No matter how you celebrate the holidays this year, with a big family get-together, a quiet dinner for two, or a special vacation, it’s bound to be a magical time. Chicken Soup for the Soul is back with another collection of entertaining holiday stories from contributors across the U.S. and Canada, covering all the fun from Thanksgiving to Hanukkah to Christmas to New Year’s.
The holidays are filled with minor disasters, pranks, not-so-perfect gifts and all the things that can go wrong and yet make for the best stories. You’ll read about newlywed Carol, who exploded the first turkey she tried to cook, starting Thanksgiving with a bang. You’ll groan when you read about Colleen’s colorblind father, who proudly picks out a perfectly shaped tree for the family, not realizing it’s brown and quite dead. And you’ll enjoy how Candace and her husband figure out whose photo is on the mail-order Christmas cards they receive instead of their own order, and turn that other family into Christmas pen pals every year thereafter.
There are also plenty of heartwarming stories about the true meaning of Christmas, the joy of giving, family reunions, holiday miracles, and handling the holidays after the loss of a loved one. And there are some great ideas for holiday meals, creative gifts, and starting the New Year right, too.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Spirit of Christmas (October 14, 2025, 978-1-611591262, $16.99) is one of several recent bestsellers from Chicken Soup for the Soul earmarked to raise funds for nonprofits. Royalties from this book go to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program, which creates miracles for millions of families by providing holiday gifts to children in need in the U.S. The publisher also provides support for other nonprofits, including most notably American Humane Society, which makes life better for cats, dogs, and other animals in households and farms, in zoos and aquariums, and in the entertainment industry, along with providing disaster relief.
“We often use royalties from our books to support nonprofit organizations,” says Amy Newmark, editor-in-chief and publisher of Chicken Soup for the Soul. “The need is greater than ever now, and we’re honored to share royalties from our books to make the holidays and the rest of the year a little more magical for families and pets.”
ABOUT CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL
Chicken Soup for the Soul publishes the famous Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. With well over 100 million books sold to date in the U.S. and Canada, more than 300 titles, and translations into more than 40 languages, the phrase “chicken soup for the soul” is known worldwide and is regularly referenced in pop culture. Today, 32 years after it first began sharing happiness, inspiration and hope through its books, this iconic storyteller continues to publish a new title a month. It has also evolved beyond the bookstore, with a podcast, education programs, dog and cat food, licensed products, and the Chicken Soup for the Soul streaming service.
