Short Christmas stories by Russian writers to read online. Pavel Zasodimsky "Snowstorm and Blizzard"

On Christmas days, the whole world, childishly froze in anticipation of a miracle, looks into the winter sky with hope and awe: when will that same Star appear? We are preparing Christmas gifts for our nearest and dearest, friends and acquaintances. Nikea also prepared a wonderful gift for their friends - a series of Christmas books.

Several years have passed since the release of the first book in the series, but every year its popularity is only growing. Who doesn't know these cute Christmas pattern books that have become an attribute of every Christmas? It's always a timeless classic.

Topelius Sacarias

Nicaea: a Christmas gift

Odoevsky Vladimir Fyodorovich

Nicaea: a Christmas gift

Leskov Nikolai Semenovich

Nicaea: a Christmas gift

It would seem, what could be interesting? All works are united by one theme, but as soon as you start reading, you immediately realize that each new story — new story not like all the others. Exciting celebration of the holiday, many destinies and experiences, sometimes difficult life tests and unchanging faith in goodness and justice - this is the basis of the works of Christmas collections.

We can safely say that this series set a new direction in book publishing, rediscovering an almost forgotten literary genre.

Tatyana Strygina, compiler of Christmas collections The idea belongs to Nikolai Breev, to CEO publishing house "Nicaea" - He is the inspirer of the wonderful campaign "Easter News": on the eve of Easter, books are distributed ... And in 2013 I wanted to make a special gift for readers - collections of classics for spiritual reading, for the soul. And then the "Easter stories of Russian writers" and "Easter poems of Russian poets" were published. Readers immediately liked them so much that it was decided to release Christmas collections as well.”

Then the first Christmas collections were born - Christmas stories of Russians and foreign writers and Christmas poems. This is how the Christmas present series turned out, so familiar and beloved. From year to year, books were reprinted, delighting those who did not have time to read everything last Christmas or wanted to buy it as a gift. And then Nikaya prepared another surprise for readers - Christmas collections for children.

We began to receive letters from readers asking us to publish more books on this topic, shops and temples were waiting for new products from us, people wanted something new. We simply could not disappoint our reader, especially since there were still many unpublished stories. Thus was born first a children's series, and then Christmas stories", - Tatyana Strygina recalls.

Old magazines, libraries, funds, file cabinets - the editors of Nikea work all year round to present a gift to their readers for Christmas - new compilation Christmas series. All authors are classics, their names are well-known, but there are also not so famous authors who lived in the era of recognized geniuses and published with them in the same magazines. This is something that has been tested by time and has its own “quality guarantee”.

Reading, searching, reading and reading again, - Tatyana laughs. — When in a novel you read a story about how the New Year and Christmas, often according to the plot, this does not seem to be the main point, so you don’t focus on it, and when you immerse yourself in the topic and start purposefully searching, these descriptions, one might say, fall into your hands. Well, in our Orthodox heart, the story of Christmas immediately responds, immediately imprinted in memory.

Another special, almost forgotten genre in Russian literature is Christmas stories. They were published in magazines, publishers specially ordered stories famous authors. Christmas time is the period between Christmas and Epiphany. In Christmas stories, there is traditionally a miracle, and the heroes happily do difficult and great job love, overcoming obstacles, and often the intrigues of "evil spirits".

According to Tatyana Strygina, in the Christmas literature there are stories about fortune-telling, ghosts, and incredible afterlife stories...

These stories are very interesting, but it seemed that they did not fit the festive, spiritual theme of Christmas, they did not fit with other stories, so they just had to be put aside. And then we nevertheless decided to publish such an unusual collection - "Terrible Christmas stories."

This collection includes Christmas "horror stories" by Russian writers, including little-known ones. The stories are united by the theme of Christmas time - mysterious winter days when miracles seem possible, and the heroes, having endured fear and invoking all that is holy, dispel the delusion and become a little better, kinder and bolder.

The theme of the scary story is very important with psychological point vision. Children tell horror stories to each other, sometimes adults like to watch a horror movie. Everyone experiences fear, and it is better to experience it with literary hero rather than get yourself into a similar situation. It's believed that scary stories compensate for the natural feeling of fear, help to overcome anxiety and feel more confident and calm,” Tatyana emphasizes.

I would like to note that an exclusively Russian theme is a harsh winter, long haul on a sleigh, which often becomes deadly, swept roads, snowstorms, snowstorms, Epiphany frosts. The trials of the harsh northern winter gave bright stories to Russian literature.

The idea of ​​the collection "New Year's and other winter stories“was born from Pushkin's Snowstorm,” notes Tatyana. - This is such a poignant story that only a Russian person can feel. In general, Pushkin's "Snowstorm" left a huge mark on our literature. Sollogub wrote his Snowstorm precisely with an allusion to Pushkin's; Leo Tolstoy was haunted by this story, and he also wrote his "Snowstorm". With these three "Blizzards" the collection began, because it interesting topic in the history of literature... But only the story of Vladimir Sollogub remained in the final composition. The long Russian winter with Epiphany frosts, snowstorms and snowstorms, and the holidays - New Year, Christmas, Christmas time, which fall at this time, inspired writers. And we really wanted to show this feature of Russian literature.”

1. O'Henry "Gifts of the Magi"

it touching story about the value of the gift, regardless of its price; this story is about the importance of self-sacrifice in the name of love.

young married couple survives on eight dollars a week, and it's Christmas time. Dell cries in despair because he cannot buy a present for his beloved husband. Over the course of many months, she was only able to save a dollar and eighty-eight cents. But then she remembers that she has simply gorgeous hair, and decides to sell it in order to give her husband a chain for his family watch.

The husband, who saw his wife in the evening, seems to be very upset. But he was saddened not because his wife had become like a ten-year-old boy, but because he sold his gold watch to give the most beautiful combs, which she looked at for several months.

Looks like Christmas failed. But these two cried not from sadness, but from love for each other.

2. Sven Nurdqvist "Christmas Porridge"

Gnomes get along well with people, help them run the household, take care of animals. And they don’t demand much from people - for Christmas, bring them a special Christmas porridge. But here's the bad luck, people completely forgot about the gnomes. And the dwarf dad will be terribly angry if he finds out that there will be no treats this year. How to enjoy porridge and not catch the eye of the owners of the house?

3. Sven Nordqvist "Christmas in Petson's house"

This is a wonderful piece of friendship and support in Hard time. Petson and his kitten Findus live together and are already starting to prepare for Christmas. But bad luck happened - Petson accidentally injured his leg and will no longer be able to finish all the work. And in the house, as if to evil, food and firewood for the stove ran out, and they didn’t even have time to put up a Christmas tree. Who will help friends not to be hungry and lonely at Christmas?

4. Gianni Rodari "Planet of Christmas Trees"

Little Marcus was nine years old. He dreamed of receiving a real spaceship as a gift from his grandfather, but for some reason his grandfather gave him a toy horse. Why is he a kid to play with such toys? But curiosity took its toll, and in the evening Marcus got on a horse, which turned out to be ... spaceship.

Marcus ended up on a distant planet where Christmas trees grew everywhere, residents lived according to a special New Year calendar, sidewalks themselves moved, delicious bricks and wire were served in cafes, and for children they came up with a special palace “Break-break”, where they were allowed to destroy everything.
Everything would be fine, but how to return home? ..

5. Hans Christian Andersen "Girl with matches"

Unfortunately, not all fairy tales end happily. And this is impossible to read without tears. Is it possible for a child to wander the streets on New Year's Eve hoping to sell at least one match? She warmed her little fingers, and the shadows from the tiny fire painted scenes of a happy life that she could see through other people's windows.

We do not even know the name of the baby - for us she will always be a girl with matches, who, due to the greed and indifference of adults, flew to heaven.

6. Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol"

This work has become a favorite for more than one generation. We know his adaptation of A Christmas Carol.

This is the story of the greedy Ebenezer Scrooge, for whom nothing is more important than money. Compassion, mercy, joy, love are alien to him. But everything should change on Christmas Eve...

In each of us lives a little Scrooge, and it is so important not to miss the moment, to open the doors for love and mercy, so that this miser does not completely take over us.

7. Katherine Holabert "Angelina Meets Christmas"

Little mouse Angelina is looking forward to Christmas. She had already planned what she would do at home, only now she noticed in the window a lonely sad Mr. Bell, who had no one to celebrate the holiday with. Sweet Angelina decides to help Mr. Bell, but she does not suspect that thanks to her good heart find the real Santa Claus!

8. Susan Wojciechowski "Mr. Toomey's Christmas Miracle"

Mr. Toomey makes a living doing woodcarving. Once he smiled and was happy. But after the loss of his wife and son, he became gloomy and received the nickname Mr. Gloomy from the neighborhood children. Once, on Christmas Eve, a widow with a young son knocked on his door and asked him to make them Christmas figurines, since they had lost theirs after the move. It would seem that there is nothing wrong with an ordinary order, but gradually this work is changing Mr. Toomey ...

9. Nikolai Gogol "The Night Before Christmas"

A favorite piece for adults and children alike. An amazing story about evenings on a farm near Dikanka, which formed the basis of films, musicals and cartoons. But if your child does not yet know the history of Vakula, Oksana, Solokha, Chub and other heroes, and also has not heard that the devil can steal the moon, and what other miracles happen on the night before Christmas, it is worth devoting a few evenings to this fascinating story .

10. Fyodor Dostoevsky "Christ's Boy on the Tree"

This is a difficult work, without pathos and decorations, the author truthfully draws a poor life. Parents will have to explain a lot, because, thank God, our children do not know such hardships as the main character.

The little boy is cold from the cold and is exhausted from hunger. His mother died in some dark basement, and he is looking for a piece of bread on Christmas Eve. The boy, probably for the first time in his life, sees another, happy life. Only she is there, outside the windows of wealthy people. The boy was able to get to the Christmas tree to Christ, but after he froze on the street ...

11. Marco Cheremshina "Tear"

This short story will not leave indifferent neither adults nor children. Fitted on one page whole life poor family. Marusya's mother became seriously ill. To keep mother from dying, little one the girl is walking to the city for medicine. But the Christmas frost does not spare the child, and snow pours into the holey boots as if out of spite.

Marusya is exhausted and quietly dies in the snow. Her only hope is for the last childish tear that miraculously fell on the cheek of a Christmas angel ...

12. Mikhail Kotsyubinsky "Christmas Tree"

Deep, dramatic, insightful work. It will not leave any reader indifferent, and the intrigue will not let you relax until the very end.
Once upon a time, little Vasylka was given a Christmas tree by his father; it grew in the garden and made the boy happy. And today, on Christmas Eve, my father sold the Christmas tree, because the family really, really needed money. When the Christmas tree was cut down, it seemed to Vasylka that she was about to cry, and the boy himself seemed to have lost a dear person.

But Vasylko also had to take the Christmas tree to the city. The road went through the forest, the Christmas frost was crackling, the snow covered all traces, and, unfortunately, the sleigh also broke down. It is not surprising that Vasylko got lost in the forest. Will the boy be able to find his way home and will Christmas be a joyful holiday for his family?

13. Lydia Podvysotskaya "The Tale of the Christmas Angel"

The Christmas angel looked into one of the rooms and saw little boy, who was beating in a fever and breathing hoarsely, and above him, bent over, sat a little older girl. The angel realized that the children were orphans. It is very difficult and scary for them to live without a mother. But that's why he is a Christmas angel to help and protect good children ...

14. Maria Shkurina "Star as a gift for mom"

Little Anya's mother has been ill for a long time, and the doctor only looks away and shakes his head sadly. And tomorrow is Christmas. Last year they had so much fun walking with the whole family, and now mom can’t even get out of bed. A little girl remembers that wishes come true at Christmas, and asks a star from the sky for health for her mother. Only will a distant star hear a child's prayer?

Christmas is the period when magic comes into its own. Teach your children to believe in miracles, in the power of love and faith, and to do good themselves. And these wonderful stories will help you with this.

Children's and adults' hearts are pleased with sparkling tinsel, taken from an old suitcase, whole year lurking somewhere on the mezzanine. We are not forbidden to take out and open the suitcase in another season, but we usually do not do this. Well, since we have Christmas decorations, carnival masks, Christmas cakes - there should be Christmas books.

Their ancestor is Charles Dickens. AT mid-nineteenth century, he composed several Christmas stories and began to publish them in the December issues of his magazines. Home reading' and 'All year round'. Dickens combined the stories under the title "Christmas Books". "A Christmas Carol in Prose: A Yuletide Ghost Story", "The Bells: A Tale of the Spirits of a Church Clock", "The Cricket Behind the Hearth: A Tale of Domestic Happiness", "The Battle of Life: A Tale of Love", "The Possessed, or Deal with a Ghost" - all these works are densely populated with supernatural creatures: both angels and various evil spirits.

It has long been the time of the most short days and most long nights perceived as a confrontation between light and darkness. If Dickens and his followers did not believe that the outcome of the struggle between Good and Evil depends on the will of people, there would simply be no Christmas stories.

"Christmas, - Dickens writes, - this is the time when, louder than at any other time of the year, the memory of all the sorrows, insults and suffering in the world around us speaks in us<…>and, just like everything that we ourselves have experienced in our lifetime, it encourages us to do good.

“If it weren’t for Christmas, I would never have decided on this, but if our Lord decided to leave among us sinners not just a small child, but his son, then it’s true, and I can allow my children to try to save one person," this discussion is already Selma Lagerlöf puts into the mouth of the mistress of the house from the short story "Christmas Guest".

Miraculous salvation, the rebirth of evil into good, the reconciliation of enemies, the forgetting of insults are popular motifs for Christmas and Christmas stories. The tradition took root well in Russian literature. Until 1917, almanacs, special issues of illustrated magazines, annual newspapers were published for the holidays - according to A.P. Chekhov, with "all sorts of Christmas stuff." However, even before the named stories of Dickens, Gogol's now-famous "The Night Before Christmas" and the almost forgotten "Night on the Nativity of Christ" by K. Baranov appeared. Indeed, Christmas books were ubiquitous and far from monotonous. They amazingly combined the heritage of ancient bylichka and Christian morality.

“They say that there was once a blockhead Kolyada, who was taken for God, and that it was as if carols came from that. Who knows? Not to us ordinary people, to interpret it. Last year Father Osip forbade caroling around the farms, saying that it was as if these people were pleasing to Satan. However, if we tell the truth, then in carols there is not a word about Kolyada. They often sing about the Nativity of Christ; and at the end they wish health to the owner, mistress, children and the whole house.

Pasichnik Rudy Panko

(N.V. Gogol. Night before Christmas)

Exemplary Christmas stories were created by A.P. Chekhov, A.I. Kuprin, D.N. Mamin-Sibiryak. Literary critics Elena Dushechkina and Khenrik Baran find an original continuation of the tradition in such works as “Yolka in Sokolniki” by V.D. Bonch-Bruyevich and “Chuk and Gek” by A. Gaidar. The tradition is alive today. But this is a topic for a separate discussion. In the meantime, let's turn to Christmas stories in their classic form.

The tale of E.T.A. Hoffmann "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" is perhaps the most festive of Christmas tales. Gift story. Fairy tale gift. (Hoffmann also has a Christmas tale "The Lord of the Fleas", but this phantasmagoria is not for reading at a tender age.) The events of The Nutcracker begin on Christmas Eve (December 24), at that very solemn moment when Christians expect the first star to appear in the evening sky. (“It was already completely dark, and they [Fritz and Marie] were very scared, because the lamps were not brought into the room, as was supposed to be on Christmas Eve.”) It is likely that you will fall into the hands of a book in which you will read only: “So, the children knew perfectly well that their parents bought them all kinds of wonderful gifts and are now placing them on the table.” In fact, the phrase should be continued: “... But at the same time, they did not doubt that the kind baby Christ shone everything with his gentle and meek eyes and that Christmas gifts, as if touched by his gracious hand, bring more joy than all others. The older sister Louise reminded the children about this, who endlessly whispered about the expected gifts, adding that the infant Christ always directs the hand of parents, and children are given something that gives them true joy and pleasure; and he knows about this much better than the children themselves, who, therefore, should not think about anything or guess, but calmly and obediently wait for what they will be presented with. Sister Marie became thoughtful, and Fritz muttered under his breath: “Still, I would like a bay horse and hussars.”(Translated by I. Tatarinova).

It is clear why thirty years ago the fairy tale was edited in a certain way, but why is it still being published in such an abbreviated form? Moreover, illustrations in abridged editions are usually prettier ... In general, choose the Nutcracker you want, bearing in mind that Hoffmann once composed the most Christmas fairy tale.

The same thing happened with H.H. Andersen. Remember how little Gerda managed to defeat the troops of the Snow Queen?

“Gerda began to read “Our Father”; it was so cold that the girl's breath immediately turned into a thick fog. This fog thickened and thickened, but then small, bright angels began to stand out from it, which, having stepped on the ground, grew into large formidable angels with helmets on their heads and spears and shields in their hands. Their number kept increasing, and when Gerda finished her prayer, a whole legion had already formed around her. The angels took the snow monsters into spears, and they crumbled into thousands of snowflakes.(Translated by A. Ganzen).

Sometimes, in edited editions, formidable angels turned into “little men” ... Do you remember how grandmother read the Gospel? How the children sang the Christmas carol: “Roses are blooming… Beauty, beauty! Soon we will see the Christ child"? Or have you read another "Snow Queen"?

Curious and disturbing to rediscover books loved in childhood. It is amazing for the first time to discover books written for those children who were the same age as our great-grandmothers. Recently, the fairy tale by Lyman Frank Baum "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" has been translated into Russian. Baum wrote it in 1902, right after The Wizard of Oz. The biography of Santa Claus invented by the storyteller has little in common with the biography of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Baum, in his own way, explains to the kids where Christmas presents come from. When the world was still young, one forest nymph adopted an abandoned baby - Klaus. He grew up and, living in the Laughing Valley, began to make toys to give them to children. In the end, people recognized him as a saint, and the immortals gave him their mantle. The storyteller has it all figured out. With time, “Old Klaus not only delivered gifts, but also sent toys to shops so that parents, if they wanted to give their children more toys, would easily find them there. And if for some reason Klaus can't bring a gift to a child, he can go to the store himself and get as many toys as he wants. For the friend of the little ones decided that not a single child should be left without a gift that he dreams of.

This is it - so be it. Merry Christmas!

Books

"The Snow Queen" by H.H. Andersen without changes and abbreviations can be found, for example, in the publications:

Andersen G.Kh. Fairy tales. - M.: Planeta detstva, 1999. - 560 p.: ill. - (World Children's Library).

Andersen G.Kh. The Snow Queen: Tale in 7 stories / Per. from dates A. Ganzen: Fig. O.Davydova. - St. Petersburg: MIM, 1993. - 110 p.: ill.

For shortened and edited versions of The Snow Queen, see the publications:

Andersen G.Kh. Tales / Per. from dates A. Hansen. - M.: ROSMEN, 2000. - 151 p.: ill. -( The best fairy tales peace).

Andersen H.K. "The Snow Queen" and other tales / Per. from dates A. Hansen; Il. Benvenuti. - M.: Dom, 1993. - 166 p.: ill.

Baum L.F. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus / Per. from English. S. Zavrazhnova; Il. V. Ivanyuk. - M.: Time, 2001. - 222 p.: ill.

Gogol N.V. Night before Christmas / Art. V.Chaplya. - M.: White City, 2000. - 47 p.: ill. - (Classics - for children).

Gogol N.V. Night before Christmas / Fig. G. A. W. Traugot. - L .: Det. lit., 1986. - 142 p.: ill.

The full text of The Nutcracker is in the books:

Hoffman E.T.A. Nutcracker and mouse king: A Christmas Tale / Per. with him. I. Tatarinova; Il. M. Andrukhina. - [Kaliningrad]: Blagovest, 1992. - 111 p.: ill.

Hoffman E.T.A. Tales / Ill. N. Goltz. - M.: Artist. lit., 1991. - 336 p.: ill. - (For family reading).

Abbreviated options:

Hoffman E.T.A. The Nutcracker and the Mouse King / Per. with him. I. Tatarinova; Artistic D. Gordeev. - M.: ROSMEN, 2000. - 111 p.: ill. - (The best fairy tales of the world).

Hoffman E.T.A. The Nutcracker / Art. G. Spirin; Translated into Russian. language L. Yakhnin. - M.: Zebra; Kaliningrad: Amber Tale, 1997. - .

Dickens C. Christmas stories: Per. from English. - M.: Artist. lit., 1990. - 364 p.: ill. - (Classics and contemporaries).

Dickens C. Christmas stories; Stories: Per. from English. - M.: Pravda, 1988. - 512 p.: ill.

Collections of Christmas and Christmas stories

Editions for children:

The Big Book of Christmas / Comp. N. Budur and I. Pankeev; Artistic O.Ionaitis, T.Khrycheva, A.Akishin. - M.: OLMA-Press, 2000. - 863 p.: ill.

The book is really big: except for stories different authors- from Dickens and Leskov to K. Graham and O. Preusler - there are poems (religious and secular), songs, games, as well as essays on the celebration of Christmas in different countries.

Christmas Star / Comp. N.Orlova; Rice. N.Ostolskaya. - M.: Krugly God, 1995. - 111 p.: ill.

Christmas present: Fairy tales, legends, stories: In 2 books. / Comp. E. Streltsova; Artistic G. Lavrenko. - Kaliningrad: Amber Tale, 1995.

Editions for adults:

Russian calendar prose: An anthology of the Christmas story / Author of the preface. and comp. E.V. Dushechkina. - Tallinn, 1988.

Yuletide Stories: Stories and Poems Rus. writers / Comp. S.F. Dmitrenko. - M.: Rus. book, 1992. - 320 p.: ill.

The Miracle of Christmas Night: Yuletide Stories / Comp., Intro. Art. and note. E. Dushechkina and H. Baran. - St. Petersburg: Art. lit., 1993. - 704 p.: ill.

“There are holidays that have their own smell. On Easter, Trinity and Christmas, the air smells of something special. Even non-believers love these holidays. My brother, for example, interprets that there is no God, and on Easter he is the first to run to matins ”(A.P. Chekhov, story“ On the Way ”).

Orthodox Christmas is just around the corner! With the celebration of this have a bright day(and even several - Christmas time) there are many connected interesting traditions. In Rus', it was customary to devote this period to serving one's neighbor, to works of mercy. Everyone knows the tradition of caroling - the performance of chants in honor of the born Christ. Winter holidays inspired many writers to create magical Christmas stories.

There is even a special genre of Christmas story. The plots in it are very close to each other: often the heroes of Christmas stories find themselves in a state of spiritual or material crisis, the resolution of which requires a miracle. Christmas stories are imbued with light, hope, and only a few of them have a sad ending. Especially often Christmas stories are dedicated to the triumph of mercy, compassion and love.

Especially for you, dear readers, we have prepared a selection of the best Christmas stories from both Russian and foreign writers. Read and enjoy, let festive mood will last longer!

"Gifts of the Magi", O. Henry

The well-known story of sacrificial love who will give her last for the happiness of her neighbor. A story about quivering feelings, which cannot but surprise and delight. At the end, the author ironically remarks: “And I was just telling you an unremarkable story about two stupid children from an eight-dollar apartment who, in the most unwise way, sacrificed their greatest treasures for each other.” But the author does not make excuses, he only confirms that the gifts of his heroes were more important than the gifts of the Magi: “But let it be said for the edification of the wise men of our days that of all the donors these two were the wisest. Of all those who offer and receive gifts, only those like them are truly wise. Anywhere and everywhere. They are the Magi." In the words of Joseph Brodsky, "on Christmas everyone is a little magician."

"Nikolka", Evgeny Poselyanin

The plot of this Christmas story is very simple. The stepmother did a very mean thing to her stepson on Christmas eve, he had to die. At the Christmas service, a woman experiences belated remorse. But on a bright festive night, a miracle happens ...

By the way, Yevgeny Poselyanin has wonderful memories of the childhood experience of Christmas - "Christmas Days". Read - and plunge into the pre-revolutionary atmosphere noble estates, childhood and joy.

"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens

The work of Dickens - the history of the present spiritual rebirth person. Main character, Scrooge, was a miser, became a merciful benefactor, from a lone wolf turned into a sociable and friendly person. And this change was helped by the spirits that flew to him and showed him a possible future. watching different situations from his past and future, the hero felt remorse for his wrongly lived life.

"Christ's boy on the Christmas tree", F. M. Dostoevsky

A touching story with a sad (and joyful at the same time) ending. I doubt if it should be read to children, especially sensitive ones. But for adults, it's probably worth it. What for? I would answer with the words of Chekhov: “It is necessary that behind the door of every satisfied, happy person someone stood with a hammer and would constantly remind by knocking that there are unfortunate people, that, no matter how happy he is, life will sooner or later show him its claws, trouble will strike - illness, poverty, losses, and no one will see him and no one will He will hear, as now he does not see and does not hear others.

Dostoevsky included it in the "Diary of a Writer" and himself was surprised how this story came out from under his pen. And his writer's intuition tells the author that this very much could actually happen. Like tragic story there is also the main sad storyteller of all times, G. H. Andersen - "The Girl with Matches".

"Gifts of the Christ Child" by George MacDonald

The story of one young family going through difficult times in relationships, difficulties with a nanny, alienation from their daughter. The latter is the sensitive lonely girl Sophie (or Fauci). It was through her that joy and light returned to the house. The story emphasizes that the main gifts of Christ are not gifts under the Christmas tree, but love, peace and mutual understanding.

"Christmas letter", Ivan Ilyin

I would call this short work, composed of two letters from mother and son, a real hymn of love. It is she, unconditional love, runs like a red thread through the whole work and is its main theme. It is this state that opposes loneliness and defeats it.

“Whoever loves, his heart blooms and smells sweet; and he gives his love just like a flower gives its scent. But then he is not alone, because his heart is with the one he loves: he thinks about him, takes care of him, rejoices in his joy and suffers in his sufferings. He doesn't even have time to feel lonely or think about whether he is lonely or not. In love man forgets himself; he lives with others, he lives in others. And that is happiness."

After all, Christmas is a holiday of overcoming loneliness and alienation, this is the day of the manifestation of Love ...

"God in the Cave" by Gilbert Chesterton

We are accustomed to perceive Chesterton primarily as the author of detective stories about Father Brown. But he wrote to different genres: he wrote several hundred poems, 200 stories, 4000 essays, a number of plays, the novels "The Man Who Was Thursday", "The Ball and the Cross", "The Flying Tavern" and much more. Chesterton was also an excellent publicist and deep thinker. In particular, his essay "God in the Cave" is an attempt to comprehend the events of two thousand years ago. I recommend it to people with a philosophical mindset.

« silver blizzard”, Vasily Nikiforov-Volgin

Nikiforov-Volgin in his work surprisingly subtly shows the world of children's faith. His stories are thoroughly permeated with a festive atmosphere. So, in the story “Silver Blizzard”, he shows the boy with trepidation and love with his zeal for piety, on the one hand, and with mischief and pranks, on the other. What is worth one well-aimed phrase of the story: “These days I don’t want anything earthly, and especially school”!

Holy Night, Selma Lagerlöf

Selma Lagerlöf's story continues the theme of childhood.

Grandmother tells her granddaughter interesting legend about Christmas. It is not canonical in the strict sense, but reflects the immediacy of popular faith. it amazing story about mercy and how pure heart opens the eyes with which a person can enjoy the contemplation of the beauty of heaven.

"Christ visiting a man" fiat ruble"," Offended at Christmas, Nikolai Leskov

These three stories struck me to the core, so it was difficult to choose the best one from them. I discovered Leskov from some unexpected side. These works of the author have common features. This is both a fascinating story and general ideas mercy, forgiveness and doing good deeds. Examples of heroes from these works surprise, cause admiration and a desire to imitate.

"Reader! be kind: intervene in our history too, remember what today’s Newborn taught you: punish or pardon? The one who gave you "verbs eternal life"... Think! This is very worthy of your thought, and the choice is not difficult for you ... Do not be afraid to seem ridiculous and stupid if you act according to the rule of the One Who told you: “Forgive the offender and get yourself a brother in him” (N. S. Leskov, “Under Christmas offended").

Many novels have chapters dedicated to Christmas, for example, in B. Shiryaev’s “The Unquenchable Lamp”, L. Kassil’s “Konduit and Shvambrania”, A. Solzhenitsyn’s “In the First Circle”, I. S. Shmelev’s “The Summer of the Lord”.

The Christmas story, for all its seeming naivety, fabulousness and extraordinaryness, has always been loved by adults. Maybe because Christmas stories are primarily about goodness, about faith in a miracle and in the possibility of a person's spiritual rebirth?

Christmas is really a celebration of children's faith in a miracle... Many Christmas stories are devoted to describing this pure joy of childhood. Here are some wonderful words from one of them: Great holiday Christmas, surrounded by spiritual poetry, is especially understandable and close to the child ... The Divine Infant was born, and to Him be praise, glory and honors of the world. Everyone rejoiced and rejoiced. And in memory of the Holy Infant in these days of bright memories, all children should have fun and rejoice. This is their day, a holiday of innocent, pure childhood…” (Klavdiya Lukashevich, “Christmas Holiday”).

P.S. In preparing this collection, I read a lot of Christmas stories, but, of course, not all that are in the world. I chose according to my taste those that seemed the most fascinating, artistically expressive. Preference was given to little-known works, so, for example, the list does not include N. Gogol's The Night Before Christmas or Hoffmann's The Nutcracker.

And what are your favorite Christmas stories, dear matrons?

In Rus', Christmas time (the period from Christmas to Epiphany, which before the revolution included the celebration of the New Year) has always been special time. At this time, the old people gathered and told each other wonderful stories about what could be done on the eve and after Christmas. From these stories - sometimes funny, sometimes scary - Christmas stories arose - special kind texts in which the action could only take place on the New Year, Christmas or on the eve of Epiphany. This time reference has led researchers to consider them a kind of calendar literature.

The expression "Christmas stories" was first used in 1826 by Nikolai Polevoy in the Moscow Telegraph magazine, telling readers about how Moscow old people at Christmas time remembered their youth and told each other different stories. This literary device later other Russian writers began to use it.

However, even in early XIX For centuries, narratives close to Christmastide stories about the search for a betrothed, the romantic translated ballads of Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky "Lyudmila" and "Svetlana", Gogol's "The Night Before Christmas" were popular.

The Christmas stories familiar to us appear only after the forties of the 19th century, when Charles Dickens's collection A Christmas Carol in Prose was translated in Russia, and from that moment the genre flourished. Christmas stories are written by Dostoevsky, Leskov, Chekhov, and until the 80-90s 19th century real masterpieces are coming out (“The Boy at Christ on the Christmas Tree”, “Vanka”), but already in late XIX century, the genre of Christmas stories begins to collapse.

Many magazines appeared in Russia, journalists and writers were forced every year at the same time to come up with texts on Christmas themes, which led to repetition and irony, about which Nikolai Leskov, one of the founders of the Russian Christmas story, wrote sadly. He, in the preface to The Pearl Necklace, named the signs of a good Christmas story: “ From the Christmas story it is absolutely required that it be timed to coincide with the events of the Christmas evening - from Christmas to Epiphany, that it be somewhat fantastic, have some kind of morality, at least like a refutation of a harmful prejudice, and finally - that it ends without fail cheerfully.

Note that in the best examples of this genre you can rarely find happy ending: much more often Chekhov, Dostoevsky and Leskov spoke about the tragedy of life " little man”, that he does not use his chance or harbors false hopes. Vanka Zhukov on Christmas Eve writes a letter “to the village of grandfather”, and asks to be taken away from the city, but this letter will never reach the addressee, the boy’s life will remain difficult.

However, there were and are other stories happy ending, where good triumphs over evil, and the reader can get acquainted with them on the Foma website, which contains modern examples of this genre. We warn you in advance that we are talking about texts for adults. A Christmas story for children is a topic for a separate conversation, which will definitely take place.

One of the best texts in our collection can be considered tragic story the boy Yurka and his drinking parents. "Yurka's Christmas". At first glance, this text does not leave the reader a chance for happiness and justice, but the Christmas miracle still happens, it opens in the fate of the protagonist, who managed to save himself and regain his loved one.

The reader will learn about the duel between St. Nicholas and Jack Frost (the English equivalent of Santa Claus) for the life of one artist.

Even from this small selection you can see how different a Christmas story can be. We hope that each of our readers will be able to find a text that will fill his heart with the experience of Christmas, help him take a fresh look at his life and at the same time give him a little joy and hope.