Fireside reading for the holiday season

By Alison Huntington, Rachel Duk, and Fiona Czerniawska.

It’s time for globe-trotting management consultants to put their suitcases down and their slippers on. The Source team has been looking along our bookshelves to find overlooked classics to read this Christmas:

‘Little Consulting Firm on the Prairie’, a heart-warming Christmas episode in which Ma persuades Pa not to put copies of his new business book under the tree, but go out and shoot a proper bear before they all starve.

‘The Greatest Story Never Told’: Newly-weds face operational challenges when delivering their baby into the world. Three wise consultants come bearing off-the-shelf assets in an attempt to help—gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Mum tells them that what she really needs are some nappies, baby wipes, and a large glass of wine. They leave the gifts anyway, along with a bill for their services and travel expenses, including their first class return tickets on the express camel to Bethlehem.

‘Peter Panic’: Wendy turns a disparate group of new analysts with few skills between them into a unified force. The Lost Boys win projects, defeat their one handed competitor and turn Neverland into the greatest consulting firm in Disney's kingdom. And Wendy's prize? A self-proclaimed "boy who will never grow up" in a green outfit claims the glory, gets instant partner promotion....and Wendy is returned to London in defeat.

‘The Miracle on 35th Street’: A small girl living in New York dreamed of greater things. She had humble ambitions—all she wanted was a large family home in an upscale neighbourhood. Like all young girls do, she wrote to Santa detailing her requests. On Christmas day Santa sent her a wonderful gift....a job offer at "Rudolph & Co." consulting firms. "If you join Rudolph & Co., all your dreams will be fulfilled", he told the little girl. And for your first project you will be sent to deepest Lapland, staying in a 3* ice hotel and working on the implementation of the elves new billing system. We promise to give you at least three hours sleep at night, and you won't pay for your own dinner for a year (although your friends and family will have forgotten who you are). The little girl considered Santa's exciting request....and decided that living in a bedsit in Queen's might not be so bad after all.

‘Office Alone’: Kevin, a junior consultant, is left alone in a client office one Christmas when his building pass stops working, leaving him trapped on the finance floor. Two security guards try to find him and get him out of the building, but he’s not finished his capex model yet. Armed with only a spreadsheet and the contents of the stationary cupboard, mayhem ensues. When the rest of the team returns after Christmas, the guards have been garrotted with paperclips, and Kevin is arrested for murder. As he’s led away, the partner announces that the project has been cancelled, anyway.

‘Tintin on Wall Street’: When Snowy goes missing in a major global bank, Captain Haddock calls in consultants to help track him down. Chaos ensues as the the consultants waste valuable time formulating a strategy that no one understands and Snowy eats a crucial PowerPoint deck.

'Twas the Week Before Christmas': Discover the untold story of the days before Christmas, as the elves race against time to find the missing reindeer! Only the senior partner of a major consulting firm stands between Santa and disaster, but will his cab arrive in time?