December’s Stories and Poems

Our last selection of Monthly Stories and Poems this year see out 2020 with some optimism, good cheer and what we hope is a good deal of Winter Warmth – you can find more great literature on that particular theme in our Daily Readings for December, download the calendar in full here.

This time of year can conjure up the need for a good old fashioned fairytale, and we escape to worlds of mystery both traditional and futuristic in this month’s choices – or perhaps not quite so unfamiliar, as many of us continue to live within virtual worlds and meet one another through screens.

The theme of family is also touched upon, both in the form of found family and trying to get on with family members who might not be always so compatible with our own ways. This time of year can bring in some extreme weather, and while we hope to not be caught up in wind and rain, one short story looks at the effects a wild storm can have over the course of one night.

December’s prose selections are:

‘Pandora’s Box’ by Nathaniel Hawthorne

‘The Storm’ by Tove Jansson

‘Born for You’ by Vernella Fuller

‘Bertie’s Christmas Eve’ by Saki

‘The Machine Stops’ by E.M. Forster

This month also brings the darkest part of the year, before the Winter Solstice after which the days get steadily longer, and we have some poems to help us find some light and also to conjure up some happy festive memories full of nostalgia. We also think about how the presence of one person or thing in our lives can completely change our perspective, and how sometimes change might just be about accepting ourselves.

‘The Radiant Dark’ by George Eliot

‘Christmas Market’ by Mike Harding

‘Before You Came’ by Faiz Ahmad Faiz

‘Lines for Winter’ by Mark Strand

‘Pandora’s Mind’ by Nikita Gill

If you're a Reader Volunteer, all of November’s Stories and Poems can be downloaded from the Online Community Hub here.