A Very Russian Christmas

‘'A frosty day. From the window, one can see the fluffy white snow covering the streets, the roofs of homes, and the trees. An early twilight. The sky is turning blue.''
 Lida and I are standing by the window, looking at the sky,
‘'Nanny, is the star coming soon?'', I asked.

The New Year's Tree (Mikhail Zoshchenko): The authorities in the Soviet Union were so ridiculous that forbade Christmas but allowed the New Year's Tree. Because regimes are stupid. In this satirical story, a boy creates havoc, supported by his mother who has had enough of annoying guests.

The Boys (Anton Chekhov): Boys and Christmas shenanigans in a quintessential Chekhov story.

A Christmas Tree and a Wedding (Fyodor Dostoevsky): A story with all the trademarks elements of the finest novelist in History. A tale that starts as a social observation, becomes almost sinister when we understand that the fate of the young heroine is inevitable. Dostoevsky's elegant satire highlights the injustice of it all.

At Christmastide (Anton Chekhov): A cruel man isolates his wife from her illiterate parents. But Christmas is a time to right the wrongs...

Dream of the Young Tsar (Leo Tolstoy): A young man who is about to rule Russia dreams of the evil that plagues the land.

Makar's Dream (Vladimir Korolenko): A Yakut peasant shares his view and vision on the injustice and hardships of this world.

A Woman's Kingdom (Anton Chekhov): A young woman inherits a significant fortune. But what about family? What about love? Chekhov creates one of his most striking heroines in this classic story.

A Distant Christmas Eve (Klaudia Lukashevich): A little girl is anxious over Christmas Eve, a night of stars and enchanting trees that shed light in the darkness of poverty.

The Little Boy at Christ's Christmas Tree (Fyodor Dostoevsky): A classic story that reminds us of Andersen's The Little Match Girl.

Christmas Phantoms (Maxim Gorky): Sometimes, writers are awfully cruel to their characters...

A Lifeless Animal (Teffi): A toy sheep becomes a source of comfort for a young girl that goes largely unnoticed by her ridiculous parents.

My Last Christmas (Mikhail Zoshchenko): A strange story of an even stranger old passenger...

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/