American Girl Holiday Stories
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The Central Series
Each American Girl character’s story is presented in the form of books. Called the Central Series, they are the core main stories about each Historical Character, covering the full initial story of each character over a span of approximately two years.
Holiday Story
The third book in each Central Series is the Historical Character’s holiday story. Each winter holiday book was titled “Historical Character’s Surprise: A Christmas Story. Originally, these books take place around the Christmas holidays as the first seven Historical Characters all celebrated some form of Christmas.
Each Historical Character generally wishes for something to occur that is a difficult task due to their circumstances, and they also have something disappointing happen to them around the holidays that makes them personally sad or worried.
For example, Kit learns her family may be evicted from their house and later had a fight with Ruthie about the difficulties of their traditional holiday get together. Kirsten constantly worries her family will not get to go to town to pick up their trunks in time for her to hold St. Lucia Day or have Sari, her doll, back, and then is caught in a dangerous snowstorm with her father in the task of retrieving them.
This is almost always resolved by the end of the book, though not necessarily in the way the character intended at the beginning. For example, Addy does not purchase the scarf she intended to buy from the second hand store for Momma's gift, but is able to make one with the leftover hem from her gifted Christmas dress from Mrs. Ford. Molly's grandparents are unable to make it for the holidays but she and Jill are able to surprise their family with the box sent from Dad.
Each Historical Character is given or participates in some sort of surprise during the story, sometimes caused by their own actions to help bring the surprise about. Additionally, each Historical Character hopes for a material gift and then faces a problem that makes her realize that family and friendship are the best gifts of all.
Variations from the Initial Central Series
Kaya: Kaya's stories do not follow the traditional patterns or titles set by the first seven historical characters, as Kaya's Indigenous culture is unique from the dominant American cultural pattern. Her story line is written so that she does have several parallel events, such as a winter festival. Kaya does not celebrate Christian holidays, which is why she does not have a holiday story.
Julie: Julie's holiday story focuses more on Chinese New Year instead of Christmas, which is only shown briefly at the start of the book. However, her initial holiday collection originally focused on the holiday tea with her father.
Rebecca: Rebecca’s holiday story focuses on Hanukkah as she is Jewish, and includes conflict with Rebecca being Jewish and wanting to honor her family's traditions while surrounded by the trappings of a Christian-dominant American culture.
Cécile and Marie-Grace: Cécile and Marie-Grace's series do not follow the Central Series whatsoever, with the exception of their dual Meet Books. The intertwining series make their books serve as a diptych and a parallel to one another. With two meet books, the same events were shown from each character's perspective. Instead of a holiday story, Cécile and Marie-Grace learn of a benefit to help raise money for the orphans affected by yellow fever.
Melody: Melody is born on January first, giving her the earliest birthday in the calendar of any Historical Character. Her Christmas celebrations are not focused on or seen, instead supplanted by New Year’s, Watch Night and her birthday.
Nanea: In Nanea’s books, Christmas is only lightly touched on and not a major focus of a plot like characters prior.