Read Your Way to Christmas Day
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Inside: Read Your Way to Christmas Day
Christmas is full of tradition, and we believe the best traditions involve memorable books. Books you share as a family. Ones to give as gifts. Books to read year after year, even when your kids are older.
What better way to get everyone in the holiday spirit than by reading your family favorites? Cherished memories are formed when you share stories about Christmas.
Choosing Christmas Books
However, figuring out which Christmas books are worth a spot on your bookshelf and worth pulling out every year can be time-consuming.
You want great ones, memorable ones, and a mix of stories. Classic, heart-warming, charming, and more. Where to begin?
We’ve taken out the guesswork and gathered a list of our favorite Christmas books to fit all of those categories.
These books would be great choices for:
- Family holiday read-aloud time (make those memories)
- Gifts for friends and family (give a favorite and tell them why you love it)
- Secret Santa gifts (books are always a good choice here)
Christmas Reading Plan FREEBIE
In addition to these suggestions, we’ve created a fun way for your family to incorporate holiday reading every day leading up to Christmas.
We want to help you Read Your Way to Christmas Day.
With this free PDF download, you’ll get a printable booklist with 24 reading suggestions to take you from December 1st through Christmas Eve. It covers everything from classics to warm fuzzies to whimsical.
Click the red button below and you’ll be taken to our shop where you can download a FREE PDF book list to Read Your Way to Christmas Day!
Also, we’ve placed certain books on specific days such as Saint Nicholas Day, Saint Lucia’s Day, and the beginning of Las Posadas. Even if your family doesn’t celebrate these days, reading the stories is a great way to spark conversation and learning about other traditions and cultures.
You can use this printable page in a few different ways:
- Read books in order listed for each day of the month
- Use as checklist to read in any order (check off when you read one)
- Find some new titles to explore
- Print and take to the library or book store for ideas
Plus, we’ve included a blank form for you to customize in case you have a few favorites not on our list. Simply fill in the form with book titles you own, books you want to order, and books you can borrow from the library.
Whichever form you use, we hope it helps your family take time this season to gather and connect as you read your way to Christmas Day with memorable stories!
Special Days During the Season
Below, are a few books associated with special days during the Christmas season. This will make it easier for you to plan your reading and reserve those particular books at the library.
December 6th – Saint Nicholas Day
The Miracle of St. Nicholas
It was the day before Christmas in a small Russian village. Alexi's babushka was telling him what Christmas was like when she was a girl-before the soldiers came. Alexi had many questions, including, "Why can't we celebrate Christmas tomorrow in St. Nicholas?"
More info →
The Baker’s Dozen: A Saint Nicholas Tale
Why not give more? Van Amsterdam the baker was well known for his honesty as well as for his fine Saint Nicholas cookies. He always gave his customers exactly what they paid for -- not more and not less.
More info →December 13th – Saint Lucia’s Day
Lucia Morning in Sweden
In the busy house of the Svennson family, everyone is getting ready for the Swedish holiday of Lucia Day, December 13. The book tells the story of Saint Lucia through the eyes of three children in modern-day Sweden.
More info →December 16th – Las Posadas Begins
The Night of Las Posadas
Tomie dePaola's glorious paintings are as luminous as the farolitos that light up on the Plaza in Santa Fe for the procession of Las Posadas, the tradition in which Mary and Joseph go from door to door seeking shelter at the inn on Christmas Eve.
More info →Christmas Chapter Books
The Family Under The Bridge
This is the delightfully warm and enjoyable story of an old Parisian named Armand, who relished his solitary life. Children, he said, were like starlings, and one was better off without them. But the children who lived under the bridge recognized a true friend when they met one.
More info →The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: Laughs abound in this bestselling Christmas classic by Barbara Robinson! The Best Christmas Pageant Ever follows the outrageous shenanigans of the Herdman siblings, or “the worst kids in the history of the world.”
More info →Other Great Non-Christmas Books
The Tomten
This classic story of the Tomten’s nocturnal visits to all of the residents of wintry farm has been reminding children of the promise of spring for decades.
More info →
The Mitten
A bestselling modern classic that has been a family favorite for over 25 years. When Nicki drops his white mitten in the snow, he goes on without realizing that it is missing. One by one, woodland animals find it and crawl in; first, a curious mole, then a rabbit, a badger and others, each one larger than the last. Finally, a big brown bear is followed in by a tiny brown mouse and what happens next makes for a wonderfully funny climax.
More info →
Snowflake Bentley
From the time he was a small boy, Wilson Bentley saw snowflakes as small miracles. And he determined that one day his camera would capture for others the wonder of the tiny crystal.
More info →
The Story of Hanukkah
Hanukkah is a wonderful time filled with games, food, family, and fun. It's also the celebration of an ancient miracle, and retelling and remembering the story of that miracle is an essential part of the holiday, for young and old.
More info →
One Candle
For one family the traditional Hanukkah celebration has a deeper meaning. Amidst the food and the festivities, Grandma and Great-Aunt Rose begin their story -- the one they tell each year. They pass on to each generation a tale of perseverance during the darkest hours of the Holocaust.
More info →
