My favorites: Rest You Merry by Charlotte Macleod, all of the Jan Karon Mitford books, A Dixie Christmas, The Ecco Book of Christmas Stories, and Candy Cane Murder by Joanne Fluke, et. al.

I read a new children's book that was REALLY heartwarming (it is reviewed on my blog as well): The Cole Family Christmas by Jennifer Liu Bryan and Hazel Cole Kendle

It is based on a Christmas in Hazel's childhood in the 1920s when the family lived in a mining town in Kentucky. Yeah, it is not an "adult" book but even though I don't usually enjoy children's books for myself, I loved it!

My favorite Christmas story is The Gift of the Magi. It's not a full novel, but a sweet short story.

John Grisham's Skipping Christmas is cute. I second Missy's suggestion of the Gift of the Magi. And don't forget Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Connie Willis has a story collection that I go back to year after year. It's called Miracle and Other Christmas Stories.

Here are a few I've enjoyed:

"Hercule Poirot's Christmas" by Agatha Christie

"The Christmas Night Murder" by Lee Harris

"A Highland Christmas" by M. C. Beaton (this one I really, really loved!)

Although I suppose it's classified as a children's book, A Child's Christmas in Wales is always lovely to read.

Check out my blog from yesterday:
Mystery Fanfare: http://mysteryreadersinc.blogspot.com

--
Janet Rudolph, Editor, Mystery Readers Journal

Seek and ye shall find. Thanks to Lizzie Hayes from Mystery Women (http://www.mysterywomen.co.uk) I now have a list of more than 150 mysteries with a Christmas theme. From A (ADAMSON, Lydia. A Cat in the Manger) to Y (YAFFE, James. Mom Meets Her Maker).
Bravo, Lizzie!
Anyone who wants the Excel spreadsheet can send me an email and I will forward it.

"Little Women" -- not technically a "Christmas book" but I always think of it as one. "Holidays on Ice" by David Sedaris for an antidote if things get too saccharine.

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper - set right around the Solstice with a timeless tale of Light and Darkness.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. In this kids' book, the meanest kids in town take over the Christmas Pageant by intimidation.

I think a lot of the great Christmas books are kids' books, but that hasn't seemed to stop many, many authors (established ones) from trying their hand at it. Even John Grisham did one, I believe. But at our house, we have a whole box of beloved Christmas books from our girls' childhoods. I get them out every year, even though the days are past when they'd sit next to me while I read to them. Still ...

They're older now -- and there's one coming out that I think they'll love, older or not: "Mary's Son," by Darryl Nyznyk. It's aimed at young adults as well as adults -- the author apparently originally told the story to one of his daughters and friends -- and now the story is a book. It's a modern story that reminds us, once again, that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus.