Christmas for Older Students
Older students will enjoy these Christmas reading passages from classic literature. From the poetry of “A Visit From St. Nicholas” to the ghostly visits of “A Christmas Carol,” students can experience a wide range of genres, characters, and styles. Each passage, however, reflects on the traditional Christmas themes of giving, generosity, and kindness.
O. Henry, whose real name was William Sydney Porter, wrote the short story “The Gift of the Magi.” It was published in 1910. Below are the opening paragraphs of the story. ———————- One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved…
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugarplums…
Frohe Weihnachten! In other words, Merry Christmas! During the Christmas season in Germany, the streets are filled with beautiful decorations, songs of cheer, and the smell of delicious gingerbread cookies. Families celebrate by participating in holiday activities, like visiting the markets, baking treats, or singing carols. Many other cultures have…
Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843. It is a story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a mean and heartless miser, who is visited by four spirits one Christmas Eve. The visits change Scrooge forever. In this passage, Scrooge is visited by the last of the spirits. —————————————– The Phantom slowly,…
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a successful businessman in Victorian London. This passage is from the beginning of the tale. —————————— The door of Scrooge’s counting-house was open, that he might keep his eye upon his clerk, who in a dismal little cell beyond,…