54 Classic Christmas Short Stories to Read Right Now

A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote

This much sought-after autobiographical recollection of Capote’s rural Alabama boyhood has become a modern-day classic.

Seven-year-old Buddy knows that the Christmas season has arrived when his cousin, Miss Sook Falk “It’s fruitcake weather!” Thus begins an unforgettable portrait of an odd, but enduring, friendship between two innocent souls—one young and one old—and the memories they share of beloved holiday rituals.

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

The gift of a handsomely decorated, enigmatic nutcracker sets the stage for a Christmas like no other: there will be legends of ancient curses, battles with the dreaded Mouse King, and a visit to the wonderful Kingdom of Dolls.

The inspiration for the classic ballet, E. T. A. Hoffmann’s irresistible tale of magic and mystery continues to be the perfect encapsulation of a child’s wonder at Christmas.

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

In a shabby New York flat, Della sobs as she counts the few coins she has saved to buy a Christmas present for her husband, Jim. One dollar and eighty-seven cents is all the money she has in the world. A gift worthy of her devotion will require a great sacrifice: selling her long, beautiful hair.

Jim, meanwhile, has made a sacrifice for Della that is no less difficult. As they exchange gifts on Christmas Eve, the discovery of what each has done fills them with despair, until they realize that the true gifts of Christmas can be found more readily in their humble apartment than in any fine store.

Set in New York at the turn of the twentieth century, this classic piece of American literature tells the story of a young couple and the value of love.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens. It was first published by Chapman & Hall on 19 December 1843. It tells the story of a bitter old miser named Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation resulting from a supernatural visit by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to Come.

The novella met with instant success and critical acclaim. The book was written and published in early Victorian era Britain, a period when there was strong nostalgia for old Christmas traditions together with the introduction of new customs, such as Christmas trees and greeting cards. Dickens’ sources for the tale appear to be many and varied, but are, principally, the humiliating experiences of his childhood, his sympathy for the poor, and various Christmas stories and fairy tales.

The Elves and the Shoemaker by the Brothers Grimm

A young elf, just beginning to learn elf duties, is accompanied by two experienced elves who take him to the shoemaker’s shop for his first assignment. Here they find a scene of distress, as the shoemaker is gone to war, his wife and daughter are in danger of losing the shop for debt to the greedy Heckla if they cannot make her a pair of shoes for the morrow.

Late that night, the elves make the shoes and return the next day to see their success. But Heckla has intercepted the money to pay off the debt and is about to take possession. Again the elves are obliged to come to the rescue to make it possible for everybody to live happily ever after.

The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens

To have a cricket on your hearth brings great good luck. So goes the old folk belief. But it does not appear true for Caleb, the old toymaker, and his blind daughter, Bertha. For the cricket on the hearth of their wonderful toy shop is a peppery-tempered, interfering sort of chap.

Nevertheless the cricket is willing to help Bertha in the most important search of her life—finding the truth. With the aid of the cricket and a magic toy harp, Bertha does at last find the secret … within her own heart.

Markheim by Robert Louis Stevenson

London, Christmas 1884.

The story opens in an antique store, with Markheim wishing to buy a present for a woman he will soon marry. The dealer presents him with a mirror. Markheim is strangely reluctant to end the transaction, but when the dealer insists that he must buy or leave, he consents to stop tarrying and review more goods. The dealer turns his back to replace the mirror, and Markheim pulls out a knife…

The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen

When Kay is cursed by a magic mirror, he can no longer perceive goodness in anything – not his best friend Gerda, nor the roses in the garden.

One wintry evening, he is kidnapped by the wicked Snow Queen and swept away to live forever in her kingdom of ice. Friendless and shoe-less, Gerda must travel through inhospitable lands, with only crows to guide her and bandits for company, in order to find her beloved friend. And when she gets there, how will she melt the ice in his heart?

The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Soren Stern

For almost seventy years, people the world over have fallen in love with Frank Capra’s classic Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life. But few of those fans know that Capra’s film was based on a short story by author Philip Van Doren Stern, which came to Stern in a dream one night.

Unable at first to find a publisher for his evocative tale about a man named George Pratt who ponders suicide until he receives an opportunity to see what the world would be like without him, Stern ultimately published the story in a small pamphlet and sent it out as his 1943 Christmas card. One of those 200 cards found its way into the hands of Frank Capra, who shared it with Jimmy Stewart, and the film that resulted became the holiday tradition we cherish today.

At Christmas Time by Anton Chekov

Told in two parts, Anton Chekhov’s At Christmas Time begins with an illiterate woman hiring a local man to write a letter wishing her daughter—from who she has heard nothing since her wedding and departure four years earlier—a merry Christmas.

In the second part, the letter arrives for the daughter, whose life is not what she imagined it would be.

Dave Cooks the Turkey by Stuart McLean

Hapless Dave is at it again, promising his beloved wife Morley that he will take care of the Christmas turkey while she takes the kids to work at the food bank.

Dave fails to realize quite what’s involved, and the result is a Homeresque struggle to beat all the odds and somehow get an unappetizing, frozen, and slightly scarred bird home and roasted in time for Christmas dinner—before Morley cooks Dave’s goose.

The Dead by James Joyce

Often cited as the best work of short fiction ever written, Joyce’s story details a New Year’s Eve gathering in Dublin that is so evocative and beautiful that it prompts the protagonist’s wife to make a shocking revelation to her husband—closing the story with an emotionally powerful epiphany that is considered one of the best in modern literature.

A Kidnapped Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum

Santa Claus has been kidnapped by five pagan Daemons. Four of the five, the Daemons of Selfishness, Envy, Hatred, and Malice, most certainly are bad, but the fifth, the Daemon of Repentance, is a more ambiguous figure. The Daemons of the Caves resent Santa Claus because children under the influence of his gifts rarely visit their caves.

The Daemons instead kidnap Santa Claus; they lasso him as he is riding in his sleigh on Christmas Eve, and bind him in their caverns. The queen of the Fairies in the Forest of Burzee summons an army of magical creatures to rescue the missing hero.

The Burglar’s Christmas by Willa Cather

The Burglar’s Christmas was originally published near the beginning of Willa Cather’s writing career in 1896 under the pseudonym of Elizabeth L. Seymour.

The story follows William Crawford on the cold streets of Chicago as he contemplates the multiple failures plaguing his life, including his time at college and careers in journalism, real estate, and performing. Distraught, he tries one more thief. Attempting to burgle a residence and caught in the act by the lady of the house, William must come to terms with the choices that led him to that moment.

Cather provides a heartwarming short story of redemption and love at Christmas, a timely reminder that kindness is in everyone, just waiting to be uncovered.

A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas

Originally emerging from a piece written for radio, the poem was recorded by Thomas in 1952.

The story is an anecdotal retelling of a Christmas from the view of a young child and is a romanticised version of Christmases past, portraying a nostalgic and simpler time. It is one of Thomas’ most popular works.

The Adventure of Blue Carbuncle by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

When the Countess of Morcar’s priceless blue carbuncle is stolen, a reformed thief is charged with the crime.

But a strange thing happens. Trivial is what Sherlock Holmes calls it. He’s studying an old hat when Dr. Watson visits to wish him “The compliments of the season.” Holmes tells Watson about Commissionaire Peterson’s report of seeing a little knot of roughs assault a man carrying a Christmas goose home for the family. They all ran, leaving both the goose and the hat. No one could locate the man, Henry Baker, whose name was tagged to the goose so Peterson took possession.

Soon another strange thing – Mrs. Peterson found Morcar’s fabulous blue jewel inside the goose while preparing it for their family festivities.

Can S.H. sort this all out?

The Fir Tree by Hans Christian Andersen

In the middle of the wood is a little fir tree who thinks of one thing only – growing bigger. He takes no pleasure from life because he always thinks about how he is not as big as the other fir trees. So, when the little fir tree finally grows up, Christmas approaches and his destiny is turned upside down.

The Lump of Coal by Lemony Snicket

Forget Frosty the Snowman or Ruldolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The next great holiday hero is a small, flammable chunk of barbecue fodder. He’s impeccably dressed, he’s terribly grumpy, and he’s looking for a holiday miracle.

The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie

In this delightful tale, an Eastern Prince arrives in England with some family jewels which he’s having reset as a gift for his fianceé. However, the Prince also has a mistress. She asks to wear one particularly enchanting piece that features a huge ruby, and then promptly disappears with it.

Poirot discovers a connection with a house party at the home of Colonel and Mrs Lacey and, in order to pursue his investigation, an invitation is procured for him to the Laceys’, ostensibly to enjoy an old-fashioned Christmas. With deft skill and the workings of his little grey cells, Poirot brings this case to a satisfying and festive conclusion.

The Chimes by Charles Dickens

The Chimes is Charles Dickens 1844 novella that concerns the disillusionment of Toby “Trotty” Veck, a poor working-class man. When Trotty has lost his faith in Humanity and believes that his poverty is the result of his unworthiness he is visited on New Year’s Eve by spirits to help restore his faith and show him that nobody is born evil, but rather that crime and poverty are things created by man.

Old Christmas by Washington Irving

A nostalgic portrayal of Christmas traditions in the English countryside, this story captures the warmth and charm of holiday gatherings in a bygone era.

Through vivid descriptions and heartfelt characters, it brings to life the joys of festive celebrations, from feasting to caroling. The book is a delightful reflection on the spirit of togetherness and the timeless appeal of holiday customs.

Fish Cheeks by Amy Tan

Fish Cheeks is the story of fourteen-year-old Amy Tan who suffers great embarrassment at her parents’ hosting of Christmas Eve dinner for her crush’s family.

Amy, a young girl of Chinese heritage, begins the story by explaining her problem: she loves Robert, the local pastor’s son whose family has been invited for dinner, but worries how they will view her after the event.

A Christmas Dream, and How it Came to be True by Louisa May Alcott

Ten-year-old Effie lives the life most children dream of—with every day filled with delicious treats and wonderful toys. One night she experiences a dream that will forever change the meaning of Christmas for her. In it, she meets a group of under privileged children and she is inspired to create a Christmas they will never forget.

Christmas at Red Butte by L.M. Montgomery

In Christmas at Red Butte, Theodora, the jolliest, bravest girl of sixteen in all Saskatchewan pawns a precious locket so she can afford to buy toys for the poor family that has kindly taken her in after her own parents died.

The Story of The Other Wise Man by Henry van Dyke

Long, long ago, a wise man named Artaban, a priest of the Magi, discerned from heavenly signs that the time was at hand for the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy–the birth among the Hebrews of a holy Prince and Deliverer of Man. Hastening to join three fellow Magi for the long journey into Judaea, he paused to help a dying man and was left behind. And so Artaban began his pilgrimage alone, striking out not toward the realization of his life’s deepest longing, as he hoped, but only toward misfortune and suffering. Or so he believed until one blessed, radiant moment.

The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of The Little Match Girl has become a story of an abused child whom everyone knows and loves. The little girl is forced by her pitiless father to sell matches on icy, friendless city streets. She burns her matches to keep warm. The pitiful little flames don’t warm her body but they illuminate her spirit.

The things she has dreamed about but can’t have come alive in her dreams as the icy winds claw at her inadequately clothed, frail little body.

Christmas at Thompson Hall by Anthony Trollope

Christmas at Thompson Hall brings together the best of the Christmas stories of Anthony Trollope, one of the most successful, prolific, and respected English novelists of the nineteenth century.

Characterized by insightful, psychologically rich, and sometimes wryly humorous depictions of the middle class and gentry of Victorian England—and inspired occasionally by missives in the “lost letter” box of the provincial post office that Trollope ran—these tales helped to enshrine the traditions of the decorated Christmas tree, the holiday turkey, and the giving of store-bought gifts.

Today, they open a window onto a time when carolers filled the streets and each house’s door displayed a wreath of evergreen boughs, a time at once distant and yet startlingly familiar.

The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter

Potter described The Tailor of Gloucester as her own favorite among her books.

It was based on the true story of a tailor who left the unsewn pieces of a coat in his shop and found that the garment had been mysteriously finished for him in the night.

It turned out that the real tailor’s assistants were his apprentices, but in Beatrix Potter’s version of the story the secret helpers are skillful little brown mice.

A Hint for Next Christmas by A.A. Milne

A Hint for Christmas is an essay written by A.A. Milne, the author of the Winnie the Pooh stories. This is a humorous take on giving gifts and the custom of sending Christmas cards.

Where Love is, There God Is Also by Leo Tolstoy

This short story by the author of Anna Karenina is about a shoemaker who had faced many hardships in his life. It tells the story of the importance of empathy and kindness.

Sharpe’s Christmas by Bernard Cornwell

Sharpe’s Christmas contains two short stories. In the title story Richard Sharpe, commanding the Prince of Wales’s Own Volunteers, finds himself in a high, hard place with an enemy brigade on one side and a desperate force of Frenchmen fleeing their defeat in Spain on the other.

The second story, Sharpe’s Ransom, is set in France, after the wars, when old enemies take Sharpe’s woman and child hostage.

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

Running the gamut from sweet and reverent to twisted and uproarious, this is a collection that will satisfy every reader. Dostoevsky brings stories of poverty and tragedy, Tolstoy inspires with his fable-like tales, Chekhov’s unmatchable skills are on full display in a story about a female factory owner and the wretched workers, Klavdia Lukashevitch delights with a sweet and surprising tale of a childhood in White Russia, and Mikhail Zoshchenko recounts madcap anecdotes of Christmas trees and Christmas thieves.

The Juggler of Our Lady by R.O. Blechman

Cantalbert is a simple juggler but the world takes no interest in his only real gift, and he feels inadequate compared to people with meaningful jobs. Seeking a more spiritual approach to life, he enters a monastery. Cantalbert’s menial chores among the monks fail to instill the self-doubting juggler with any sense of worth―until he experiences a soul-stirring encounter with a statue of Mary, the Mother of Christ.

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

An unexpected invite throws the Christmas plans of Bertie Wooster and his long- suffering valet, Jeeves, into disarray.

Rather than the Winter sun of Monte Carlo, Jeeves and Wooster find themselves spending Christmas at Skeldings Hall, much to the disappointment of Jeeves, home of Lady Wickham, and her daughter Bobbie, thr object of Bertie’s desire. Also in attendance is Sir Roderick Glossop, father of Bertie’s former fiancé, Honoria, and Tuppy Glossop, he who tricked Bertie into falling into the swimming pool at the Drones Club.

Rush Call by Stephen King (Included in Secret Windows)

Rush Call is a gripping short story following a doctor who is on the verge of retirement, yet realizes that he still has more to give. One eventful Christmas morning, he winds up performing an emergency appendectomy.

Read more about Stephen King’s Books

The Innkeeper’s Wife by A.J. Cronin

A J Cronin was commissioned by The American Weekly to write a Christmas story for the December 21st issue in 1958. His vision for the story is described in his letter of acceptance:

It came to me very strongly that to achieve the highest and most profoundly touching results I should go back to the first Christmas of all and create a vivid reconstruction of the effects of the birth of the Child upon certain characters, notably the wife of the innkeeper where no room was found for Mary and Joseph. The title of the story would be ‘The Innkeper’s Wife,’ for she, as I imagine her, is the central human character—a good and tender-hearted woman, childless herself, and bullied by an assertive and miserly husband.

Tidings of Comfort and Joy by Gael Baudino

Tidings of Comfort and Joy by Gael Baudino is on short story in a collection of short holiday stories with the themes of science fiction and fantasy. This is a pagan holiday story about zombies and is a perfect read for anyone who enjoys a little bit of sci-fi.

The Festival by H.P. Lovecraft

Christmas with the family takes a dark turn in this chilling short story by the acclaimed author of The Call of Cthulhu.

Beckoned by his family, a man travels to a snowy, seaside Massachusetts town to observe an ancient festival. His family has long celebrated it since the days when it was forbidden. But when he arrives, he notices something is off about this community . . . little details that just don’t add up.

What the man witnesses at his family’s house does little to comfort him. Soon he is drawn into a world unlike any he has known, and its sights will haunt him for the rest of his life . . .

Vanka by Anton Chekhov

A nine-year-old boy is in desperate need to convince his grandfather, his only relative (a wayward character, who seems to be totally indifferent to the boy’s fate), to take him back to his country home. Stealthily, he writes a letter to describe the unbearable life he leads in the house of the shoemaker Aliakhin, whom he serves as an apprentice for, suffering from hunger, abuse and humiliation.

Finally, very pleased with his effort, he puts it into an envelope, inscribes the address: “The village, to my grandfather, Konstantin Makarych” and drops it into a post-box, well aware that it is on this precious item that his whole life now totally depends upon.

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded shops, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents. That’s just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they’ll skip the holiday altogether.

Theirs will be the only house on the street without a rooftop Frosty the snowman; they won’t be hosting their annual Christmas Eve bash; they aren’t even going to have a tree. They won’t need one, because come December 25 they’re setting sail on a Caribbean cruise. But, as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences – and isn’t half as easy as they’d imagined.

A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg

Deep in the southernmost part of Alabama, along the banks of a lazy winding river, lies the sleepy little community known as Lost River, a place that time itself seems to have forgotten.

After a startling diagnosis from his doctor, Oswald T. Campbell leaves behind the cold and damp of the oncoming Chicago winter to spend what he believes will be his last Christmas in the warm and welcoming town of Lost River. There he meets the postman who delivers mail by boat, the store owner who nurses a broken heart, the ladies of the Mystic Order of the Royal Polka Dots Secret Society, who do clandestine good works. And he meets a little redbird named Jack, who is at the center of this tale of a magical Christmas when something so amazing happened that those who witnessed it have never forgotten it.

The Christmas Pearl by Dorothea Benton Frank

Theodora is the matriarch of a family that, in her opinion, has grown into a bunch of truculent knuckleheads. They’ve all come together to South Carolina to celebrate Christmas. But this Christmas looks nothing like the extravagant, homey Christmases Theodora grew up with.

What happened to the days when the holiday spirit meant tables groaning with home cooked goodies, over–the–top decorations, and long chats in front of the fire with Pearl, her grandmother’s housekeeper/manager/caterer/psychiatrist/best friend? Luckily someone hears Theodora’s plea for help and Merle (possibly Pearl?) arrives, pockets filled with Gullah magic and common sense to straighten everyone out.

A Christmas Homecoming by Anne Perry

Charlotte’s mother, Caroline—travels with her young husband, Joshua Fielding, and his theatrical troupe to Whitby, the Yorkshire fishing village where Dracula the vampire first touched English soil in the sensational novel named after him. Joshua has arranged to produce a stage adaptation of Dracula by the daughter of Whitby millionaire Charles Netheridge during the Christmas holiday, but after the disastrous first read-through of her amateurish script, only the fact that the company is depending on Netheridge’s financial backing for their spring tour keeps them at work.

As tempers flare and wind and snow swirl around Netheridge’s lonely hilltop mansion, a black-cloaked stranger emerges from the storm—an eerily opportune arrival, for this enigmatic figure, one Anton Ballin, turns out to be a theatrical genius. At the same time, a brooding evil makes itself felt. Instead of the theatrical triumph that Netheridge desired for his daughter, there is murder—shocking and terrifying.

The Legend of the Christmas Rose by Selma Lagerlöf

In hope of getting her husband pardoned, an exiled outlaw’s wife agrees to reveal to an old monk the miracle in Goèinge Forest, where every Christmas Eve a beautiful garden blooms in remembrance of the birth of the Christ Child.

Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie

There’s a chill in the air and the days are growing shorter . . . It’s the perfect time to curl up in front of a crackling fire with these wintry whodunits from the legendary Agatha Christie.

But beware of deadly snowdrifts and dangerous gifts, poisoned meals and mysterious guests. This chilling compendium of short stories—some featuring beloved detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple—is an essential omnibus for Christie fans and the perfect holiday gift for mystery lovers.

A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz

Christmas is almost here, which means ice-skating, Christmas carols, and sparkly lights everywhere—even on Snoopy’s doghouse!

Everyone is enjoying the holiday celebrations except Charlie Brown. Can the Peanuts gang help Charlie Brown discover the true meaning of Christmas?

A Chaparral Christmas Gift by O. Henry

A Chaparral Christmas Gift by O. Henry is a western short story about a bitter, rejected man who becomes a villain. It carries a message of hope that is perfect for the holiday season.

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco

A stuffed toy rabbit (with real thread whiskers) comes to life in Margery Williams’s timeless tale of the transformative power of love.

Given as a Christmas gift to a young boy, the Velveteen Rabbit lives in the nursery with all of the other toys, waiting for the day when the Boy (as he is called) will choose him as a playmate. In time, the shy Rabbit befriends the tattered Skin Horse, the wisest resident of the nursery, who reveals the goal of all nursery toys: to be made “real” through the love of a human.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

For 53 years, the Grinch has lived in a cave on the side of a mountain, looming above the Whos in Whoville. The noisy holiday preparations and infernal singing of the happy little citizens below annoy him to no end.

The Grinch decides this frivolous merriment must stop. His “wonderful, awful” idea is to don a Santa outfit, strap heavy antlers on his poor, quivering dog Max, construct a makeshift sleigh, head down to Whoville, and strip the chafingly cheerful Whos of their Yuletide glee once and for all.

Read more about Books by Dr. Seuss

Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge

In this classic winter tale, set against a backdrop of frozen canals in a land of windmills and wooden shoes, the year’s most thrilling event is about to take place — the race to win the coveted Silver Skates.

For youngsters of the Dutch village, the time is especially exciting. But Hans and Gretel Brinker, with their hand-carved wooden blades, can hardly expect to compete against their well-trained young friends who own costly steel skates. Raff Brinker, their father, is seriously ill, and the desperately poor family is struggling to survive. To win the race, the siblings will need a miracle — and a helping hand.

Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies

Dreamed up by the author as he watched the Macy’s parade with his own family, it follows the emotional transformation of a thoroughly modern, no-nonsense mother who has taught her young daughter all too well that fairy stories are make-believe and dreams can’t come true.

The catalyst for this change: an old man who claims to be…Santa Claus.

A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd

Humorist Jean Shepherd’s memoir of growing up in the midwest in the 1940s follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker in his quest to get a genuine Red Ryder BB gun under the tree for Christmas. Ralphie pleads his case before his mother, his teacher and even Santa Claus himself at Higbee’s Department Store. The consistent response: “You’ll shoot your eye out!”

All the elements from the beloved motion picture are here, including the family’s temperamental exploding furnace; Scut Farkas, the school bully; the boys’ experiment with a wet tongue on a cold lamppost; the Little Orphan Annie decoder pin; Ralphie’s father winning a lamp shaped like a woman’s leg in a net stocking; Ralphie’s fantasy scenarios and more.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

Ralph, Imogene, Leroy, Claude, Ollie, and Gladys Herdman are an awful bunch. They set fire to Fred Shoemaker’s toolshed, blackmailed Wanda Pierce to get her charm bracelet, and smacked Alice Wendelken across the head. And that’s just the start! When the Herdmans show up at church for the free snacks and suddenly take over the Christmas pageant, the other kids are shocked. It’s obvious that they’re up to no good. But Christmas magic is all around and the Herdmans, who have never heard the Christmas story before, start to reimagine it in their own way.

This year’s pageant is definitely like no other, but maybe that’s exactly what makes it so special.

The Christmas Shoes by Donna VanLiere

Sometimes, the things that can change your life will cross your path in one instant-and then, in a fleeting moment, they’re gone. But if you open your eyes, and watch carefully, you will believe….

Robert is a successful attorney who has everything in life-and nothing at all. Focused on professional achievement and material rewards, Robert is on the brink of losing his marriage. He has lost sight of his wife, Kate, their two daughters, and ultimately himself.

Eight year old Nathan has a beloved mother, Maggie, whom he is losing to cancer. But Nathan and his family are building a simple yet full life, and struggling to hold onto every moment they have together. A chance meeting on Christmas Eve brings Robert and Nathan together-he is shopping for a family he hardly knows and Nathan is shopping for a mother he is soon to lose. In this one encounter, their lives are forever altered as Robert learns an important lesson: sometimes the smallest things can make all the difference.