The Christmas Fairy, and Other Stories

A cozy Victorian time capsule of Christmas magic and childhood wonder. Three women writers John Strange Winter, Frances Crompton, and Mrs. Molesworth gather around the literary hearth to share tales of schoolboys missing home, mischievous fairies, and the small kindnesses that make the holiday season shine. The titular story follows Bertie Fellowes and Shivers, two boys stuck at school on Christmas Day, whose loneliness dissolves when an unexpected aunt appears with warmth and a fairy godmother's touch. Other entries explore the delicate world of children's white lies and the snug domestic rituals that defined late-Victorian family life. These aren't stories that reinvent the wheel. They're quieter than that, a cup of cocoa in narrative form, a reminder that Christmas has always been about the people who show up when you least expect it. For readers who curl up with candlelight in December, for parents seeking stories to share, for anyone who believes in the modest magic of being loved when you need it most.