> So tonight at the in-laws' house, we're going to do a kind of fancy
> Christmas, part of which is going to involve the grown-ups reading
> stories out loud. I've been thoughtfully assigned _The Gift of the
> Magi_, as it's the least overtly Christian of the stories they've got
> around. That's okay by me, but does anyone have any other suggestions?
> If not for this year, for next?
Well, there's always Hans Christian Anderseen's "The Little Match Girl" ...or Math Seller," depending on the translation.
There's also "The Nutcracker" -- there are lots of abbreviated versions with pictures...
And also, there's "Sir Gawayn and the Green Knight" very wonderful and scary, but you'll have to find a child's version. There are lots of them.
Joanna