We can’t help noticing that Christmas decorations have started appearing. It’s not even December.

We don’t want to sound all Grinch-like, but it does sometimes feel the festive season is starting earlier every year.

But, if we’re going to get into the seasonal spirit, then perhaps the Grinch is a good place to start.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a Dr Seuss classic and, with a new movie version hitting the big screens, it is worth taking a look at the original book.

Charles Dickens is famous for his Christmas stories. We all know A Christmas Carol, but there are other spooky goings on with the likes of The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth. His other Christmas books include The Battle of Life, The Haunted Man and the Ghost Bargain.

Many a best-selling author has turned their hand to celebrating Christmas, sometimes using one of their best-loved characters in the festive season.

Agatha Christie gave us Hercule Poirot’s Christmas. She also penned The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding one of several short stories included in a collection featuring both Miss Marple and the Belgian detective.

Even Dostoyevsky encouraged us to contemplate the true meaning of Christmas. Heavenly Christmas Tree is the story of a six-year-old boy in peril, and that gives its name to a selection of his shorter works.

For something a little more contemporary, John Grisham, best known for his thrillers, turns his hand to comedy with Skipping Christmas, a number one bestseller about a family trying to avoid the festivities. It was later made into a film, Christmas with the Kranks.

For the children, The Polar Express is widely regarded as a classic. Chris Van Allsburg’s story tells the tale of a young boy who wakes up on Christmas Eve to find a train is waiting for him.

The book has since been turned into a motion-grab film starring Tom Hanks. Without giving away the ending, it provides a worthy reminder about what makes a Christmas gift truly special.

The world of literature has something for everyone at Christmas, whether it be a grumpy Grinch or the uplifting adventures of children who get to meet Santa.

From ghost stories to comedies, historic to modern day, there are plenty of books available at the Family Library and on board the Mobile Family Library that will give you the perfect festive read. Just ask our staff to point you in the right direction.

As this is our last column before Christmas itself, all that remains is for all of us at the Family Library and the Mobile Family Library to wish you a Merry Christmas!

The Family Library is next to the children’s playground in Westmoreland Road, Douglas. It operates as a charity and also runs the Mobile Family Library and a Schools Service.

To keep up to date on events and to find out more about the services available, check out the Family Library page on Facebook, call the library on 640650 or visit familylibrary.im

by The Family Library

www.familylibrary.im