The Night Before Christmas-Clement Clarke Moore

The Night Before Christmas (also known as A Visit From Saint Nicholas) purportedly written by Clement Clarke Moore, is a sweet children's story about a man's encounter

with Saint Nicholas when he visit's the house of the man and his family. It is a big reason for the current image of Santa Claus, his reindeer's number and names (excluding Rudolph who wasn't alive yet) his mode of transporation, and his penchant of getting into people's houses through their chimneys and out again. It is a sweet, rhythmical story perfect for children to hear especially around Christmas time! The poem was first published in 1823.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is an enduring Christmas classic for many reasons. The story of an unfeeling, pragmatic person coming to an understanding that his inaction is going to lead to not only a bad end for himself but for others as well, and making a change for the better is something that connects with many people. Old Ebenezer Scrooge is not a hardened criminal. He hasn't done anything illegal. But his greed and his

selfishness have made him into a mean old miser. When his old business partner's ghost (Jacob Marley has been dead for seven years) and three other ghosts, one after the other, pay Mr. Scrooge a visit, he begins to realize what an idiot he's been. While Charles Dickens is a bit wordy (writers tended to be back in those days) the story is still a wonderful tale of hope and redemption, and I highly recommend it. A Christmas Carol was first published in 1843.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, performed by Patrick Stewart

I have enjoyed listening to Patrick Stewart's naration of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens for the past few years. It is a fantastic performance of the best parts of the book. Patrick Stewart does not narrate the book word for word, and it makes a story more powerful, in my opinion. His voice does a great job performing the voices of the various characters of Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Mrs. Cratchit, and all the others.

Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge is a penny pinching, pragmatic man who doesn't commit crimes, but doesn't show compassion to his fellow humans either. One Christmas Eve night, he is visited by the spirit of his old business partner, Jacob Marley who has been dead for exactly seven years. After this visit, he is visited by three other ghosts, the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. And he is spurred on to change his ways, or he will die a lonely death, forgotten by everybody. But worse, little Tim Cratchit a small boy with a disease like rickets or renal tubular acidosis will die as well if Scrooge doesn't change his ways! Does Scrooge make the change to save both himself and little Tim? Read the book, or listen to Patrick Stewart's audio narration of the story, and find out! A Christmas Carol was originally published in 1843. Patrick Stewart's production was fist published in 1991.