Presents a collection of Christmas stories, poems, and other writings by such American, British, and Canadian authors as O. Henry, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Margaret Atwood.
Every time their brother turned a cartwheel, golden oranges fell from his pockets, along with sugar sweets in gold and silver paper. Schnitzle, Schnotzle & Schnootzle
Froggy has never celebrated Christmas; usually he's taking his long winter's nap. But not this year! Froggy's best friend, Max the beaver, wakes him up to join the fun. Soon, Froggy's gotten into the swing of things: finding a tree, wrapping presents, singing carols, and enjoying a holiday feast. Join Froggy as he celebrates his very first, and very best, Christmas! "The humor and spirited artwork will put Froggy fans in the holiday mood!" (The Horn Book) "Children who have delighted in the earlier books about Froggy will cheer him along as he experiences his very first Christmas." (School Library Journal)
Can Ninja Fly Guy save Christmas? In the new book in Tedd Arnold's New York Times bestselling Fly Guy series, it's Christmazzz Eve and Fly Guy doesn't have a present to give his best friend, Buzz. But when he goes out to look for one, Fly Guy meets a stranger in the house whom he has to fight off with his ninja action. Will Fly Guy defeat the stranger? Will he find a present for Buzz?Even reluctant readers will enjoy this fun, zany holiday story about Fly Guy meeting Santa Claus, knocking over the Christmas tree, and showing off his ninja moves!
Ghost stories at Christmas can be traced back to pagan times - Yule and Saturnalia - when the Winter Solstice (like Hallowe'en and Wulpurgis Night) was viewed as a moment in space and time where the thinness of the boundaries between the supernatural and human worlds became remarkably plastic, and all manner of strange things were said to be seen and heard in the winter air. while we no longer have the old stories spoken in the old homes around the old fires by the old myth-keepers, let us sit around and enjoy some of the stories that would have sent shivers up the great-great-grandchildren of those little ones sitting around the Yule fire - the supernatural literature of the Victorians and Edwardians. Enclosed in this volume are tales of dark winter nights and harrowing encounters between the worlds of Man and the Hereafter. There are tales of cursed antiquities, otherworldly toy stores, possessed dolls, deals with the devil, and murderous cabin fever. I hope your Christmas is - as M. R. James put it "may be the cheerfuller for a story-book" which takes you back to a different world - one not mapped out, trending, or tweeted about, one dark, forbidding, and evocative. Perhaps I may be a luddite for saying it, but I find something strangely comforting in that. Something consoling and hushing and chilling. Perhaps you will, too.
This book contains a series of chapters covering not only my own experiences of the supernatural but also the stories of many people who have suddenly and unexpectedly found themselves confronted with something beyond their life experience. Only the stories I believe to be true are included here, and most are told by people I know. As an indication, here are some of the chapter titles that may awaken your curiosity: Ghosts; Hauntings; Premonitions; Unexplainable, Inexplicable; The Matter of Evil; Aliens, or What?; Some Animal Stories; The Life Beyond This Life; and many others. As I said, I believe that the people who told me these stories are telling me the truth. Many are devout Christians. Anyway, I invite you to join me at our house at Puddleby Corner and make up your own mind! Sent with blessings, Lachlan Ness