Christmas Authors

The festive season is upon us! Christmas markets are bustling as the Christmas shopping rush begins. Christmas lights are filling the streets of Edinburgh City Centre, and many of us are getting ready. And also very excited for the festive season and holidays to commence. The lead-up to Christmas time and the festive holiday season evokes thoughts and excitement for many things and special moments. Moments of festive foods and treats, Christmas decorations put up throughout the city streets, Christmas movies, as well as Christmas shows at the theatre and pantomime, and of course, time with our loved ones.

Nevertheless, the commencing weeks of December also often consist of assignment deadlines and exams for much of our student and staff community. It can be easy to forget during this stressful and overwhelming time. In this blog post, to possibly encourage some of you to rekindle a love of reading again. We are going to list some famous and popular Christmas authors and their works. Some of which you may be tempted to read in front of the fireplace with a hot drink this year!

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) …

Charles Dickens is a 19th-century novelist and journalist who is also the author of many famous works. His works include Oliver Twist (1838) and Great Expectations (1861). One of his most famous and popular novels is also A Christmas Carol, which tells the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge. A penny-pinching and bitter businessman who believes Christmas to be like every other day of the year, even saying he “despises Christmas.” One evening, the spirit of an old business partner of his, named Jacob Marley, pays Scrooge a visit to warn him of the need to change his ways. And that he will be visited by three different spirits during the night: the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come.

Each spirit takes him on a journey through various scenes from Scrooge’s childhood, when he was a young, adolescent man, a present-day Christmas party hosted by his nephew Fred and then a Christmas dinner hosted at his employee Bob Cratchett’s house. Lastly, he is shown his future by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come – all these journeys through the past, present and future end up having a significant influence on Scrooge and essentially encourage him to reflect and change his ways, as well as his perception of Christmas overall.

The first edition of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was published in the year 1843 on the 19^th of December by Chapman & Hall in London. It ended up being a sell-out story by Christmas Eve, and since then, thirteen other editions have been published. It can be viewed as a reflection and essentially a reminder of the most important and valuable aspects of Christmas: festive magnanimity, kindness, celebration and time with our loved ones.

Chris Van Allsburg…

Chris Van Allsburg is the author of the award-winning The Polar Express novel – another Christmas classic which won the reputable Caldecott Medal in the year 1986 not long after it was published on the 28^th of October 1985. It has gone on to become a well-loved Christmas movie, as well as being adapted into various stage productions during the festive season.

It tells the story of a young boy who boards a train at night, which takes him to the North Pole, where he meets Santa, who then offers him any Christmas present of his choice. He chooses a bell from one of the reindeer harnesses, but on his journey back home, he loses the bell. Nevertheless, he finds it underneath the Christmas tree on Christmas morning – only he and his younger sister can hear it ring in their household, though. Their parents cannot, as they are deemed not to fully believe in the magic of Christmas.

Hidden messages in books can often be subject to interpretation. One of the most famous, well-known quotes from this book is “seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.” This can be interpreted as a hidden message regarding how the magic and essentially the joy of Christmas becomes ‘real’ to those who truly believe in it – and who actively try to make it magical for themselves and others around them.

Jenny Colgan…

Jenny Colgan is a Scottish author who has written books ranging from genres such as science fiction and romantic comedy. She is also the author of many Christmas-themed books and stories. These include An Island Christmas, The Christmas Surprise, The Secret Christmas Library and The Christmas Bookshop series.

All of these Christmassy reads are very light-hearted and equally heart-warming, with The Christmas Bookshop being one of her most popular festive novels. It tells the story of two estranged sisters who reunite to work together in running an old bookshop over the Christmas period. The Secret Christmas Library features two antiquarian book hunters on the search for a rare book held within a library inside a huge, archaic castle. With a hint of both romance and mystery as well as much festive spirit, this also makes an ideal Christmas read for the holiday season!

Recommendations…

At Edinburgh Napier University libraries, we have A Christmas Carol available to read as an eBook for our student community and staff. This eBook can be accessed via our LibrarySearch catalogue. Check out our other Christmas reads and also DVDs including Dr Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! in our catalogue as well.

All other books mentioned in this blog article can be found in and borrowed.

By Rachel Downie

We love Christmas here at the library blog. Get in the festive spirit with us.