•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   
•    EYEWITNESS   

A Chinese proverb states “To read a book for the first time is to make an acquaintance with a new friend; to read it for a second time is to meet an old one.”

There are stories that have become so comfortingly familiar in our lives that readers find themselves picking up the same book over and over again, without ever getting bored of reading the same words.

And when it comes to Christmas tales, there are numerous beloved stories to choose from, many among them written for children. But that doesn’t mean that adults forget about them as they grow older. On the contrary, these stories have proven to be timeless and appealing to everyone, regardless of gender or age.

“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens

No list of Christmas stories would be complete without this classic tale by Charles Dickens, which has enlightened generations of children and adults alike since it was first published in 1843.

The ghostly novella tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a grumpy old miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner on Christmas Eve, Marley, who passed away seven years earlier. Scrooge is then shown scenes from his past, present and future. It’s a future that will, if he doesn’t decide to change it, have no place for kindness or compassion. Scrooge even gets a glimpse at his own neglected grave, a consequence of leading a lonely life as a bitter and greedy businessman.

Haunted by what he has seen, Scrooge wakes up the next morning and undergoes an immediate transformation and redemption. Suddenly, he treats everyone with generosity and kindness, and is thus regarded as the man who embodies the Christmas spirit.

Dickens’ novella has remained so popular over the years because it carries simple but universal messages: Money can’t buy happiness and love. And also, it is never too late to change and make amends.

“Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott

Maybe not a Christmas story in the truest sense (even though it begins on Christmas Eve), this beloved novel makes for the perfect Christmas read that will lift your spirits.

The “little women” are the four March sisters: Free-spirited Jo, well-mannered Meg, kind-hearted Beth and Amy, the youngest. With their father away fighting as a colonel in the Union Army during the Civil War, the girls are left behind with their mother.

Although times are rough, and the formerly wealthy family now struggles to make ends meet, the situation doesn’t break the spirit of the four sisters who are still able find joy in the little things in life, and never fail to be generous to others who are less fortunate than themselves.

Jo finds solitude in writing and reading, while Meg focuses on domestic tasks. Amy finds her true calling in art, and Beth, despite her ailing health, is at her most joyful while playing the piano.

Along the way, the sisters face obstacles and challenges, they experience both happiness and tragedy, they fall in love, and as we as readers follow them throughout their lives.

A most sensational feeling of felicity, melancholy and bliss makes its way from our heads to our hearts, a feeling that endures long after the last page has been turned.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” by Dr. Seuss

Sooner or later in life, most of us develop a Grinch-like attitude around Christmas time, be it when we hear “Jingle Bells” for the 100th time that week, or when we fight against the masses in the mall in a frantic search for Christmas presents.

The Grinch, a character in Dr. Seuss’s beloved children’s story “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” is a bitter creature living on a mountain top who can’t stand to witness the Christmas celebration of the Whoville people, a town at the base of his lonely mountain. Utterly unable to comprehend what on earth could elevate them to such a jolly and festive mood, the Grinch decides to thwart the villagers’ plans and steal all their Christmas presents to prevent the big day from actually arriving.

But in the end, the Grinch learns that Christmas is more about exchanging gifts; and upon this realization, similar to Scrooge in Dickens’s “Christmas Carol,” the curmudgeonly Grinch instantly changes. His heart grows three times bigger, and when he returns all the presents to the good people of Whoville, the Grinch is welcomed into their community with open arms.

The lesson learned from this story is clear and still valuable today: Christmas should be about more than just gifts. The commercially-driven and greed-drenched side of Christmas can’t overshadow the spirit of love and joy that is the very essence of the holiday.

“Little Match Girl” by Hans Christian Andersen

This fairy tale ranks among the most heart-wrenching, sorrowful stories ever written. But at the same time, Hans Christian Andersen manages to make his readers feel hopeful in the end.

It is a bitterly cold winter night when a little girl roams the streets and tries to sell matches, without any luck. Afraid to go home and face the wrath of her father, the girl eventually hides in the corner of an empty road and lights one of the matches to warm her freezing hands. In the small flame, she suddenly sees a Christmas tree and a well-laid table with mouth-watering delicacies. These visions make her warm and fuzzy inside.

In another vision, she sees the image of her grandmother, who has already passed away, but was the only one who ever loved and cared about the girl. Scared that she might lose this vision, the girl lights all her remaining matches. In the end, the little match girl freezes to death, and is found the next morning by a passerby on the street. But the girl is reunited with her grandmother, who has come to carry her granddaughter’s soul with her to heaven.

The moral of this sad story is that hope is everlasting, no matter how dire a situation.

But maybe it should also serve as a reminder to everyone who has a loving family, a roof over their head and a meal to eat each day, that they are quite lucky. And that is something that many of us tend to forget around Christmas when we are continually asking for more.