Christmas-Day by Charles Kingsley
"Christmas-Day" by Charles Kingsley is a novella that explores the themes of family, tradition, and spirituality during the holiday season. The story follows the Frampton family as they come together to celebrate Christmas at their country estate, where they encounter various challenges and conflicts. Through the course of the novella, Kingsley examines the complexities of human relationships and the importance of empathy and understanding in overcoming difficulties.
By Charles Kingsley · First published 1859 · Genre: Christian Fiction, Holiday Fiction, Short Story · 2,745 words
First lines
He made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a slave. -PHILIPPIANS ii. 7.
ON Christmas-day, 1851 years ago, if we had been at Rome, the great capital city, and mistress of the whole world, we should have seen a strange sight-strange, and yet pleasant. All the courts of law were shut; no war was allowed to be proclaimed, and no criminals punished. The sorrow and the strife of that great city had stopped, in great part, for three days, and all people were giving themselves up to merriment and good cheer-making up quarrels, and giving and receiving presents from house to house. And we should have seen, too, a pleasanter sight than that.
What this Textopian page supports
Christmas-Day is listed on Textopian as a speech by Charles Kingsley, dated 1859 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Speech
- Author: Charles Kingsley
- Date: 1859 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Christian Fiction, Holiday Fiction, Short Story, Historical Fiction
- Length: 2,745 words
- Structure: 1 section, 21 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Christmas-Day by Charles Kingsley
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering Christmas-Day?
- How does this speech by Charles Kingsley fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Christian Fiction first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- Christmas Peace by Charles Kingsley
- The House Of Christmas by G. K. Chesterton
- Christmas Tide by Charles Dickens
- Christmas Day And Every Day by George Macdonald
- Christmas by G. K. Chesterton
- A Song For Christmas by George Macdonald
Genres
- Christian Fiction — The story is based around the religious holiday of Christmas, which is a significant event in the Christian calendar, thus making 'Christian Fiction' a highly relevant genre.
- Holiday Fiction — Christmas being the central theme of the book categorizes it under 'Holiday Fiction'.
- Short Story — Given the shorter length of the book, heresay speaks to the 'Short Story' genre.
- Historical Fiction — The story is set in a historic context, making 'Historical Fiction' a relevant genre.
Tags
Christmas · holiday · celebration · family · tradition · faith · joy · giving · community · winter · spirituality · love