Christmas stories

Christmas stories by Andersen, Hoffmann and the Brothers Grimm to read on December evenings: The Snow Queen, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Star Money and more.

Two of these take place at Christmas itself: the fir tree gets its wish, leaves the wood and stands decorated on Christmas Eve, and the Nutcracker comes alive at midnight. The little match girl is out in the street on the last night of the year.

Several rest on one picture: frost outside, a lit window, and someone looking in or out of it. The tin soldier falls from such a window, and the Snow Queen first shows herself at a frosted one.

The endings are what surprise people about Andersen. Neither the match girl nor the tin soldier is saved, so it is worth knowing that before you start reading aloud. Star Money is the gentlest of them, and The Snow Queen and The Nutcracker, about a quarter of an hour each, are the longest.