narrator relates a parable about an explorer who meets six individuals, representing the narrator’s life from childhood to old age.
The Schoolboy’s Story (1853) – The narrator relates the story of Old Cheeseman, who went from fellow schoolmate to instructor, which created animosity among his former peers. It changes tone by the end (which is set at the holiday break) into one of friendship, where the bad feelings have been overcome.
Nobody’s Story (1853) – A hard-working man has little in material wealth but takes comfort in his family. This one criticizes Victorian society and highlights the needs of the marginalized.
I had not previously encountered any of these stories and this collection was a wonderful read for the holiday season. I always enjoy Dickens’s emphasis on the need for compassion and understanding in our world, a message that continues to be relevant today.
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December 29, 2023Oh dear dickens does drone on
December 6, 2022
A lovely little short collection of stories to listen to and I enjoyed the narration. However, a little bit gloomy and not many Christmas vibes, but I do love a bit of Dickens style.
December 27, 2025
4.4 stars
A Christmas Carol - 5 stars
The Chimes - 4 stars
The Cricket On the Hearth - 4 stars
The Battle of Life - 4 stars
The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain - 5 stars
A Christmas Carol - 5 stars
The Chimes - 4 stars
The Cricket On the Hearth - 4 stars
The Battle of Life - 4 stars
The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain - 5 stars
December 21, 2023
Didn’t finish. Wasn’t as Christmasy as I was hoping.
December 24, 2018
eh. I love Charles Dickens, I also love short stories but these were not catching my attention and I MUST have something to catch my attention.
January 1, 2026
A great collection.
I've read the first three stories before: A Christmas Carol, arguably the magnum opus of Christmas lit; The Chimes, a scathing critique of bigotry and pomposity towards the poor, and a wonderful New Year's story; and Cricket on the Hearth, which is heartwarming and charming and at points weirdly flirtatious, for lack of a better term. A marriage with a large age gap takes center stage, and the descriptions of women are more openly coquettish than the other Dickens works I've read. I don't have an issue with that, but it is kind of funny, especially in contrast with the otherwise wholesome tone of the story.
I do have one gripe with Cricket on the Hearth: despite being considered a Christmas story and is made more Christmassy in its animated adaptation, there's really nothing all that Christmassy about the text itself! Not even a flurry, or a mention of a wreath, as far as I can recall. It's a good story, but do better, Dickens!
The last two stories were new ones to me, and intriguing, in my opinion. The Battle of Life had interesting family dynamics, and it was intriguing how it allegorically compared interpersonal relationships with literal battles, like the one that once took place in the story's setting. I want to read it again to fully suss out what I think about it, maybe next season.
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain was really intriguing on many levels, a very frank look at the need for regret and emotional pain in order to experience love and attachment, as well as the opportunity for forgiveness. As with many of Dickens' works, it's also a rebuke of the mistreatment of impoverished children, and I found that to be the most touching and poignant aspect of the plot.
My one critique of the story is the Tetterbys treatment of their son, Johnny, who serves as unofficial nanny to their youngest baby. They seem like otherwise good people, but introducing them as the sort who'd berate and put down such a clearly good kid was a bit poisonous to my good will towards them.
Overall, a great collection! I hope to read more Dickens this year, as thus far I've only really read his Christmas books, and I know his influence goes beyond that.
I've read the first three stories before: A Christmas Carol, arguably the magnum opus of Christmas lit; The Chimes, a scathing critique of bigotry and pomposity towards the poor, and a wonderful New Year's story; and Cricket on the Hearth, which is heartwarming and charming and at points weirdly flirtatious, for lack of a better term. A marriage with a large age gap takes center stage, and the descriptions of women are more openly coquettish than the other Dickens works I've read. I don't have an issue with that, but it is kind of funny, especially in contrast with the otherwise wholesome tone of the story.
I do have one gripe with Cricket on the Hearth: despite being considered a Christmas story and is made more Christmassy in its animated adaptation, there's really nothing all that Christmassy about the text itself! Not even a flurry, or a mention of a wreath, as far as I can recall. It's a good story, but do better, Dickens!
The last two stories were new ones to me, and intriguing, in my opinion. The Battle of Life had interesting family dynamics, and it was intriguing how it allegorically compared interpersonal relationships with literal battles, like the one that once took place in the story's setting. I want to read it again to fully suss out what I think about it, maybe next season.
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain was really intriguing on many levels, a very frank look at the need for regret and emotional pain in order to experience love and attachment, as well as the opportunity for forgiveness. As with many of Dickens' works, it's also a rebuke of the mistreatment of impoverished children, and I found that to be the most touching and poignant aspect of the plot.
My one critique of the story is the Tetterbys treatment of their son, Johnny, who serves as unofficial nanny to their youngest baby. They seem like otherwise good people, but introducing them as the sort who'd berate and put down such a clearly good kid was a bit poisonous to my good will towards them.
Overall, a great collection! I hope to read more Dickens this year, as thus far I've only really read his Christmas books, and I know his influence goes beyond that.
December 24, 2024
Once, for a few years, around Christmas, I would return to ‘A Christmas Carol’. When I get known that the story of Scrooge was just one of five Christmas stories, I decided that this year I would read them all.
This return to Dickens was really interesting. I would perceive these stories depending on the day and mood, just like their characters before and after their encounter with ghosts. One day, the descriptions of the wind in the church or the whistling teapot, stretching over several pages, seemed fabulous to me, and I admired the author who could build a mood in such a way, but the next time they would be perceived as verbose and tedious. At one time, the messages of the stories seemed wise, but the next time I returned to them, they were naive and irritatingly moralistic.
Apart from ‘A Christmas Carol’, only ‘The Haunted Man’ is a typical Christmas story and I think it is worth reaching for it at this time. The action of ‘The Chimes’ takes place just before the New Year, but I think that this story, as well as ‘The Cricket on the Hearth’ and ‘The Battle for Life’ can be read at any time of year and not lose anything in their reception.
‘The Battle of Life’ is definitely the weakest story in my opinion. I don’t know if it is me, as an only child, who does not understand the relationship between the sisters, or if the author, as a man, was not able to describe the relationship between the women well. In any case, the whole idea for this piece seemed absurd to me. On the other hand, I liked ‘The Cricket on the Hearth’ the most. ‘A Christmas Carol’ will of course always hold a special place in my heart.
This return to Dickens was really interesting. I would perceive these stories depending on the day and mood, just like their characters before and after their encounter with ghosts. One day, the descriptions of the wind in the church or the whistling teapot, stretching over several pages, seemed fabulous to me, and I admired the author who could build a mood in such a way, but the next time they would be perceived as verbose and tedious. At one time, the messages of the stories seemed wise, but the next time I returned to them, they were naive and irritatingly moralistic.
Apart from ‘A Christmas Carol’, only ‘The Haunted Man’ is a typical Christmas story and I think it is worth reaching for it at this time. The action of ‘The Chimes’ takes place just before the New Year, but I think that this story, as well as ‘The Cricket on the Hearth’ and ‘The Battle for Life’ can be read at any time of year and not lose anything in their reception.
‘The Battle of Life’ is definitely the weakest story in my opinion. I don’t know if it is me, as an only child, who does not understand the relationship between the sisters, or if the author, as a man, was not able to describe the relationship between the women well. In any case, the whole idea for this piece seemed absurd to me. On the other hand, I liked ‘The Cricket on the Hearth’ the most. ‘A Christmas Carol’ will of course always hold a special place in my heart.
January 1, 2025
Slightly confusing in presentation - I wish the stories had been separated into tracks. Instead they just sort of flowed into each other. I also wished for a bit of context - now I have learned that the last four stories come from two different Christmas issues of the Household Words publication.
A Christmas Tree (1850)
What Christmas is as We Grow Older (1851)
The Poor Relation's Story (1852)
The Child's Story (1852)
The Schoolboy's Story (1853)
Nobody's Story (1853)
A Christmas Tree is wild - it just leaps here and there reminiscing and then decides it wants to tell ghost stories for a while.
Those last four are a bit of a stretch in terms of the Christmas theme. However, I did particularly enjoy The Schoolboy's Story (even if it was a little predictable in outcome). Nobody's Story is basically entirely non-Christmas and pure political/social philosophy with the ending line "O! Let us think of them this year at the Christmas fire, and not forget them when it is burnt out." The Child's Story also has just the tiniest mention of Christmas in it.
Good narration by James Adams, even with Dickens's made-up word "sassigassity." (And note that the audiobook replaces the word "Reader" with "Listener".)
Glad to have listened, though it didn't really satisfy my craving for Christmas short stories.
A Christmas Tree (1850)
What Christmas is as We Grow Older (1851)
The Poor Relation's Story (1852)
The Child's Story (1852)
The Schoolboy's Story (1853)
Nobody's Story (1853)
A Christmas Tree is wild - it just leaps here and there reminiscing and then decides it wants to tell ghost stories for a while.
Those last four are a bit of a stretch in terms of the Christmas theme. However, I did particularly enjoy The Schoolboy's Story (even if it was a little predictable in outcome). Nobody's Story is basically entirely non-Christmas and pure political/social philosophy with the ending line "O! Let us think of them this year at the Christmas fire, and not forget them when it is burnt out." The Child's Story also has just the tiniest mention of Christmas in it.
Good narration by James Adams, even with Dickens's made-up word "sassigassity." (And note that the audiobook replaces the word "Reader" with "Listener".)
Glad to have listened, though it didn't really satisfy my craving for Christmas short stories.
February 29, 2024
"He lived in chambers which had once belonged to his deceased partner. They were a gloomy suite of rooms, in a lowering pile of building up a yard, where it had so little business to be, that one could scarcely help fancying it must have run there when it was a young house, playing at hide-and-seek with other houses, and forgotten the way out again. It was old enough now, and dreary enough, for nobody lived in it but Scrooge, the other rooms being all let out as offices." ~ A Christmas Carol in Prose: Being a Ghost Story of Christmas
Charles Dickens is one of my favourite authors. I read "A Christmas Carol" year after year. It is food for my soul. When I saw this short story collection at my library, realized I hadn't read 2 out of the 5 stories, I had to read it. 4 of the 5 stories in this collection are wonderful and 1, sadly, has not stood the test of time. I particularly enjoyed the new-to-me story: "The Cricket on the Hearth."
Charles Dickens truly makes my heart smile, makes me think, and I delight in his words and sentences and paragraphs and chapters.
Charles Dickens is one of my favourite authors. I read "A Christmas Carol" year after year. It is food for my soul. When I saw this short story collection at my library, realized I hadn't read 2 out of the 5 stories, I had to read it. 4 of the 5 stories in this collection are wonderful and 1, sadly, has not stood the test of time. I particularly enjoyed the new-to-me story: "The Cricket on the Hearth."
Charles Dickens truly makes my heart smile, makes me think, and I delight in his words and sentences and paragraphs and chapters.
December 6, 2025
This was just okay. I got this at a bookstore in Inverness, Scotland. I was looking for a copy of "A Christmas Carol" but they unfortunately didn't have one so I got another Christmas themed Dickens work.
I was shocked at how some of the stories don't relate to Christmas at all, but it makes more sense once you read the introduction and learn that he printed these stories in a newspaper around Christmas time. Some of the stories had parts that weren't included because they weren't written by Dickens so that was slightly frustrating. I really enjoyed the story about the poor travelers and the one where a man recounts every experience he's ever had at an inn. I've haven't read a classic in awhile so it was a bit hard, I really had to concentrate on what I was reading. It was nice to read short stories again, this has made want to pick up some more anthologies.
I was shocked at how some of the stories don't relate to Christmas at all, but it makes more sense once you read the introduction and learn that he printed these stories in a newspaper around Christmas time. Some of the stories had parts that weren't included because they weren't written by Dickens so that was slightly frustrating. I really enjoyed the story about the poor travelers and the one where a man recounts every experience he's ever had at an inn. I've haven't read a classic in awhile so it was a bit hard, I really had to concentrate on what I was reading. It was nice to read short stories again, this has made want to pick up some more anthologies.
January 10, 2021
While Charles Dickens' prose is nearly always a delight to read, and his A Christmas Carol is a classic holiday tale of redemption, working through all five of his Christmas stories is a chore. Like the musician trying to recreate the magic of that first hit single, the next four all fall short. There are moments of charm, moments that tug at one's heart-strings, and instances of reclamation, particularly in the final chapter of The Haunted Man & The Ghost's Bargain. Yet none reach the degree of elation of Ebeneezer Scrooge's delight that all was not, in fact, lost and he could alter the images that had been presented to him.
October 2, 2024
This was in my top books of hardest to concentrate. Too atmospheric + not enough plot. It also wasn't very Christmasy! I was catfished! Also the old Englishyness was too much for me (I will admit this is my fault though I shuold have expected this). I read this today and already don't remember what happened in most of the stories except 1) the boy/ghost and 2) the nice girl everyone likes/the eccentric boy in the wagon! I am sorry Charles Dickens... I am glad you are not around to read my scathing review. I honestly should have DNF'd this but then I thought it would get better and it never did.
December 27, 2025
This collection of Dickens' Christmas stories was an interesting read. The highlight is definitely A Christmas Carol, one of the best novellas ever. The other stories were average and somewhat difficult to get into.
I learned that getting the most out of Dickens' writing requires mental preparation. You need to dedicate your full attention and concentration.
Even so, the quality of later stories packed in comparison to that of A Christmas Carol.
I learned that getting the most out of Dickens' writing requires mental preparation. You need to dedicate your full attention and concentration.
Even so, the quality of later stories packed in comparison to that of A Christmas Carol.
December 18, 2021
Obviously, don't go looking for A Christmas Carol here. Also, don't go looking for "Cricket on the Hearth", "The Chimes", or "The Haunted Man". These are the very minor Christmas stories that Dickens wrote, and don't quite have the impact of the other stories. That said, I particularly enjoyed "The Poor Relation's Story" and "Nobody's Story".
December 30, 2021
Charles Dickens is one of my favorite authors. I love A Christmas Carol. The other stories are similar, but not as good. The characters struggle and are victims of their circumstances in the lower class. Someone is visited by ghosts and they learn something from that experience.
December 17, 2022
Read all but the last the last story and half of the fourth. Will try to finish them at sometime but all but A Christmas Carol so far are just so so. I like the novels of Dickens I have read but these novellas (accept A Christmas Carol ) seem mediocre and a bit drawn out and boring.
December 2, 2023
Book contains:
A Christmas Tree
What Christmas is as we Grow Older
The Poor Relation's Story
The Child's Story
The Schoolboy's Story
Nobody's Story
I usually enjoy Dickens, but these stories felt lackluster.
A Christmas Tree
What Christmas is as we Grow Older
The Poor Relation's Story
The Child's Story
The Schoolboy's Story
Nobody's Story
I usually enjoy Dickens, but these stories felt lackluster.
December 7, 2020
Well this wasn't very Christmas-y despite the title, and I only enjoyed 2 out of the 6 short stories.
December 25, 2020
Interesting stories, and a quick read.
December 26, 2020
Nicely presented collection of Charles Dicken's Christmas Stories. Includes "A Christmas Carol", "The Chimes", "The Cricket on the Hearth", "The Battle of Life", and "The Haunted Man."
December 28, 2021
A Christmas Carol - 5/5 Stars
The Chimes - 1/5 Star
The Cricket on the Hearth - 3/5 Stars
The Battle of Life - 2/5 Stars
The Haunted Man - 2.5 Stars
The Chimes - 1/5 Star
The Cricket on the Hearth - 3/5 Stars
The Battle of Life - 2/5 Stars
The Haunted Man - 2.5 Stars
December 13, 2022
3.25⭐
A Christmas Carol 5⭐
The Chimes 3.25⭐
The Cricket on the Hearth 3.5⭐
The Battle of Life 2.5⭐
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain 2⭐
A Christmas Carol 5⭐
The Chimes 3.25⭐
The Cricket on the Hearth 3.5⭐
The Battle of Life 2.5⭐
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain 2⭐
January 13, 2023
early Chapman and Hall edition
Want to read
December 1, 2023Pre-read
_____________
It's that time of the year!🎄🎁
Plan on starting this when I get home!
_____________
It's that time of the year!🎄🎁
Plan on starting this when I get home!
March 17, 2024
Once again, he gets stuff, so very true
December 6, 2024
I’ve enjoyed novels of Charles Dickens but was kind of bored with these..
December 13, 2024
Always a holiday favorite of mine. Love Charles Dickens.
January 5, 2025
Really well written stories!
December 13, 2025
This book has 3 great stories in it. However, they are not all that cheerful!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews