Phil Gigante
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Originally published in Harte's 1875 short-story collection The Tales of the Argonauts, How Santa Claus Came to Simpson's Bar is set in California in the early 1860s and, like the rest of the tales in that collection, features the gold-seeking Argonauts. In this tale, like many of Harte's others, the folly and grit of human existence balance any good intentions, good cheer, or hope, resulting in a more complicated and somewhat bleak ending than is...
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When Mark Twain's daughter Susie wrote a letter to Santa Claus, her father wrote back, signing Santa's name. Charming and heartwarming, this version of the short letter includes humorous descriptions of Santa's efforts to deliver the requested toys to the Twain household, as well as instructions to meet Santa at an appointed time outside for items that can't fit down the chimney. Written in 1875, Twain's daughter would tragically die of spinal meningitis...
5) The Fir Tree
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In "The Fir-Tree" a little tree who is anxious to grow up, fails to appreciate that which happens to him in the moment. After experiencing burning humiliation at being small and insignificant, he is chopped down and decorated for a family's Christmas decorations. Expecting this to be the beginning of a great career, the fir tree is bitterly disappointed when he is discarded after a day and eventually cut into pieces and burned. First published in...
6) Dead Aim
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Dead Aim marks the always welcome return of Joe R. Lansdale's most enduring fictional creations: Hap Collins and Leonard Pine. The story begins simply enough when the two agree to provide protection for a woman harassed by her violent, soon-to-be-ex husband. But, when a protracted stakeout ends in a lethal shooting and a pair of moldering corpses turn up in an otherwise deserted trailer, the nature of this "routine" assignment changes dramatically....
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Catch the holiday spirit with this magical collection of beloved Christmas tales. Christmas favorites from Mark Twain, O. Henry, Willa Cather, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Bret Harte and others are lovingly recorded and presented here in one enchanting volume.
This collection includes: The Fir Tree, by Hans Christian AndersenThe Burglar's Christmas, by Willa CatherThe Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, by Arthur Conan DoyleHow Santa Claus Came to Simpson's...