The two best Christmas stories

If we were to list all the Christmas stories that have been written to date, it would be so long that it would take several pages to contain it. Written by famous authors, and by a few others who have remained in the shadows, these Christmas stories, regardless of their origin, all have a magical character. They also have in common this power to amaze the very young, and for centuries, they have aroused the interest of several generations of children. From the oldest to the most recent, these stories have even managed to fascinate an older audience.

Dans cette liste, y figurent certains contes de Noël devenus très populaires, lesquels se sont par le fait même hissés au rang des meilleurs. L’un d’entre eux, et possiblement le plus ancien, n’est nul autre que cette œuvre remarquable de Charles Dickens, intitulée Un chant de Noël (A Christmas Carol). Le personnage principal, Ebenezer Scrooge, riche et réputé pour son avarice, se voit visiter par les fantômes de Noël qui lui font revivre quelques épisodes de son enfance. Ce récit moralisateur a été transporté au cinéma, dans un film dont on ne compte plus les versions tant elles sont nombreuses.

Written by Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Match Girl is also one of the best Christmas stories ever, and its success is no less than its predecessor. This sad tale evokes the misery of a little girl alone, hungry and freezing, and reminds readers of the injustice that children can sometimes suffer. This tale has subsequently been adapted in various ways, successively taking the form of a film, an opera, a Quebecois novel and a comic strip.