It's the holiday season, so why not lighten up with a few free downloads of holiday treats by some of the world's best-known authors?
idleguy.com didn't have to look very far for holiday flair. Project Gutenberg has compiled a tremendous selection. These are just a few that you can read online, download as ebooks, or boot to kindle.
"A Christmas Greeting: A Series of Stories" by Hans Christian Andersen is a collection of short stories likely written in the mid-19th century. This charming anthology presents a variety of whimsical tales that revolve around themes of kindness, nostalgia, and the human experience, reflecting Andersen's signature style of blending innocence with deeper moral lessons. The opening of the collection sets the tone with loving greetings, as Andersen shares his fond thoughts of England, relating them to the joy of giving stories as gifts during the Christmas season. It features the introduction to "The Old House," where a little boy befriends an elderly man living in a dilapidated home, exploring the contrasting perspectives on loneliness and friendship. The narrative beautifully captures the boy's compassion as he reaches out to the old man, paving the way for heartwarming exchanges and timeless lessons about connection and remembrance.
"Campfire Girls in the Allegheny Mountains; or, A Christmas Success Against Odds" by Stella M. Francis is a children's adventure novel written in the early 20th century. It follows a group of Campfire Girls at the Hiawatha Institute as they embark on a charitable mission to assist families affected by a coal miners' strike during the Christmas season. The story introduces the main character, Marion Stanlock, and her friends, who confront personal and social challenges as they navigate both goodwill and potential danger in their quest to help others, evolving into an engaging blend of youthful adventure, themes of bravery, and the spirit of Christmas while hinting at the complexities of growing up amid social unrest.
"The Mistletoe Bough" by Anthony Trollope is a novella specifically focusing on themes of love and social dynamics. Written during the Victorian era, the narrative weaves a tale of romantic misunderstandings and familial relationships, set in an English country estate during the Christmas season. The central topic revolves around the intricacies of engagement, love, and societal expectations surrounding marriage, particularly as viewed through the lens of the protagonist, Elizabeth Garrow. Ultimately, the story culminates in a moment of reconciliation under the metaphorical mistletoe, encapsulating the tension between personal desires and social expectations.
"The Last Christmas Tree: An Idyl of Immortality" by James Lane Allen is a philosophical narrative that explores themes of existence, mortality, and the cyclical nature of life. Written in the early 20th century, the book falls within the category of philosophical fiction and addresses profound questions surrounding human life, the inevitability of death, and the quest for understanding in a seemingly indifferent universe. The story takes place against a backdrop of a cold, snow-covered landscape where two fir trees stand as the last sentinels of nature amidst a profound silence left by humanity's long absence. Through their conversations, the trees reflect on the transient nature of human existence, the decline of civilization, and the mystery of immortality. The narrative touches on the dreams and disappointments of humanity, contemplating whether any aspect of the human spirit can endure beyond earthly life. Ultimately, it conveys a poignant meditation on the fate of the earth and the cycle of life and death, highlighting the beauty and tragedy inherent in human aspirations and memories, as the last remnants of life yield to the overpowering stillness of snow.
A Christmas Greeting by Hans Christian Andersen (1864)
Camp-Fire Girls in the Allegheny Mountains; or, A Christmas Success Against Odds by Stella M. Francis (1918)
The Mistletoe Bough by Anthony Trollope (1864)
The Last Christmas Tree by James Lane Allen (1914)
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Some Holiday movies you might find enjoyable.
White Christmas (1954) - starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Rosemary Clooney, a successful song-and-dance duo become romantically involved with a sister act and team up to save the failing Vermont inn of their former commanding general.
Elf (2003) - An unusual casting of Will Ferrell, James Caan, and Bob Newhart unfolds the story of the oversized elf, Buddy (Ferrell), who travels from the North Pole to New York City to meet his biological father, Walter Hobbs, who doesn't know he exists and is in desperate need of some Christmas spirit.
Trading Places (1983) - A snobbish investor and a wily street con artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two soppish millionaires. An all-time favorite starring Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, with Ralph Bellamy and Don Amerche as the callous Randolph and Mortimer Duke.
It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - Director Frank Capra directed James Stewart and Donna Reed in this corny but timeless story about money, life, death, tragedy, forgiveness and joy.
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) - Based on Charles Schultz "Peanuts" characters, Charlie Brown finds some universal truths about people, Christmas and happiness.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) - Starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, and Juliette Lewis, this madcap story about a holiday gone horribly wrong has stood the test of time, becoming a hilarous Christmas classic.
Home Alone (1990) - Macaulay Culkin is left behind at home by his family on Christmas Eve and defends the house from burglars, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern.
Die Hard (1988) - Bruce Willis plays a New York City policeman who saves his wife and guests at a Christmas party from terrorists in Los Angeles. Not the typical Christmas movie, but the theme is light and ends well.
Full list at IMDB (rated, though not necessarily in any rational order).
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