Earlier today, I was thinking about all the Christmas films that are so popular this time of year, and it made me think about the lack of Christmas novels. Excluding picture books, I can only actually name two Christmas-based books: 'Let It Snow' by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle (which I mentioned in my last post) and 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens. The former is a trio of interlinked novellas, and the latter is a singular novella. Even when I looked online for Christmas books, very few exist that aren't for young children and I've not heard of any of those that do exist. Compared to the twenty-odd Christmas films I can list and the dozens more I've heard of, this seems very strange.
So why is it that, in this particular genre, the number of films far out-strips the number of novels?
My first thought was that Christmas is a holiday for children more than it is for anybody else, which explains why children's Christmas books exist and Christmas books for teenagers and adults don't. Also, since Christmas is generally a family time, watching a film is more social than reading a book and can be shared by the whole family.
Everything becomes a bit hectic around Christmas; presents have to be bought and wrapped, cards have to be written, Christmas dinner has to be prepared, the tree has to be put up, family get-togethers need organising... All in all, nobody has a lot of time in the weeks leading up to Christmas, and a film takes only two hours to watch whereas books can take days or even weeks to read, depending on the reader.
There's also the issue that Christmas isn't easily transferrable to writing. Much of the feeling of Christmas is in the background: the decorations in homes and shops, the coats and scarves, the snow on the ground, and the Christmas music playing. All of this can be written, but it can't be maintained throughout an entire novel without becoming very repetitive, since each setting would have to be defined by its tree, tinsel, and Christmas song choices.
Similarly, Christmas is a very simple holiday. Christmas films are almost always predictable romances, silly comedies, or kids' action films with two-dimensional villains. These sorts of uncomplicated plots are not suitable to novels, which require character development, sub-plots, conflict and emotional impact. Christmas films are designed to be light-hearted, accessible, and fun -- not to be thoughtful or skilfully crafted or set in a fictional world of subtle complexities.
I suppose I can't argue that writers should be more inclined towards writing Christmas stories, since I personally take a long time to write, edit and polish a novel -- and I wouldn't want to be writing a Christmas story outside of Christmas. Still, the sweet simplicity of a Christmas romance could make for some good written stories, and I'd like to read them.
If anyone has read any novels, short stories or other fiction that's set at Christmas and not aimed at children, then let me know! I'll certainly be happy to read anything you recommend.
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