Last Updated on March 30, 2025

Christmas short stories are tales that are perfect reads for people who are wanting to add some holiday reading into their schedule, but don’t have the time. The best Christmas short stories to read are all on our ultimate list. This list of the very best Christmas short stories to read has something for everyone. Find all of the genres from contemporaries to mysteries and fantasies, and more all on this Christmas short stories list.

Christmas Short Stories

1. A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote

2. The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffmann

3. The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

4. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

5. The Elves and the Shoemaker by the Brothers Grimm

6. The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens

7. Markheim by Robert Louis Stevenson

8. The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen

9. The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Soren Stern

10. At Christmas Time by Anton Chekov

11. Dave Cooks the Turkey by Stuart McLean

12. The Dead by James Joyce

13. A Kidnapped Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum

14. The Burglar’s Christmas by Willa Cather

15. A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas

16. The Adventure of Blue Carbuncle by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

17. The Fir Tree by Hans Christian Andersen

18. The Lump of Coal by Lemony Snicket

19. The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie

20. The Chimes by Charles Dickens

21. Old Christmas by Washington Irving

22. Fish Cheeks by Amy Tan

23. A Christmas Dream, and How it Came to be True by Louis May Alcott

24. Christmas at Red Butte by L.M. Montgomery

25. The Story of The Other Wise Man by Henry van Dyke

26. The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen

27. The Paper Bag Christmas by Kevin Alan Milne

28. Christmas at Thompson Hall by Anthony Trollope

29. The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter

30. A Hint for Next Christmas by A.A. Milne

31. Where Love is, There God Is Also by Leo Tolstoy

32. Sharpe’s Christmas by Bernard Cornwell

33. A Very Russian Christmas: The Greatest Russian Holiday Stories of All Time

34. The Juggler of Our Lady by R.O. Blechman

35. Jeeves and the Yule-tide Spirit by P. G. Wodehouse

36. Rush Call by Stephen King (Included in Secret Windows)

37. The Innkeeper’s Wife by A.J. Cronin

38. Tidings of Comfort and Joy by Gael Baudino

39. The Festival by H.P. Lovecraft

40. Vanka by Anton Chekhov

41. Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

42. A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg

43. The Christmas Pearl by Dorothea Benton Frank

44. A Christmas Homecoming by Anne Perry

45. The Legend of the Christmas Rose by Selma Lagerlöf

46. Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie

47. A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz

48. A Chaparral Christmas Gift by O. Henry

49. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco

50. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

51. Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge

52. Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies

53. A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd

54. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

55. The Christmas Shoes by Donna VanLiere

Christmas Short Stories

Christmas short stories are perfect for getting some festive holiday reads on to your TBR. They are fantastic tales to read to get you into the holiday spirit. What are some of your favourite Christmas short stories to read?