A host of luminaries gathers all the elements of the Christmas seasonpast and present, joy and sadness, disappointment and surprise, confession and concealment, humor and pathosin a stellar holiday collection. Here are ten standout stories that run the gamut of the emotional scale and are as classic and lasting as the holiday itself: bestselling author Donna Tartt's story of a children's Christmas pageant that goes awry; prizewinning author Richard Ford's story of a patchwork kind of family; poet laureate and acclaimed novelist Fred Chappell's barnyard of talking animals on Christmas Eve; Tim Gautreaux's comic tale of kindness to a homeless man on the holiday; Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Olen Butler's story of an unlikely romance aross cultures; and more. With Barry Hannah's moving preface and celebrated artist Wyatt Waters's paintings, A Very Southern Christmas offers up the best gift of all, a collection full of heart and humor.