When Charlie Mason, a wealthy heir, aristocrat, and fine art connoisseur, left for Paris for Christmas, he never imagined that he would return a different person. After all, it was here that he met Lydia, a Russian emigrant who was forced to become a "night butterfly." Their brief relationship might seem trivial, but only a young Englishman is immensely far from a thirst for fun, and his casual friend from a desire to empty his pockets. In fact, these two lonely souls want only one thing – understanding.A few days spent together in the most romantic city in the world will force them to take a fresh look at their own lives and rapidly rebuild their established coordinate system.… When Charlie Mason, a wealthy heir, aristocrat, and fine art connoisseur, left for Paris for Christmas, he never imagined that he would return a different person. After all, it was here that he met Lydia, a Russian emigrant who was forced to become a "night butterfly." Their brief relationship might seem trivial, but only a young Englishman is immensely far from a thirst for fun, and his casual friend from a desire to empty his pockets. In fact, these two lonely souls want only one thing – understanding.A few days spent together in the most romantic city in the world will force them to take a fresh look at their own lives and rapidly rebuild their established coordinate system.… Somerset Maugham is one of the most important English writers of the 20th century, the author of the novels "The Burden of Human Passions", "Theater" and "The Moon and the Penny"."Christmas Holidays" is a poignant story about broken lives and tragic fates.Almost immediately after the release of the novel, he got a Hollywood film adaptation of the same name, starring the famous actor Gene Kelly.