In this story by Hans Christian Andersen, a nightingale living near the palace of the Chinese Emperor sings so beautifully that it becomes famous all over the world. The Emperor loves the nightingale’s song so much that he makes a home for it in the palace. One day the Japanese Emperor sends him a mechanical bird covered in jewels that can sing as well as the nightingale. He replaces the live bird with the mechanical one, and does not come to appreciate the love of the real nightingale until close to death. Themes: artificial vs. natural beauty, friendship, betrayal, loyalty.

This children’s story by Hans Christian Andersen caused a stir among critics when first released because of the violence involved. A poor farmer who develops a talent for swindling people invents stories to explain the source of his newfound wealth to an envious neighbor.. When the greedy neighbor tries to make money the same way, he suffers greatly. In a fit of anger, the neighbor tries to kill the farmer. However this, too, results in an unexpected windfall for the unscrupulous fraudster. Themes include cleverness, fraud, greed, envy, death, turning the tables.

This well-known story by Hans Christian Andersen is one of the saddest Festive Season tales ever told. A cruel father sends his little girl out into the snow to sell matches. She crouches between two buildings, afraid to go home because she hasn’t made any sales. As she imagines the people inside their warm houses getting ready for a big New Year’s dinner, a vision of her beloved grandmother appears to take her to a better place. Themes include loneliness, poverty, cruelty, exploitation, indifference to suffering, hope, the power of fantasy, Christianity and life after death.