Christmas | shortsonline

The Greatest Gift

shortsonline — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 21:00:10 +0000

Short Story by Philip Van Doren Stern. A depressed man standing on a bridge contemplating suicide wishes he had never been born. His wish is mysteriously granted and he learns that, without his existence, his loved ones and the whole community would have suffered greatly.

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A Christmas Story

shortsonline — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 21:00:02 +0000

Short Story by Walter Dean Myers. An old woman teaches a new police patrolman an important lesson by inviting his family to Christmas dinner. Along with his co-workers, the policeman has a negative view of Harlem. His wife insists on going, and the visit reveals another side of the community.

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Some Families, Very Large

shortsonline — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 01:02:45 +0000

Short Story by Jose Dalisay Jr. It is Christmas, but nine-year-old Sammy’s father is more interested in gambling than celebrating it with him. Later a grieving mother, desperate for company, welcomes them into her “family”. In a moment of reflection, the three close their eyes and imagine a better life.

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Vanka

shortsonline — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 01:59:28 +0000

Short Story by Anton Chekhov. A young boy recently apprenticed to a shoemaker writes a poignant letter to his grandfather pleading to be taken home. He complains of continually being beaten and mistreated, and missing village life. Sadly, his incompletely addressed letter will never reach its destination.

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Christmas Day in the Morning

shortsonline — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 01:14:45 +0000

Quick Read by Pearl Buck. An old man wakes one Christmas morning and remembers another Christmas when, as a boy, he learned that doing something special to show how much you love someone can be the greatest Christmas gift of all. The memory prompts him to give the gift again.

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A Christmas Memory

shortsonline — Sat, 15 Dec 2018 08:05:30 +0000

Short Story by Truman Capote. A seven-year-old-boy, and his aged but child-like female cousin are best friends. It is telling that their Christmas fruitcakes are not for their pious carers or neighbors, but strangers who either “strike their fancy” or have shown kindness towards them over the years

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The Gift of the Magi

shortsonline — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 02:25:24 +0000

Short Story by O. Henry. A poor couple each sell their most valuable possession in order to buy a Christmas present that they feel is good enough for the one they love. The irony is that neither can use the precious gift the other has bought them.

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Christmas Storms and Sunshine

shortsonline — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 10:11:44 +0000

Short Story by Elizabeth Gaskell. A rift exists between two families living in the same rooming house. The men work for rival newspapers; their wives, thanks to petty jealousies, hate each other. A hungry cat, seriously ill child, Christmas carolers, and a plate of homemade sausages bring everybody together.

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The Fir Tree

shortsonline — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 17:00:36 +0000

Grade 5-6 Story by Hans Christian Andersen. A fir tree grows up never being satisfied with life until one day (a Christmas Eve) it stands tall and proud. After Christmas, people throw it into a dark attic where it remembers the many other things in life it should have enjoyed.

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The Legend of the Christmas Rose

shortsonline — Sun, 14 Dec 2014 23:38:15 +0000

Grade 3-4 Story by Selma Lagerlöf. The wife of an outlaw tells an Abbot that his prized garden is nothing compared to the one that emerges outside their forest hideout each Christmas Eve. In the hope of getting her husband pardoned, she agrees to let the Abbot see the miracle.

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