THE BEST CHRISTMAS STORIES – CHRISTMAS NOVELLA # 3 - The Cricket on the Hearth

 

The Cricket on the Hearth. A Fairy Tale of Home

 

The Cricket on the Hearth. A Fairy Tale of Home was the third of the Christmas novella written by Charles Dickens and published in 1845

The Cricket of the story constantly chirps on the hearth and acts as the Peerybingles family guardian angel.

At the start of the tale a mysterious elderly stranger comes to visit and takes up lodging at Peerybingle's house for a few days.

The villain of the piece is the miser Tackleton who is on the eve of marrying Edward Plummer's sweetheart, May.

Edward having gone off to South America and was believed to be dead leaving May at the mercy of Tackleton who she did not love.

During the course of the story, the miser does his best to cause mischief but, in the end, the mysterious lodger is revealed to be none other than Edward who has returned home in disguise.

And in the best traditions of dickens all ends well.

MERRY CHRISTMAS SIR

 

Merry Christmas sir, I’m your paper boy

I bring you daily tidings of peace and joy

I know that at 6am that no one knocks

But how else would I get my Christmas box

OH MY CHRISTMAS ANGEL

 

Oh my Christmas Angel

Won’t you here my plea

Oh Christmas Angel

Spend Christmas with me

 

Oh my Christmas Angel

Surely heaven sent

Oh Christmas Angel

Be my Christmas present

 

Oh my Christmas Angel

Wont you here my plea

Let me un-wrap you

Beneath the Christmas tree

 

Oh my Christmas Angel

Oh please hear me do?

Oh Christmas angel

Let me make a devil out of you

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – A GODWINK CHRISTMAS (2018)

 

As Christmas rapidly approaches, Paula (Kimberley Sustad), a St. Louis antique appraiser, reluctantly accepts a marriage proposal from her workaholic attorney boyfriend, Daniel (Giles Panton).

When she tells her Aunt Jane (Kathie Lee Gifford), she senses that Paula has mixed emotions over the engagement, and invites Paula to her Nantucket home.

But upon her arrival, her Aunt explains that she needs to meet with her publisher so Paula takes a day trip to the nearby island of Martha's Vineyard where she meets Gery Conover (Paul Campbell), the kind hearted and charming owner of the Charlotte Inn.

But when bad weather prevents her from departing, Paula winds up staying at Gery's inn and enjoying the local holiday festivities alongside him and they begin to have feelings for each other but when the weather clears up, they part ways and Paula returns to Nantucket.

On her return Aunt Jane senses she's fallen for Gery, and shares with Paula her belief that their meeting was God's way of “winking” at her to help determine which direction her life should take.

But would Paula take the hint and accept that she and Daniel were not compatible and that her future was with Gery on Martha’s Vineyard.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS BOOKS EVER - THE POLAR EXPRESS

 

The Polar Express was written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg and published in 1985.

The book is partially set in the author's home town, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and takes place in 1956.

It begins when a young boy, who used to love Christmas, but now doubts, hears a train whistle outside his house and to his amazement, he finds the train has stopped and is waiting for him.

The conductor explains the train is called the Polar Express, and is journeying to the North Pole. Still wearing his night clothes the boy reluctantly boards the train, which is filled with chocolate and candy, as well as many other children in their pyjamas.

After an adventurous journey the train reaches the North Pole and at the center of town thousands of elves are waiting to send Santa Claus on his way.

The boy is handpicked by Santa to receive the first gift of Christmas.

Realizing that he could choose anything in the world, he asks for one bell from one of the reindeer's harnesses.

Santa gives him the bell and he places in the pocket of his robe but later, on the train ride home, it falls through a hole in his pocket and is lost.

But on Christmas morning, his sister finds a small package under the tree, behind all of the other gifts.

And when the boy opened it he discovered that it was the bell, delivered by Santa who had found it on the seat of his sleigh.

When the boy rang the bell he and his sister revelled in the sweet sound.

Their parents of course were unable to hear it because they did not believe.

JINGLE BELLS

Jingle bells, jingle bells,

Jingle all the way.

I’ve got a gun and a clever disguise

To rob the bank on its busiest day

 

Jingle bells, jingle bells,

Jingle all the way.

We got caught do you know why?

Because we only had a getaway sleigh

SCROOGE AND GRINCH

 

Scrooge and Grinch

Don’t believe in Christmas

When the carolers come along

They start to swear and cuss

 

Ebeneezer Scrooge is a skinflint

A mean and grasping old miser

Who buys from the pound shop

And sells them at a fiver

 

Little more than a grouch

Is the Christmas stealing Grinch

Who to miserable to be happy

He steals your Christmas by the inch

 

The tale is told of redemption

After the ghostly haunting stunt

The Grinch whole-hearted and loving

Says merry Christmas with a grunt

Scrooge and Grinch never changed

They were just putting on a front