caroling, caroling through the snow…five holiday tales – orange marmalade

The holidays are coming and here in Minnesota I’m crossing my fingers that the snow and cold will stick around this year and give us a white Christmas.
Today I’ve got four stories full of warmth and joy for the smallest of revelers and one poignant account well suited to slightly older children as well as adults.

A Shirley Hughes Christmas
written and illustrated by Shirley Hughes
published in 2023 by Puffin Books

Shirley Hughes, one of the all-time greats of children’s literature, brought our family so much joy over the years. Here, three of her classic Christmas stories are collected in one warmhearted volume.

Lucy and Tom at Christmas is the oldest one in the trio, originally published in 1981. Join the children for all the splendid, familiar parts of the holiday season including homemade cards and gifts, letters to Santa, carolers, and Christmas dinner. We always loved the authenticity of any of Hughes’ households — the bedraggled, mussy, realness of it all including Tom getting overly-excited and cross and Grandpa taking him out for a little stroll in the snow, just the two of them. So endearing.

Alfie’s Christmas was published in 2013 and follows a very similar theme as Lucy and Tom with just a bit more contemporary feel to it. Dogger’s Christmas is a sequel to one of the best loved stories of all time starring Dave’s stuffed lovey – Dogger. Wouldn’t you know it, in the midst of all the Christmas hullabaloo, Dogger goes missing again and once again Bella saves the day.

Brilliant storytelling for ages 3 and up. I’ll just add that another of Hughes’ Christmas stories, The Christmas Eve Ghost, is also a fabulous, welcoming story if you can find a copy.

The Night Before Christmas: A New Christmas Tradition
adapted and illustrated by Candice Bradley from the poem by Clement Moore
published in 2025 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

I can’t imagine Clement Moore could ever have guessed how many riffs on his Christmas poem would be created. Here’s a new one centering one young girl and her encounter with a Santa who happily looks like her.

Candice Bradley keeps the original structure, cadences, and many lines of Moore’s classic poem yet cleverly weaves in details familiar to Black families.

When this Santa emerges from the chimney he has twinkly eyes and merry dimples, same as ever, but his cheeks are “like hot cocoa” and he gravitates towards Grandmama’s sweet potato pie rather than the cookie plate. A splendid adaptation that affirms Black racial identity and can be enjoyed by one and all. Ages 3 and up.

The Muttcracker
written by Anna Kemp, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie
published in 2024 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Here’s another Christmas classic that has undergone a thousand variations. I don’t include new Nutcracker versions on my blog unless they sparkle with originality, and this one, my friends, easily makes the cut.

Biff may look like your average portly pet dog, but he is most certainly not ordinary. Biff is a ballerina! He pirouettes. He jetés and pliés. He dons his tutu every Saturday and heads to Miss Polly’s ballet school. Today is extra exciting because the parts for the holiday production are being announced. Biff’s one true dream is to be the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Alas! That is most definitely not the part Biff or his girl are assigned. Biff is morose for days until he finally picks his chin off the floor and chooses to dance his part with razzamatazz. Opening night brings a huge surprise for Biff and a stand-out performance for the audience. Electric energy, neon color, and copious personality abound in this riot of a book. I giggled and smiled and adored it. Ages 3 and up.

Oliver Elephant
written by Lou Peacock, illustrated by Helen Stephens
first published in the UK; US edition 2018 by Nosy Crow

Another gem for the littlest listeners is this story of Noah who goes Christmas shopping with his mom, baby sister, and special lovey, Oliver Elephant.

While Mom ticks all the gifts off her list, Noah and Oliver do a fine job of entertaining themselves, so when the shopping is done Mom treats them to cinnamon buns and chocolate cake at the shop’s small café. As they pack up to go home Noah realizes something terrible: Oliver is missing! A storewide search ensues and at last Oliver is found in a surprising place!

A pleasant, rhyming text is accompanied by Stephens’ immensely charming, warmhearted illustrations. The whole package is festive, happy, with just the right zest of tension for ages 2 and up.

Shooting at the Stars: The Christmas Truce of 1914
written and illustrated by John Hendrix
published in 2014 by Abrams Books for Young Readers

Many of us have heard the account of WWI German and English soldiers emerging from their trenches on Christmas Day, 1914, and against all regulation, peacefully spending the day together burying their dead, playing a game of soccer, singing Christmas carols…just behaving like homesick young men instead of mortal enemies.

Here John Hendrix brings history to life with his extraordinary illustrations, exceptional storytelling, and Very Cool Lettering. He carries us right into that poignant moment in time, into the hearts and minds of these weary soldiers and that war zone. It’s lightly fictionalized, and a lengthy Author’s Note provides many more details of the true account.

In our current moment, this is a story that will resonate deeply with young children as well as their grown-ups, a story I wish certain politicians would take to heart. The longing for peace is one we all share and these young soldiers show us the way. Ages 5 to 100.

Dozens and dozens more wonderful Christmas-oriented stories I’ve featured over the years are all on my list here, including a number of Nativity accounts for readers looking for those.