Every December I want the old Christmas stories. Not the new holiday romances, the ones written over a hundred years ago. Most of them were meant to be read out loud anyway, so audio just fits.

Here’s what’s in my Audible library and what I honestly think of each one.

If you don’t have Audible yet, they offer a free trial, so you can try one of these without paying a thing.

Start your free Audible trial →

A Christmas Carol (two versions)

I have two, and both are worth it. Hugh Grant’s version is an Audible exclusive, and it’s lighter and funnier than you’d expect. Start there if Dickens usually loses you.

Charlton Griffin’s Audio Connoisseur version is more dramatic. Save it for a dark night when you want the ghosts to actually be creepy.

The Christmas Stories of Louisa May Alcott

Short stories, most of them about giving something up for someone else. Susie Berneis reads them in a calm, easy voice. Each one is about the length of a drive to the store, so they’re easy to fit in.

A Vintage Christmas

Alcott, Dickens, L. M. Montgomery, Mark Twain, and a handful of poems, all read by a full cast. It runs about five hours. The voices change from piece to piece, which keeps it from fading into the background. The Montgomery stories were my favorite surprise.

A Classic Tales Christmas

This one is over ten hours, and B.J. Harrison reads every word. You get O. Henry, Dickens, Hans Christian Andersen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Arthur Conan Doyle. I’m still working through it a story or two at a time, and that’s how I’d tell you to do it too.

A Family Christmas

It’s made for kids, but I like it anyway. “The Night Before Christmas,” The Nutcracker, “The Little Match Girl,” some Dylan Thomas, and more, read by Jenny Agutter, Philip Madoc, and Benjamin Zephaniah. It’s short, so it’s a good one for the car if the grandkids are along.

The Christmas Hirelings

If you’ve done Dickens and want something else from that era, try this one. Mary Elizabeth Braddon wrote it and Richard Armitage reads it. A grumpy old man who cut off his daughter years ago, a quiet Christmas at his estate, and a few kids who show up and change things. That’s all I’ll say. It’s under four hours, so you can finish it in one evening.

If you only pick one

Get the Hugh Grant Christmas Carol. If you want something you haven’t heard a hundred times, go with The Christmas Hirelings. New to Audible? The free trial will cover one of them.

Start your free Audible trial →

What’s yours? Tell me in the comments. I’m always looking for the next one.

A quick note: some links in this post are affiliate links. If you sign up or buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only share books I’ve actually listened to and liked. Thanks for supporting Christmas Hearth.