The holidays are even more special and memorable with a stack a great books! Use this Christmas book list to start building your collection!
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Sharing books together is one of our favorite parts of family life, and it just gets better during the month of December. With a mix of picture books, audiobooks, and read-aloud in the evening, books bring us together and help us to remember what’s important during the holidays.
I love December traditions– from fun planners to put my Christmas brain on paper, to DIY rustic trees for displaying cards from friends and family, Jesse tree organizers, and our growing collection of Christmas books.
Wrapping up a big stack of books at the beginning of the month and opening a new books each night is fun for the whole family. Plus, reading together is a wonderful way to slow down during a busy month and simply enjoy each other.
Christmas Book List || 25 Classic Book Ideas for the Holidays
You can get a peek inside each of these books in my Christmas Book List video on YouTube, or find all of the books in my Amazon shop. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post to pin this list for later, and see more like this, including our favorite holiday audiobooks and a list of book specifically for Advent.
I was asked to share a list of our books, (you can find that below, along with a few more for our wishlist), but it’s also good to remember that we have been building our collection over several years. A few of the books are even ones that my husband and I had as children!
If you are just beginning to build your collection, consider asking for a book or two from family each year. And, if you are trying to gather 25 books to wrap (one for each night up until Christmas), then don’t forget about the library! Many years I have checked out and wrapped a stack of library books– just don’t forget when they’re due back!
Our Collection ::
*The titles in bold are personal/family favorites.
CHRISTMAS STORY
This Is the Christmas Story, Kids Read Truth (highly recommend this picture book that explains the Christmas story in the context of the entire Bible)
Christmas in the Barn, Margaret Wise Brown
The Very First Christmas :: The Berenstain Bears, Jan & Mike Berenstain
Song of the Stars, Sally Lloyd-Jones
The First Christmas Night, Keith Christopher
THE NUTCRACKER
The Story Orchestra :: The Nutcracker (listen to the music while you read the story!)
The Nutcracker, Susan Jeffers
The Story of the Nutcracker Ballet, Deborah Hautzig
DELIGHTFUL STORIES
The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree, Gloria Houston
Christmas in Noisy Village, Astrid Lindgren
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, Susan Wojciechowski
The Legend of the Poinsettia, Tomie dePaola
CHRISTMAS SPIRIT
An Early American Christmas, Tomie dePaola
The Tale of the Three Trees, A Traditional Folktale, Angela Elwell Hunt
The Joy of Giving :: The Berenstain Bears, Jan & Mike Berenstain
Christmas Cookies: Bite-Size Holiday Lessons, Amy Krouse Rosenthal
The Joy of A Peanuts Christmas (holiday comics), Charles Schulz
TODDLER/PRESCHOOL
Little Blue Truck Christmas, Alice Schertle (with a light-up Christmas tree)
One Night in Bethlehem (a touch-and-feel book), Jill Roman Lord
Dream Snow (board book), Eric Carle
A Christmas Story, Mary Chalmers
The Animals’ Merry Christmas, Richard Scarry
On Our Wishlist ::
Home for Christmas, Jan Brett
Bear Stays Up for Christmas, Karma Wilson
The Little Drummer Boy, Ezra Jack Keats
Apple Tree Christmas, Trinka Hakes Noble
Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Robinson
Carrie says
We do this also. I made fabric bags (in a few different sizes) for our books. We do garbage free gift wrapping.
I get a ton if books at Goodwill. Our collection has grown to over 100 christmas titles. I find a lot there this time if year, but also keep an eye out year round. At 25cents a piece I have a hard time saying no to new titles!
Leah says
I’ve seen that Nutcracker book in one of the other blogs I’ve read! Now I am convinced I should’ve bought that one last Christmas. Was it good?
Lisa says
Yes, we love it!
Mary Mech says
My daughters are grown, but I’ve recently discovered the Jotham’s Journey series of books for Advent. I am really enjoying them. I posted a introductory review below on the off chance you aren’t familiar with them.
https://www.thecurriculumchoice.com/jothams-journey-trilogy-advent-stories/
Merry Christmas!