{"product_id":"9780698170933","title":"The Night Before Christmas","description":"\u003cb\u003eOne of five beloved Christmas classics\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWritten in 1831 by the father of Russian literature, this uproarious tale tells of the blacksmith Vakula’s battle with the devil, who has stolen the moon and hidden it in his pocket, allowing him to wreak havoc on the village of Dikanka. Both the devil and Vakula are in love with Oksana, the most beautiful girl in Dikanka. Vakula is determined to win her over; the devil, equally determined, unleashes a snowstorm to thwart Vakula’s efforts. Zany and mischievous, and drawing inspiration from the folk tales of Gogol’s far-flung village in Ukraine, \u003ci\u003eThe Night Before Christmas\u003c\/i\u003e is the basis for many movie and opera adaptations, and is still read aloud to children on Christmas Eve in Ukraine and Russia.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePenguin Christmas Classics\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eGive the gift of literature this Christmas.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003ePenguin Christmas Classics honor the power of literature to keep on giving through the ages. The five volumes in the series are not only our most beloved Christmas tales, they also have given us much of what we love about the holiday itself. \u003ci\u003eA Christmas Carol\u003c\/i\u003e revived in Victorian England such Christmas hallmarks as the Christmas tree, holiday cards, and caroling. The Yuletide yarns of Anthony Trollope popularized throughout the British Empire and around the world the trappings of Christmas in London. The holiday tales of Louisa May Alcott shaped the ideal of an American Christmas. \u003ci\u003eThe Night Before Christmas\u003c\/i\u003e brought forth some of our earliest Christmas traditions as passed down through folk tales. And \u003ci\u003eThe Nutcracker\u003c\/i\u003e inspired the most famous ballet in history, one seen by millions in the twilight of every year.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eCollect all five Penguin Christmas Classics:\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Christmas Carol\u003c\/i\u003e by Charles Dickens\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChristmas at Thompson Hall: And Other Christmas Stories\u003c\/i\u003e by Anthony Trollope\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Merry Christmas: And Other Christmas Stories\u003c\/i\u003e by Louisa May Alcott\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Night Before Christmas\u003c\/i\u003e by Nikolai Gogol\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Nutcracker\u003c\/i\u003e by E. T. A. Hoffmann","brand":"Penguin Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47106471526640,"sku":"9780698170933","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780698170933_p0.jpg?v=1763614388","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780698170933","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}