It's Time For A Christmas Story! Quiz

Answer: A Burglar's Christmas

The setting of this story, written by Willa Cather in 1896, was Christmas Eve in Chicago. William, a young man who has apparently turned to a life of crime, was cold and starving. It's an updated story of a prodigal son who left his family after making some poor choices. He's wasn't a bad person--as evidenced by the fact that rather than stealing a dropped bundle in the street, he returned it to its owner, but he had nothing and was hungry. After breaking into a home throwing a party, he noticed several items that were familiar. In fact, it was his parents' newly-built home and his mother, Helen, caught him stealing her jewelry. In addition to it being Christmas Eve, it was also Willie's birthday; his mother, full of love and forgiveness, welcomed him home. His father, James, saw Willie's failures as his own, but was willing to help him.

While it's never too soon for children to learn about their parents' unconditional love, and the story of the prodigal son is told over and over at church, this is definitely a story for older children who can understand that decisions and actions have consequences.

Answer: The Nutcracker and the Mouse King

Marie received a nutcracker from her godfather, Drosselmeyer, for Christmas. It wasn't very handsome, and her brother, Fritz, even broke it, but she still loved it. That night she took the nutcracker to bed with her, and she began having strange dreams. Mice came from beneath the floor of her room, along with the Mouse King, and begin to fight with her dolls, who had come to life. The nutcracker finally defeated the Mouse King after Fritz gave Marie a toy sword. Marie's love made the nutcracker come to life as Drosselmeyer's nephew; eventually they married and went to live in the doll kingdom.

E. T. A. Hoffmann's original story was written in 1816, but it became more famous when Tchaikovsky adapted it into the ballet, "The Nutcracker" in 1892.

Answer: The Gift of the Magi

Published in 1905, O. Henry wrote the "The Gift of the Magi". The touching story introduced readers to Della and Jim, a young married couple who could not afford to buy gifts for each other. It was Christmas Eve and Della decided to sell her beautiful hair in order to have money to buy Jim a special chain for his watch. Jim, on the other hand, sold his watch in order to buy Della combs for her hair. The couple then realized that their love for each other was more important than any gift, and that it was the gift.

This story has been rewritten and retold in many different ways. There was even a Sesame Street story, "Christmas Even on Sesame Street" (1978), that involved Ernie selling Rubber Duckie to buy Bert a box for his paper clip collection, while Bert sold his collection in order to buy Ernie a soap dish for Rubber Duckie.

Answer: A Christmas Carol

Okay! So one may think that ghosts scare kids, but this story has been told and retold in so many different ways - check out "Mickey's Christmas Carol" (1983) - that the ghosts don't have to be so scary. These days there is plenty of need throughout the world, so teaching a bit of philanthropy is a good thing!

Charles Dickens published "A Christmas Carol" in 1843, a time when England was well into the Industrial Revolution, a time that had created extreme poverty for some and wealth for others. That was really what the story was about: a man, Ebenezer Scrooge, who worked with his partner, Marley, and made quite a bit of money off the backs of others. The ghost of Marley visited Scrooge to tell him that he was being punished for past wrong-doings, but that Scrooge had time to seek redemption. It took a lot persuading; three more ghosts had to appear before Scrooge decided to mend his ways by helping others, such as his underappreciated clerk, Bob Cratchit, and his son, Tiny Tim, a character who was said to resemble Dickens' own nephew.

Answer: A Visit from St. Nicholas

Clement Moore published the poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas", anonymously in 1823. While the family was getting ready for bed on Christmas Eve, the father heard a commotion outside, which was caused when Santa Claus arrived with his sleigh and reindeer. He entered the house down the chimney, filled the stockings on the fireplace, and wished everyone a very Happy Christmas!

Although it is still a very popular poem to read during the Christmas season, perhaps more than that it has shaped the image of Santa Claus that people still have today. He had a white beard and a "cherry" nose. He was overweight and very happy! This Santa is the one that many of us have grown up fantasizing about at Christmas!

Answer: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" was first published in 1957 by Dr. Seuss. Popular year round in my house, it is a reminder that Christmas is more than food and presents. It is being together that matters.

Mean old Grinch was constantly annoyed by the goings on in Whoville, especially during the holiday season when everyone was so merry and happy. He decided to dress Max, his dog, as a reindeer and pay a visit to town, with the intention of stealing all the presents and decorations. When discovered at Cindy Lou Who's house, the Grinch explained that he was taking the tree and fixing it. Even though their homes were all looted of their Christmas treasure, the people of Whoville still found a reason to be merry on Christmas day. The Grinch finally realized that there was more to the season than the treasure, and not only returned all the items he took, but joined in the celebration.

Answer: The Polar Express

"The Polar Express" was written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg, and published in 1985. The boy in the story undertook an exciting journey on Christmas Eve, all the way to the North Pole. There he met Santa, and was honored to be the one Santa picked to receive the first Christmas gift of the year. When asked to choose, the boy selected a bell from Santa's reindeer harness. He placed the bell in his pocket, and began the long ride home. Upon his return, he discovered that the bell has fallen out of the hole in his pocket. Not to worry, though. Santa delivered it with a note under the family Christmas tree. While he and his sister, Sarah, could hear the bell ring, his parents could not, as they no longer believed.

This story held a lot of meaning for my young grandson, and he became especially excited when we also visited the re-enactment of the story at a local train station, where he received his own bell. It was a great experience for us all!

Answer: The Steadfast Tin Soldier

"The Steadfast Tin Soldier" was published in 1838 by Hans Christian Andersen. The story has been retold and re-imagined many times since then, but still holds the same meaning - throughout life there might be many challenges, but love will help us overcome them. While this may be a bit too deep for young children, they will still enjoy the story of the soldier and ballerina.

The tin soldier belonged to a group of soldiers that were all made from the same tin spoon; as the last one made, however, he was left with only one leg when the material ran out. Nevertheless, he stood on the windowsill at the house of the boy who had received the lot as a birthday present. There he noticed a paper ballerina, who had a sequin on her sash, and, like him, only had one leg. He fell in love. But the goblin jack-in-the-box loved her too and plotted to get rid of the steadfast tin soldier. He tried, but after several attempts, the soldier kept turning up again. Finally, the boy, influenced somehow by the goblin, threw the soldier in the fireplace. The paper ballerina ended up in the fire too. The next morning there was a tin heart with the burned sequin in the fireplace.

Answer: Christmas Day in the Morning

Rob was a young man who knew what it meant to work hard. He helped his parents keep their farm afloat, however, they weren't very good at voicing their love or appreciation. Just by chance he overheard a conversation between them, where they expressed their love for their children. Oh my! It was Christmas Eve, Rob had no money, and he wanted to do something special for his father. He certainly did! He got up extra early and completed the chores so that his father would have a different kind of Christmas. It was the first time ever that Father was able to see the children come down the stairs on Christmas Day and experience their first expressions of joy!

Pearl S. Buck originally published this story in 1955, and a picture version was released in 2002. Reading this together may give kids an interesting idea on how they can give their parents a special gift without spending any cash!

Answer: The Christmas Mystery

As the holiday season approached, Joachim and his father were looking for an Advent calendar, and found an old one in a bookshop. Joachim took it home and found that there was a slip of paper in each of the calendar's doors that told the story of Elisabet, who chased a toy lamb that had come to life from a department store, and went back in time, all the way to the birth of Christ.

Written by Jostein Gaarder, and published in 1992, the book sparks interest in young readers because the title suggests that there is a mystery to solve. In addition, it is divided into 24 chapters that are just the right length for a nightly bedtime story each day before Christmas.