Yuletide Reading

An abrupt but poignantly effective change of heart asserts the spirit of Christmas.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: Though an unlikely Christmas offering, the holiday season for many of us is incomplete without a nod to the well-enunciated “Bah! Humbug!”. In Dicken’s 1843 parable, loaded miser Scrooge decides to spend Christmas counting his hard cash while the clerk Bob Cratchit puts together the finest meal his wage can muster. Amid macabre levity is an emphatic illustration of the widespread apathy among the rich, and class inequality. An abrupt but poignantly effective change of heart asserts the spirit of Christmas.

A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote: Written in 1956, the autobiographical short story became a holiday classic only after its re-publishing in the writer’s The Selected Writings in 1963. It revolves around two cousins, aged seven and 60, and their tradition of making fruitcakes, including one for President Franklin Roosevelt. The story evokes more than ordinary nostalgia for a simpler past — it imbues unbridled enthusiasm into festive traditions. Get a good slice of this fruitcake.

The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen: Poignant and harrowing, this 19th century tale is written in Andersen’s characteristic straightforward manner. The narrative is centered around a poor young girl, sitting barefoot in a corner between two houses and lighting matches to keep herself warm on a cold New Year’s Eve. Touching on themes such as poverty and child negligence, the story has been adapted into various formats such as film, stage, video games, music and television.

Native American Twelve Days of Christmas by Gary Robinson: The children’s picture book is an adaptation of the Christmas carol The twelve days of Christmas (On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…) from the perspective of 12 different Native American tribes. With each gift, the writer provides insight into their customs and traditions. The text is accompanied by Jesse T Hummingbird’s perky illustrations. The story has also been adapted into a short film for children.

Devan Varuvaraa by Jayakanthan: Christmas draws near, and Azhagamma, pregnant and living alone with her aged guardian, has only one question: “Where is my child’s father?” Drawing allegories to the birth of Christ, the Jnanpith award-winning Tamil writer guides the narrative with a delicate touch, balancing all its elements to devastating effect. Known to try and give voice to marginalised people, Jayakanthan deftly weaves together themes such as mental illness, societal judgement and familial love to create this unlikely Christmas fare.