The Best Christmas Stories to Teach to the Little Ones

Storytelling is a key part of Christmas. It’s a time for giving, a time for relaxation and also a time for learning. Over the years there have been many stories depicted during Christmas, and of course one story that started Christmas off altogether, with some of them being over a hundred years old. So what has stood the test of time, and what are the quintessential yuletide stories that we should all be telling to the next generation?

The Nativity

The one that started it all. If you were from a Christian household growing up you would have probably been told this story every year since your birth. If you came from a different household though, your first introduction to the tale of the birth of Jesus Christ would likely have been in primary school. There are many different interpretations of the story out there, as it appears in the bible but has been adapted into so many different versions over the years. Also, it’s likely that if you ever had the fortune of performing it for your school’s Christmas production, an abridged version was used, which crucially skipped over the part where King Herrod ordered the execution of all male children of two years and under. But the Nativity is probably one of the most told stories in the world, so even if you’re an atheist you can still tell this story with the caveat of this is why Christmas came to be, with the birth of a special baby boy in Bethlehem.

And whilst it’s unlikely that you’ll want to visit the city of Jesus’s birth any time soon, it might be worth starting to think about if you want to take your kids on any magical festive adventures next year, or once Christmas is over you can start thinking about where you might want to go on a family holiday during the summer. If you are thinking of flying away (be it Lapland, Los Angeles or anywhere else) then it might be worth considering the cost of airport parking. Parking at Airports have loads of great deals on airport parking, meaning you can save money on long stay car spaces, a costly expense that is often overlooked.

A Christmas Carol

Now this one is perhaps a little bit spookier, what with it containing ghosts, but thankfully there are many versions of the story in existence so you can pick and choose what media form you want to show to your children. The book, written by Charles Dickens in 1843, is perhaps a little too advanced for the weens, but it is a novella so it can be a short yet challenging read for those of older primary school age. It’s the ultimate story of how money doesn’t buy you happiness and that you should never be greedy, mean or spiteful.

One friendly and popular adaptation is the Muppet version, starring Michael Caine as the eponymous Ebenezer Scrooge. Released in 1992, the film still holds up today as both the Dickens tale and the infamous green frog Kermit are still household staples to this day. One relatively recent version is a CGI retelling of the story by Disney in 2009, featuring Jim Carrey as Scrooge and all three ghosts. However, if you are old school and do like your black and white, then take a look at this version that was released in 1951.

T’was the Night Before Christmas

Mixing it up a bit, this poem written by Clement Clarke Moore in 1823 is a great moodsetter on Christmas Eve. Everyone knows the opening line (if only because it makes up the poem’s title), but not many know the full poem. It tells the tale of waiting for Father Christmas (or Saint Nicholas in this) and seeing him with all the reindeer, entering the house to fill up the Christmas stockings. It’s a fun, feel good poem and it has been narrated by many people over the years, including the modern king of Christmas songs, Michael Bublé.

The Snowman

This has become a staple of many household’s Christmas viewing, but I actually started off life as a children’s picture book. Illustrated in 1978, it was almost the antithesis of Raymond Briggs’s previous work, Fungus the Bogeyman. He said he wanted to do something that was “clean, pleasant, fresh and wordless and quick”. After the success of the book, it was soon adapted into a 30 minute animation in 1982 for the newly launched Channel 4. It debuted on 26th December, only a month and a bit after the launch of the public service broadcaster on 2nd November. This animated film, which has no dialogue, has become a Christmas favourite for many and is also well known for the song ‘We’re Walking in the Air’, sung by Peter Auty (and not as everyone thinks, Aled Jones - he recorded a version of that song in 1985).