“We decided early on that we needed to publish an issue that will provide something light-hearted for our readers,” Gulli said.

Christie’s piece, the basis for the longer “The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding,” was originally part of a series called “The Little Grey Cells of Hercule Poirot.” According to Tony Medawar, producer of the International Agatha Christie Festival (in Devon, England), Christie likely drew upon her own childhood in setting a playful atmosphere, with the kids showing proper irreverence for the supposedly world famous detective.

“Christmas Adventure” also is appearing in the upcoming Christie collection “Midwinter Murder,” which comes out Oct. 20.

“‘Christmas Adventure’ is a particularly light-hearted story,” Medawar says. “Agatha Christie is known for the rigour and ingenuity with which she constructed a mystery and laid clues for the attentive reader to detect, and it is often forgotten how much humour there is in her stories, even in her darkest tales of murder and mayhem.”

Chandler’s employer guide, according to Chandler scholar Dr. Sarah Trott, was likely written in the early 1950s, when Chandler hired a private secretary, Juanita Messick. Chandler long suffered from depression, but seemed at ease with Messick. Addressing her as “Nita,” Chandler would send her humorous notes, such as one around Easter weekend of 1951: “Office will be closed Thursday and Friday. On Friday you should go to church for three hours. On Thursday you will have to be guided by your conscience, if any.”