25 Best Christmas Historical Fiction Books for the Holidays

By Jennifer Marie Lin on Dec 3rd, 2021 (Last Updated Dec 6th, 2021)

A Christmas-themed historical fiction novel is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit with the holidays coming up just around the corner.

This is a list of the Best Christmas Historical Fiction Books for the Holidays Season. It covers historical fiction books that feature or are about Christmas and the holidays in some way. It includes books published at any time, but with a slight preference for more recently released books.

For more Christmas-themed book lists, see the list of Best Christmas Romances or Best Christmas Mysteries!

Have you read something that you think belongs on this list? Let me know by dropping a comment below! Happy reading and happy holidays!

Christmas Historical Fiction

Mr. Dickens and His Carol
Samantha SilvaWhat It’s About: Charles Dickens should be looking forward to Christmas. But when his latest book, ‘Martin Chuzzlewit’, is a flop, his publishers give him an ultimatum. Either he writes a Christmas book in a month or they will call in his debts and he could lose everything. Dickens has no choice but to grudgingly accept …Publication Date: October 31, 2017
  3.80 out of 5 on Goodreads
historical fiction christmas book club
Last Christmas in Paris: A Novel of World War I
Hazel GaynorWhat It’s About: New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor has joined with Heather Webb to create this unforgettably romantic novel of the Great War.

August 1914. England is at war. As Evie Elliott watches her brother, Will, and his best friend, Thomas Harding, depart for the front, she believes—as everyone does—that it will be over by Christmas, when the trio plan to celebrate the holiday among the romantic cafes of Paris…

Publication Date: October 3, 2017
  4.15 out of 5 on Goodreads
historical fiction christmas romance
God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen (Royal Spyness #15)
Rhys BowenWhat It’s About: Publication Date: October 12, 2021
   out of 5 on Goodreads

An Ivy Hill Christmas (Tales from Ivy Hill)
Julie KlassenWhat It’s About: Publication Date: September 1, 2020
  4.06 out of 5 on Goodreads
christmas historical fiction christian fiction
Christmas Bells
Jennifer ChiaveriniWhat It’s About: Alternate cover edition can be found here

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini celebrates Christmas, past and present, with a wondrous novel inspired by the classic poem “Christmas Bells,” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day/ Their old familiar carols play/ And wild and sweet/ The words repeat/Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
 
In 1860, the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow family celebrated Christmas at Craigie House, their home in Cambridge, Massachusetts…

Publication Date: October 27, 2015
  3.73 out of 5 on Goodreads
christmas historical fiction holiday
The Christmas Quilt (Elm Creek Quilts #8)
Jennifer ChiaveriniWhat It’s About: When Christmas Eve comes to Elm Creek Manor, the tenor of the holiday is far from certain. Sylvia Bergstrom Compson, the Master Quilter, has her own reasons for preferring a quiet, even subdued, Christmas. Her young friend Sarah McClure, however, takes the opposite view and decides to deck the halls brightly…Publication Date: November 1, 2005
  3.87 out of 5 on Goodreads
christmas jennifer chiaverini series
The Christmas Boutique (Elm Creek Quilts #21)
Jennifer ChiaveriniWhat It’s About: Just weeks before Christmas, severe wintry weather damages the church hall hosting the Christmas Boutique—an annual sale of handcrafted gifts and baked goods that supports the county food pantry. Determined to save the fundraiser, Sylvia Bergstrom Compson offers to hold the event at Elm Creek Manor, her ancestral family estate and summertime home to Elm Creek Quilt Camp…Publication Date: October 1, 2019
  3.69 out of 5 on Goodreads
christmas holiday series
A Christmas Hope (Christmas Stories, #11)
Anne PerryWhat It’s About: Publication Date: November 12, 2013
   out of 5 on Goodreads

A Christmas Legacy (Christmas Stories, #19)
Anne PerryWhat It’s About: Thomas and Charlotte Pitt’s former maid takes a new job as Christmas approaches–but not everyone in the household may survive the holidays in this tension-filled novel from bestselling author Anne Perry.

“Perry’s Victorian-era holiday mysteries [are] an annual treat.”–The Wall Street Journal

After leaving her position with Charlotte and Thomas Pitt to get married, Gracie thought her days as a maid were behind her…

Publication Date: November 9, 2021
  4.38 out of 5 on Goodreads
christmas mystery historical fiction
Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker
Gregory MaguireWhat It’s About: From the author of the beloved #1 New York Times bestseller Wicked, the magical story of a toymaker, a nutcracker, and a legend remade . . .

Gregory Maguire returns with an inventive novel inspired by a timeless holiday legend, intertwining the story of the famous Nutcracker with the life of the mysterious toy maker named Drosselmeier who carves him…

Publication Date: October 31, 2017
  3.18 out of 5 on Goodreads
fantasy christmas retellings
The Winter Guest (The Winter Guest #1)
Pam JenoffWhat It’s About: Publication Date: December 7, 2021
   out of 5 on Goodreads

Mrs. Jeffries and the Midwinter Murders (Mrs. Jeffries #40)
Emily BrightwellWhat It’s About: Mrs. Jeffries and Inspector Witherspoon should be checking off their Christmas present list but instead they’re listing murder suspects in this latest entry of the beloved Victorian Mystery series.

Harriet Andover had no intention of dying young like her silly siblings had. She intended to outlive them and outdo them as she always had…

Publication Date: November 16, 2021
  4.48 out of 5 on Goodreads
mystery cozy mystery historical A Quilt for Christmas
Sandra DallasWhat It’s About: In Sandra Dallas’ novel A Quilt for Christmas, it is 1864 and Eliza Spooner’s husband Will has joined the Kansas volunteers to fight the Confederates, leaving her with their two children and in charge of their home and land. Eliza is confident that he will return home, and she helps pass the months making a special quilt to keep Will warm during his winter in the army…Publication Date: October 14, 2014
  3.84 out of 5 on Goodreads
christmas civil war historical
Carols and Chaos (Suitors and Sabotage)
Cindy AnsteyWhat It’s About: A lady’s maid and a valet become entangled in a yuletide counterfeiting scheme in this romantic Christmas YA adventure.

1817. The happy chaos of the Yuletide season has descended upon the country estate of Shackleford Park in full force, but lady’s maid Kate Darby barely has the time to notice…

Publication Date: October 9, 2018
  3.37 out of 5 on Goodreads
historical fiction christmas romance
Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas (Jane Austen Mysteries #12)
Stephanie BarronWhat It’s About: Publication Date: October 28, 2014
   out of 5 on Goodreads

An Irish Country Yuletide (Irish Country #16)
Patrick TaylorWhat It’s About: Publication Date: October 12, 2021
   out of 5 on Goodreads
Little Women
Louisa May AlcottWhat It’s About: Grown-up Meg, tomboyish Jo, timid Beth, and precocious Amy. The four March sisters couldn’t be more different. But with their father away at war, and their mother working to support the family, they have to rely on one another. Whether they’re putting on a play, forming a secret society, or celebrating Christmas, there’s one thing they can’t help wondering: Will Father return home safely?Publication Date: August 28, 2014
  4.11 out of 5 on Goodreads
classics classic books i own
A Christmas Carol
Charles DickensWhat It’s About: Publication Date: January 1, 2005
   out of 5 on Goodreads

Christmas Historical Romance

A Holiday by Gaslight: A Victorian Christmas Novella
Mimi MatthewsWhat It’s About: Publication Date: November 13, 2018
   out of 5 on Goodreads

How the Dukes Stole Christmas: A Holiday Romance Anthology
Sarah MacLeanWhat It’s About: Christmas magic is in the air… From the ballrooms of London, to abandoned Scottish castles, to the snowy streets of Gilded Age New York, four bestselling authors whip up some unforgettable romance…with a little help from some enchanted shortbread.

“Meet Me in Mayfair” by Tessa Dare
Louisa Ward needs a Christmas miracle…

Publication Date: October 15, 2018
  3.72 out of 5 on Goodreads
romance historical romance christmas
Joy to the World: A Regency Christmas Collection
Carolyn MillerWhat It’s About: Inspirational Regency romance with a Christmas twist from three best-selling authors

In Joy to the World, three popular romance authors come together to offer a heartwarming collection of holiday Regency romance. Based on lines from a beloved Christmas carol, these three novellas have depth, faith, and satisfying stories all packed into the perfect length for readers to curl up and take a brief break from their holiday busyness…

Publication Date: October 13, 2020
  4.24 out of 5 on Goodreads
historical fiction regency christian fiction
Miracle on Ladies’ Mile
Joanna ShupeWhat It’s About: Publication Date: November 9, 2018
   out of 5 on Goodreads

When She Was Naughty
Tessa DareWhat It’s About: Publication Date: December 24, 2020
   out of 5 on Goodreads

The Cowboy Who Saved Christmas
Jodi ThomasWhat It’s About: Publication Date: October 27, 2020
   out of 5 on Goodreads

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