Welcome to the Top 43 Christmas stories for kids to read online! This delightful collection of short bedtime stories is perfect for children of all ages, from preschool to elementary students. These stories are available in easy-to-read PDF format, which makes it simple for kids to download and enjoy. Many of the stories are accompanied by colorful pictures and captivating illustrations, enhancing the overall reading experience. This compilation includes classic fairy tales that have been passed down through generations, as well as newer tales that are sure to become beloved favorites.

Christmas stories hold a special place in our hearts, as they bring about feelings of warmth, joy, and togetherness during this magical time of year. These charming tales are often filled with valuable moral lessons that children can learn from and apply to their lives. By reading or listening to these stories with their family and friends, kids can improve their English language skills, while also having fun and creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Our collection features both well-known classics and lesser-known gems, suitable for boys and girls alike. You’ll find a variety of stories that cater to the interests and reading abilities of young children, making it the perfect resource for bedtime or story time reading. Whether you opt for a read-aloud experience or prefer to download printable versions, our Top 43 Christmas Stories offer hours of enjoyment and learning opportunities. From cozy nighttime tales to inspiring adventurers, this collection is sure to please both children and adults, fostering a love of reading and igniting the festive spirit in every reader’s heart.

Top 43 Christmas Stories for kids to read online:

1. The Fir Tree: The story is about a young fir tree who wishes to grow up fast and become majestic like the big trees in the forest. He is cut down for Christmas and ends up in a beautiful home, but is later thrown away and burned in the fireplace. Through his experiences, the tree realizes that he should have enjoyed his youth and the beauty of the forest when he had the chance. Despite his unfortunate end, the tree’s story is remembered. The story is available for download as an ebook in PDF format.
2. The Little Match Girl: The story is about a poor little girl who is cold and hungry on New Year’s Eve. She lights some matches to keep herself warm and has visions of a warm stove, a delicious feast, a Christmas tree, and her deceased grandmother. When the matches go out, she passes away and is found the next morning with a smile on her face. The story ends with her and her grandmother starting the new year in the joyful heavens. An ebook version of the story is available for download.
3. The Christmas Masquerade: The story is set on Christmas Eve when the mayor throws a masquerade party for all children with divine costumes from a store owned by a mysterious man. But the next day, parents discover they are unable to take off the costumes, and worse, the children seem to have taken over the personalities of their outfits. The mayor consults with the wise woman, but she can’t help, and doctors and police are unable to find a solution. Eventually, they find the shopkeeper, who lives on a cherry tree, and he agrees to remove the costumes on the condition that the city passes a law to give poor children presents on Christmas. His second condition is that the mayor’s daughter marries the cherry man. The mayor agrees, and the wedding is attended by all the children, and the shopkeeper leaves beautiful gifts for the couple.
4. Toinette and the elves: Toinette is a girl who wishes to be beautiful, rich, and nice. One evening, she helps an elf and as a reward, he gives her the power to become invisible with some seeds. Excited, she becomes invisible, but her siblings do not seem to care much about her disappearance. Later on, she realizes her flaws and tries to be a better person. A year later, the elf comes back and gives her more seeds. This time she tries it again, and her siblings are thrilled to see her. In the end, the elf advises her to be kind, and Toinette lives happily ever after.
5. A Christmas Carol: This story is about a stingy man named Ebenezer Scrooge who hated Christmas and showed no kindness to those around him. However, on one Christmas Eve, he gets visited by three ghosts who show him his past, present, and future. These experiences make Scrooge regret his behavior and make him decide to change his ways. He becomes generous and kind towards others, especially the family of his loyal bookkeeper Bob Cratchit. Scrooge’s change of heart brings joy and happiness to those around him, and he learns the true meaning of Christmas.
6. The Visit to Santa Claus Land: Two siblings cannot fall asleep before Christmas, when they hear a soft knocking on their window. They see a jolly chocolate who takes them to Santa Claus land, where they explore the garden filled with ripe toys. They want to meet Santa, but to get there they must cross a scary plank. When they look down, they fall and wake up in their beds. They tell their mother everything, and she smiles.
7. The Elves and the Shoemaker: The story is about a poor shoemaker who is helped by two little naked men who magically make shoes for him. The shoemaker becomes wealthy and, upon discovering the identity of his benefactors, decides to show his gratitude by making them clothes and tiny shoes. The little men are overjoyed by the gifts and leave, never to be seen again, and the shoemaker and his wife live happily ever after. An ebook version of the story is available for offline reading or printing.
8. The Nutcracker and the Mouse King: On Christmas Eve, Maria receives a Nutcracker from her godfather, Dr. Drosselmeyer. Her jealous brother damages it’s jaw, and Maria takes care of him while she sleeps. At midnight she wakes up and finds a mice army led by the Mouse King in her playroom. Her Nutcracker comes alive and gathers toys to fight the mice army. Maria faints and wakes up in her room. The Nutcracker comes alive again, defeats the Mouse King, and takes Maria to the Candy Meadow. Nobody believes Maria’s story, but her Nutcracker comes alive one more time and tells her he will come back for her when she is older. A few years later, Dr. Drosselmeyer’s nephew, who had placed the spell, comes for Maria, and they get married and live happily ever after in the Candy Kingdom.
9. Santa Claus: The story describes how Santa Claus rides his sleigh, drawn by tiny reindeer with bells on their harnesses, over the world to bring gifts and fill children’s stockings on the night before Christmas. Santa Claus is depicted as strong, responsible, wise, and jolly. Even though he is as old as the hills, he knows exactly what each child wants and laughs for joy as he rides away. The children never see him come, and if he hears a laugh or a whisper, he stays outside until everything is quiet. The story ends by saying that all the world is happy when Santa Claus comes.
10. The animals’ Christmas tree: The story is about animals who decide to have their own Christmas tree after hearing about the happiness it brings to humans. They plan and decorate the tree with animals helping in their own unique ways. Each animal chooses a present to hang on the tree. However, a dispute arises when some animals choose to have other animals as their presents. A brave little lamb sacrifices itself by volunteering to be the gift instead, which brings the animals back together. In the end, the animals agree to hang little images of animals on the tree, which becomes a custom for humans as well.
11. A Christmas present for mother: In this story, a little prince wants to give his mother the perfect Christmas present, but she only asks for a hug, a kiss, and a smile. However, he wants to give her something more special and asks her what she would want most in the world. She tells him about a simple jar of rosemary she had when she was a little girl. The prince sets out to find the rosemary, but it’s not available in the king’s greenhouses or anywhere else. On Christmas Eve, the prince goes to an old woman’s house, who has the rosemary. She refuses to sell it and asks for the prince’s magical ball in exchange. The prince agrees, and the old woman brings the plant to the queen, who is overjoyed.
12. What happened Christmas eve: On Christmas Eve, the frost fairies made the world beautiful with snow, icicles, and frost pictures. Jessie and Fred couldn’t sleep and hoped to catch Santa Claus, but only saw a mouse. Dad found a cat carrying her kitten and let them stay for the night. In the morning, Santa gave Jessie and Fred gifts, and Fred got a surprise kitten which made him happy. The family wished each other a Merry Christmas. An ebook version is available to download.
13. Old Mother Bear’s Christmas stocking: Old Mother Bear is knitting a stocking for Santa Claus to fill when Charlie Chatter-Box, the monkey, knocks and asks for a stocking. She gives him the one she just finished and quickly knits another for herself. Old Shaggy Brother, the tramp dog, comes in next and tears up while asking for a stocking. Old Mother Bear knits him a new stocking while he warms his paws by the fire. Sister Whiskers calls and Old Mother Bear mails her a stocking. The Mad March Hare and Cousin Nanny Goat and Sammy Small Tail the Rabbit come in needing stockings too. Old Mother Bear has already given theirs away, so they make a huge stocking and fill it with goodies, then give it to Old Mother Bear. She wakes up to Santa Claus wondering how he will fill such a large stocking and dances the night away with him.
14. Little Gretchen and the wooden shoe on Christmas morning: The story is about a happy young girl named Gretchen who lives with her old, poor Granny in a small log house on the edge of a great forest in Germany. Five days before Christmas, Gretchen hopes she will get what she wants for Christmas – good gifts. But Granny thinks they are too poor for Christmas gifts. On Christmas morning, Gretchen finds a little bird in Granny’s old wooden shoe, and they create a warm nest for the bird, and they have a beautiful Christmas day without gifts. The story teaches the value of love and kindness over material possessions.
15. Uncle Wiggily’s Christmas: In this story, Uncle Wiggily goes out in the snowy weather to buy Christmas presents for his friends. On his way back, he overhears some boys talking about how they won’t get presents because their chimneys are filled with soot. Uncle Wiggily comes up with the idea of having some crows help deliver presents down the chimneys. With the crows’ help, the boys end up receiving wonderful gifts on Christmas morning.
16. Making Santa Smile: In a small village nestled in the snowy mountains, the villagers decide to surprise Santa Claus and his reindeer on Christmas Eve by leaving handmade gifts, cookies, and carrots on the edge of the forest. When Santa rides by, he is touched by their thoughtfulness and thanks them, enjoying the treats and making sure to deliver the children’s gifts. This tradition continues every year, and an ebook version of the story is available for download.
17. The Boy Who Became Santa Claus: The story is about a young boy named Nicholas who lives in the North Pole with his parents and enjoys sharing his toys and sweets with others. When his parents surprise him with the responsibility of delivering presents to children worldwide on Christmas Eve, Nicholas eagerly takes on the role and becomes Santa Claus. To this day, Santa Claus is still loved and admired for his kind and generous heart. The link to download the ebook (PDF) is provided.
18. The Snowman and the Snowwoman: In this story, a gentle giant snowman who guards Santa’s house falls in love with a beautiful snowwoman. However, an evil spirit steals all the toys that Santa was making for Christmas, and the snowman and snowwoman team up to find the stolen toys and defeat the Curmudgeon. With their heroic efforts, Christmas is saved, and they live happily ever after. An ebook (PDF) is available for download.
19. The Spoiled Timmy and Wise Santa: The story is about a spoiled boy named Timmy who is never satisfied with what he has and throws tantrums when he doesn’t get what he wants. On Christmas Eve, Santa takes him on a ride to deliver gifts to poor families, and Timmy learns the value of appreciating what he has and sharing with others. He returns home a changed child, grateful for what he has and no longer spoiled. The story ends with Santa knowing that Timmy will grow up to be a wonderful person. An ebook version of the story is available for download.
20. A Family Christmas Surprise: The story is about a family with two children, Olivia and Jayden, who feel sad during Christmas because their parents work at the hospital and can’t be with them. However, this year, the parents surprise them with a special Christmas present by taking the day off from work and showing up at their aunt’s house for Christmas dinner. Olivia and Jayden are thrilled and enjoy the best Christmas ever with their parents there with them. From that day on, they never feel sad on Christmas again, and the parents are happy to give their children the best Christmas present of all.
21. The Christmas Story: The story tells of the birth of Jesus, who was laid in a manger in Bethlehem because there was no room at the inn. Shepherds who had seen an angel announcing the birth visited and spread the word. Jesus grew up performing miracles and teaching about love and forgiveness. One Christmas, he turned a small amount of food into enough to feed a village. From that day, Christmas has been a time to remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus and the love and joy he brings. An ebook is available for download.
22. The Mischievous Elf and the Gingerbread Man: The story is about a Gingerbread Man who is taken by a mischievous elf to be the centrepiece of his gingerbread village. Although at first accepting of his new situation, the Gingerbread Man eventually becomes trapped and longs for freedom. However, with the help of a sweet elf named Lily, he is able to summon the courage to escape, and he eventually finds and falls in love with her in a distant land. The story can be downloaded as an ebook in PDF format to read offline or print.
23. The Magical Christmas Tree: The story is about a magical Christmas tree in the forest that asks for the most precious belonging of the children of the forest and rewards them for sharing it honestly, but punishes those who lie. A poor girl offers her handmade elf toy and is rewarded with her house surrounded by toys, an older lady offers a picture of her lost son and is rewarded with her son’s return, but a dishonest young man lies about a marble and is punished when the boy who gave him the marble comes to live with him. The forest celebrates Christmas with joy and happiness, and the magical Christmas tree shines brightly as a symbol of the season’s magic and wonder.
24. A Christmas Tale of Friendship: This is a story about a lonely stray cat who wanders the streets on Christmas Eve in search of food, warmth, and a place to belong. He is rejected by families and other cats until he meets an older woman who finally lets him in. They become friends and share a warm meal, and from that day on, they never feel lonely again. The story is available for download as a PDF to read offline or print.
25. The Curious Reindeer and the Jack in the Box: This is a story about Scamper, a curious little reindeer who loved to explore and discover new things. He often opened the gifts that the elves were preparing for the children, driving them crazy. One day, the elves decided to teach Scamper a lesson by putting a jack-in-the-box in one of the gifts, scaring the little reindeer. After staying away for a while, Scamper returned, but this time he was more careful and no longer caused trouble for the elves. The story teaches a lesson about managing curiosity.
26. The Search for Santa’s Sleigh Team: This story tells the tale of Santa’s reindeer competition, where only the strongest and kindest of reindeer get chosen to be part of Santa’s sleigh team. As the finalists compete, Santa observes and looks for qualities such as determination and kindness. In the end, he selects nine reindeer to join his team, naming them accordingly. From that point on, the chosen reindeer become Santa’s helpers, delivering presents all over the world on Christmas Eve. The story is available for download as an eBook in PDF format.
27. Santa’s Reindeer: The story explains how all of Santa’s reindeer are actually female and how they are able to fly his sleigh on Christmas Eve. Male reindeer lose their antlers in December, but female reindeer keep them all year round, allowing them to provide the necessary magic to fly the sleigh. The nine female reindeer, including Rudolf with her shiny red nose, are very strong and fast, loved by children all over the world, and always happy to munch on carrots and cookies left out for them. The story is available for download as an eBook in PDF format.
28. The Reindeer Who Couldn’t Fly: The story is about a little reindeer named Glow-Nose who was too afraid to fly with his friends during Christmas. The other reindeer used to tease him and call him names, which made him feel embarrassed and alone. Santa Claus noticed Glow-Nose’s fear and sat down with him to tell him about his special gift – a glowing nose that helps them see through foggy nights. With Santa’s encouragement, Glow-Nose overcame his fear and was able to lead the way on Christmas Eve, feeling proud and happy. The story is available for download in PDF format.
29. The History of the Mistletoe: This story is about Frigg, the goddess of love and fertility in Norse mythology, and her son Baldur, the god of light, joy, and innocence. Frigg had a premonition of her son’s death and went to every object in the world asking them to swear not to harm him, but mistletoe did not take the oath. This opened an opportunity for Loki to kill Baldur by making a dart out of mistletoe and tricking the blind god Höðr into shooting it at Baldur. Frigg was devastated and vowed that mistletoe would never again be used as a weapon, instead declaring that anyone who passed beneath the plant would be kissed as a sign of love and peace. Today, mistletoe is still associated with love and peace in Norse culture.
30. The Mistletoe Mystery: In a small town during the Christmas season, the townspeople were devastated when the town’s most beautiful mistletoe disappeared. A group of friends decided to solve the mystery and searched all the houses in the town and the nearby woods until they found the missing mistletoe, which was being nibbled on by a family of squirrels. Feeling sorry for the little creatures, the friends invited them to the town’s Christmas feast, where everyone was happy and the Christmas spirit was restored to the town. An ebook version of the story is available for download.
31. The Seed that Became a Mistletoe: This story is about a small seed that wanted to turn into a beautiful mistletoe. It attached itself to a bird’s feathers and eventually landed on a large tree, where it grew and became a popular decoration in the forest. Animals and humans appreciated its beauty, and love birds began to kiss underneath it. The story ends with a link to download the ebook in PDF format.
32. The Magic of Christmas Lights: An old grandma living alone in a small town finds joy in watching her young neighbors decorating their home with Christmas lights. The lights remind her of happy memories from her childhood and she walks over to thank the family. They realize she’s lonely and invite her to join them for dinner on Fridays. The old grandma is overjoyed and no longer lonely as she shares her stories with her new family while the Christmas lights continue to bring her happiness. A downloadable ebook is available.
33. The cranky elf of Elfsville: In the magical town of Elfsville, the elves have a big Christmas decoration contest every year, but there is one cranky elf who lives alone in a dark cave and hates Christmas because he was once bullied. He sneaks into the town and steals all their Christmas lights, causing chaos. A little girl named Evie sets out to find the cranky elf and convinces him to return the lights. In the end, they all celebrate together and live happily ever after. An eBook download is available.
34. The true spirit of Christmas: A young woman named Sophia dreams of hosting the perfect Christmas dinner for her family. However, when she rents a beautiful venue to accommodate everyone and spends too much money on the preparations, she realizes she can no longer afford it. A kind stranger reminds her of the true spirit of Christmas, and Sophia decides to return everything she bought and instead invites her family to her small house, where they all bring a dish and a small present to share. They have an amazing time together, and Sophia learns that being together with loved ones is the most important part of Christmas.
35. Christmas in the Barn: The story is about a little boy named Johnny who sees a wagon carrying two Christmas trees. He discovers that his parents each bought one for him, but he decides to use the extra one to make a Christmas tree for his pets in the barn. He collects food and treats for each of his animals, ties them to the tree, and then plays his new trumpet to signal the end of the festivities. The animals make a lot of noise, and Johnny’s mother says she thinks they’re all saying “Merry Christmas to you, Johnny! Merry Christmas to all.”
36. Santa Claus and the Mouse: On a Christmas Eve, Santa Claus meets a little mouse while filling stockings at a house. The mouse, amused by Santa’s packing skills, challenges him to fit one more thing in the stockings. The mouse then gnaws a small hole in the stocking to add his contribution, causing Santa to chuckle and promise him a Christmas cheese. A downloadable PDF of the story is available.
37. The Goblin at the Grocer’s: This story is about a student who lives in a building owned by a grocer, and a little goblin who lives in the house too. The goblin loves to learn and stays in the shop where he receives porridge and butter every Christmas Eve. When the student buys some cheese, he discovers a piece of wrapping paper with poetry from an old book. The grocer offers to sell the rest of them, and the student buys the book instead of the cheese. Later, the goblin plays a prank and borrows the shopgirl’s tongue tie to make objects talk. The student sees a beautiful light coming from the book and then goes to bed. The goblin watches from the keyhole, feeling small and crying. There is a fire in the street, and the goblin saves the book from the student’s apartment. In the end, the goblin decides to belong to both the student and the shopkeeper.
38. The Gift of the Magi: In this short story, a young couple, Della and Jim, struggle to afford Christmas presents for each other and end up making sacrifices to buy gifts for the other. Della sells her prized possession, her long hair, to buy Jim a chain for his watch, only to find out that Jim sold his watch to buy combs for Della’s hair. Despite their sacrifices being seemingly in vain, they express their love and gratitude for each other’s gifts and realize that their love is the most important thing. The story ends on a sentiment that the couple is like the magi, the wise men who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger.
39. The Old Oak Tree’s Last Dream: This story revolves around an oak tree that is 365 years old and a Day-fly that lives only for a day. The Day-fly is happy with its short life, but the Oak tree feels sad for it. However, the Day-fly doesn’t understand the concept of “life” and believes that it has thousands of moments to be happy. The story takes us through the tree’s dream where it sees all that has happened around it over the centuries and experiences love, life, and a yearning to reach higher. The story ends with the tree falling after a storm and everyone mourning it.
40. The Adventure Of The Blue Carbuncle: In this story, a young man helps an older man who is struggling with a heavy burden. Despite being weary, the young man carries the burden for the older man and assists him until they reach their destination. The older man is grateful and offers the young man a reward, but the young man declines, happy to have helped someone in need.
41. A Letter From Santa Claus: In this story, a little girl named Susie writes letters to Santa Claus, who responds with a letter of his own. Santa Claus promises to come down Susie’s kitchen chimney, but he tells her that he cannot speak to anyone except her or he will die someday. Santa wants to know if Susie ordered a trunk full of doll clothes, and if so, what color she wants the trunk to be. Santa Claus reminds Susie to be good and to always remember his visit when she sees the mark that his boot will leave on the marble floor.  Download options for the story are also provided.
42. The Candy Pig: A cheerful little girl named Kaisa received a captivating candy pig for Christmas. She thought it was the most beautiful candy pig she had ever seen and decided to keep it for life. However, a mischievous thought slipped into her mind, and she ended up eating the entire candy pig. Afterward, Kaisa experienced terrible pain in her tummy, and she learned that while candies are delightful, moderation is key.
43. Jack Frost’s Sweetheart: In this story, an Elf is awakened too early and finds herself in the cold winter instead of the warm spring. She gets scared and cries, but is rescued by Jack Frost who takes her to his winter festival. The other magical creatures at the festival wonder if Jack Frost has fallen in love with her. The Fairy Queen decides to make her a member of the winter society and names her the Christmas Rose. When mortals call the winter rose the Christmas Rose, the magical folk call her Jack Frost’s Sweetheart.

In conclusion, the Top 43 Christmas Stories for kids to read online offer a delightful blend of festive tales that not only entertain but also instill valuable lessons and create lasting memories. These stories captivate young readers with their magical settings, endearing characters, and heartwarming themes, such as love, compassion, and the importance of family. As children embark on these enchanting literary journeys, they will not only strengthen their reading skills, but also embrace the true spirit of Christmas, inspiring them to cherish the holiday season with their loved ones and pass on these timeless stories to future generations to come.