Forget Frosty the Snowman or Ruldolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The next great holiday hero is a small, flammable chunk of barbecue fodder. He's impeccably dressed, he's terribly grumpy, and he's looking for a holiday miracle. It's unmistakably Snicket - here's the opening line: This holiday season is a time for stoytelling, and whether you are hearing the story of a candelabra staying lit for more than a week, or a baby born in a barn without proper medical supervision, these stories often feature miracles.

The Coal Man works hard all year, searching dark mines for the coal that Santa Claus drops into the stockings of naughty boys and girls. He's saving up money to take himself, his mule, and his trusty canary to a sunny island. This year, when the Coal Man makes his delivery to the North Pole, he gets a big surprise. Santa's not using coal anymore! Will the Coal Man ever get his day in the sun? With a little Christmas magic, he just might.

Every year the Coal Man works hard to mine enough coal for Santa's naughty list, but this year Santa tells him that he has decided that he no longer needs coal.

A child's trip to her grandmother's house located in a coal-mining region result in a memorable Christmas.

Snatched from his home on Christmas Eve, eleven-year-old Charlie Peters is taken to the North Pole where he is forced to work in Santa's coal mine. There, along with other naughty children, Charlie must endure back-breaking work, battle nasty little elves, resist human/reindeer hybrids, and escape from a hideous beast with a red, glowing nose. But that isn't all. Charlie discovers a new naughty list-a Permanent Naughty List that traps children in the mines forever. And Charlie is next. In order to go home, Charlie must find the Nice List and write his name on it before it's too late. Will Charlie Peters change his selfish ways and learn the true meaning of Christmas or will he end up on the Permanent Naughty List, trapped in Santa's coal mine forever?

The bestselling star of No, David! turns Christmas traditions upside down with laugh-aloud humor. Readers of all ages will vividly remember trying to peek at hidden gift packages; writing scrolls of wish lists to Santa; and struggling to behave at formal Christmas dinner parties. Always in the background, we know Santa Claus is watching, soon to decide if David deserves a shiny new fire truck or a lump of coal under the tree. From playing with delicate ornaments to standing in an endlessly long line for Santa, here are common Christmas activities--but with David's naughty trimmings. A surefire hit that is destined to be an annual classic.

Story of the life and death of the coal-mining town Shallmar, Maryland. When the coal mine, the town's only business, closed in March 1949, the residents starved in the fall. When the story got out, aid came from nearly every state in the country as well as abroad.