The Birds' Christmas Carol

A short children's novel from the late 19th century, The Birds' Christmas Carol tells the story of Carol Bird, a girl born on Christmas Day who is uncommonly sweet and kind. She is also ill, and by the time she is ten, she has been bed-ridden for years. Most of the book tells of her plans to hold a Christmas dinner party for all the children (nine of them) of the poor family next door and then of the party itself. In the end, Carol dies happy and peacefully after the dinner party has concluded and while listening to the choir at the church next door. I have vague recollections of having read this as a kid (I have a vivid memory of the cover of the yellow Apple paperback edition) and listened to it now mostly because I couldn't for show more anything remember whether Carol survived or not. Listening to it now, two things struck me: 1) it's properly funny in parts (especially Mrs. Ruggles getting her children ready to attend the party at the "big house") and 2) Carol, despite being the red-hot center of a morality tale for children, is genuinely sweet and pleasant rather than sickly treacly and creepily "too good." While her goodness is not quite believable, neither is it off-putting. I enjoyed the audio presentation, though I think the narrator's performance increases the twee factor--which the text itself is not free from, but which it manages not to drown in either. show less

Born on Christmas Day, and named in honor of the hymn Carol, Brothers, Carol, the sound of which was drifting in from the church next door just after her birth, Carol Bird was a kind-hearted, generous little girl—a true Christmas Child. Becoming ill when still quite young, she remained cheerful and bright, providing a good influence on her three brothers, and even upon her loving parents. Delighted that her beloved Uncle Jack was coming home for the holidays, Carol had a plan: to give the most wonderful Christmas to the nine Ruggles children living across the alley behind her house...

Originally privately printed in 1886, and then published in 1888, The Birds' Christmas Carol was, according to the prefatory letter in the edition I show more read, author Kate Douglas Wiggin's first book. It was published in order to help fund the kindergarten she founded in San Francisco, and went on to become a very popular holiday tale. I found it enjoyable, and while I recognize that its eponymous heroine might be a little too perfect at times—something which I think will irritate some contemporary readers—I just took that as it was. The depiction of the little Ruggles, and the lessons on manners given to them by their mother, added a note of hilarity to what might otherwise have been a depressing tale, and there was a happy feeling throughout, despite Carol's illness, and eventual death. I found Wiggins' prose here sometimes quite moving, with an occasional aside well worth remembering. When she writes that "Love could do nothing, and when we have said that we have said all, for it is stronger than anything else in the whole wide world," I found myself nodding in agreement. I also greatly enjoyed the illustrations of Katharine R. Wireman, which were frequently quite lovely.

All in all, I am glad to have read this holiday classic, and while I don't think I enjoyed it quite as much as some of Wiggin's Christmas romances—The Old Peabody Pew, The Romance of a Christmas Card—and certainly nowhere near as much as her best-known work, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, it nevertheless made for a sweet seasonal tale. show less

They had intended to name the baby Lucy, if it were a girl; but they hadn't expected her on Christmas morning, and a real Christmas baby was not to be lightly named -- the whole family agreed in that.

They were consulting about it in the nursery. Mr. Bird said that he had assisted in naming the three boys, and that he should leave this matter entirely to Mrs. Bird. ...Uncle Jack said that the first girl should always be named for her mother, no matter how hideous the name happened to be.

Surprisingly adorable, considering its subtitle ought to be "A Tale From Preachytown, by Sermon McGodsalot." I had to ding it a star for having a very long section in the middle consisting of nothing but dialogue supposedly representing how thems thar show more pore peeple tocks in 19th-century New England. (Think Little Women, only scarier. And don't look at me like that -- I love Little Women. But Hannah's dialogue makes me bleed from both eyeballs.)

Spoiler-laden summary: Angelic white girl is born on Christmas day, sustains a nonspecific crippling illness in her early childhood, is nice to poor people for a day, and dies just in time to ruin the New Year for her family. show less

"What a sweet novella, and a classic, written in 1887. Carol Bird is a sickly eleven-year-old who was born on Christmas Day. She is humbled to share a birthday with Jesus Christ and has a good handle on the true meaning of Christmas. She wants nothing more for Christmas than to do something nice for the nine Ruggles children next store who have very little of their own.

In the world we live in today it is such a pleasure to be able to escape back to the days of old when Christmas was celebrated to honor the true significance of the date. Ms. Wiggin writes with beautiful imagery, substance, and poignancy to craft a magnificent Christmas story.

Recommended for all, including young readers."

Born Christmas day, Carol is the Bird family's special Christmas baby: "Her cheeks and lips were as red as holly-berries; her eyes were bright as stars; her laugh like a chime of Christmas-bells, and her tiny hands forever outstretched in giving."

As her tenth birthday approaches, declining health threatens young Carol's life. Her only wish, however, is to create an unforgettable Christmas celebration for the less fortunate family next door.

Few characters embody the spirit of Christmas more fully than Carol Bird in this bittersweet holiday classic that generations of readers have cherished for more than one hundred years.

11yr old Carol, born on Christmas Day, suffers from frail health, but rallies long enough to orchestate a magical Christmas Day for the 9 children of the poor family down the lane - and then quietly dies later that evening while listening the the boys choir at the church next door sing one of her favorite tunes. The bits where the Ruggles children are prepared by their Mom for their big night out are sweet and funny, but seriously, Carol dies at the end? A Christmas miracle would have been out of the question? This is a short story rather than a novel, but with some sweet illustrations to keep the story company.

The Birds’ Christmas Carol – Kate Douglas Wiggins
3 stars

I satisfied my curiosity about this book with a free kindle download. It is a 19th century Hallmark Christmas special, and has nothing whatever to do with actual birds. Carol Bird (so called because she was born on Christmas Day) is a bed-ridden dying child with a saintly, generous nature. As her life is clearly ending, her one wish is to provide a lavish Christmas celebration for the poor Irish immigrant family that she is able to observe from her window. The story is dripping with sweetness, but I enjoyed the humorous descriptions of the Irish children. While it might be heavy handed in its message, there’s no denying the heartwarming ‘ better to give than to receive’ show more ending.

I was more interested in the author, Kate Douglas Wiggins, than I was in this story. She is better known as the author of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. Wiggins was a resident of San Francisco and became involved with the “free Kindergarten” movement of the time. She opened the first free kindergarten in California. This book was published to help finance the venture. show less