5 Must Read Christmas Stories

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care, bleary eyed parents have watched their offspring rip months of work to shreds in less than the blink of an eye, and now the wee ones are happily occupied with new toys. What is a mom to do? How about reading a good story? Here are five of this Patch writer's favorites:

1. The Christmas box collection - Richard Paul Evans

These unforgettable Christmas stories are part of this "Christmas Box Collection" from Richard Paul Evans. This edition compiles three bestsellers; The Christmas Box, Timepiece, and The Letter.

2. Shepherds Abiding - Jan Karon Mitford.

Walk into Jan Karon's Mitford this Christmas and be inspired by her hero, Father Tim. While restoring an old nativity as a Christmas surprise for his wife, he begins a heartwarming journey of determination and faith.

3. Esther's Gift - Jan Karon Mitford

In Jan Karon's small town of Mitford, Esther prepares to bake her yearly Christmas treat of orange-marmalade cakes. As she counts the cost of her gift she is stunned by the expense until the giving spirit of Christmas touches her heart again.

4. Christmas with Dietrich Bonhoeffer - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Christmas with Dietrich Bonhoeffer is a gift book featuring wisdom from a remarkable man of God who was executed in a Flossenburg concentration camp in 1945.

5. Love Found a Way - Ron Mehl

Ron Mehl fills the 12 days of Christmas with reminders of God's amazing love. Biblical insights and stories to touch the heart will bring hope, peace and the spirit of Christmas.

Of course the Polar Express and the Night Before Christmas are also favorites as they evoke memories of childhood for both this writer and her children. What are some of your favorite stories? Tell us in the comments.