Our Favorite Christmas Books

In case you didn’t know, we love to read. Claire has always loved being read to, even as a baby. I remember her as a 14 month old, sitting and looking at books by herself for 30 minutes at a time. Clearly, I passed on my bookworm tendencies.

Last week, I shared about some of our Christmas traditions and ways we are making Christmas special this year (you can read more about that here). One of the things I mentioned was that we were reading Christmas books every day. Some of them were ones we’ve read before, but a lot of them were new to us this year. I thought I would share some of our favorites with you! I’m including the Amazon description of the books (in italics) as well as our thoughts on them.

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Picture Books

The majority of what we’ve read has been picture books. We’ve loved exploring beautiful picture books, silly picture books, picture books about Jesus’ birth … all kinds of picture books!

Religious Books

“Come!” drummed a woodpecker one cold, wintry day. “A baby is coming. There’s work to be done!” One by one, from field and forest, the animals make their way to a barn. The cow has sweet-smelling hay to offer the baby. The bluebird has the gift of song. And a lamb has soft, cozy wool. But the shy little fox has nothing to offer . . . or so he thinks. With its gentle text and warm, expressive illustrations, this irresistible take on the Nativity story invites even the youngest child to discover the truest gifts of the Christmas season: the ones that come from the heart.

Claire and I absolutely loved this sweet tale about the animals coming to meet baby Jesus and bring their gifts. Admittedly, this is for younger children, but that didn’t stop us from loving it and reflecting on how Jesus wants our hearts more than anything.

It is just before Christmas when an organ grinder and monkey appear on
the street outside Frances’s apartment. When it’s quiet she can hear their music, and when she looks out her window at midnight, she sees them sleeping outside. Finally the day of the Christmas pageant arrives, but when it’s Frances’s turn to speak, all she can think about is the organ grinder’s sad eyes—until a door opens just in time, and she finds the perfect words to share. With this luminous tale, Kate DiCamillo pairs with Bagram Ibatoulline to offer a timeless holiday gift.

This book has some of the most beautiful illustrations I’ve ever seen. The story is also so heart warming and beautiful and got Claire and I talking about how we could love and help those in need around us.

One dark November night a stranger rides into a small prairie town. Who is he? Why has he come? The townspeople wish he were a doctor, a dressmaker, or a trader. But the children have the greatest wish of all, a deep, quiet, secret wish. Then a young girl named Lucy befriends the newcomer. When he reveals his identity and shares with her the legend of the candy cane, she discovers fulfillment of her wishes and the answer to her town’s dreams. Now will she share what she has learned?

This is a classic! We own it and we’ve read it every Christmas since Claire was very young. It has such a beautiful message about how the candy cane points us to Jesus and reminds us of Him.

This beautiful retelling of the traditional Nativity story captures all the drama and joy, beginning with the angel’s amazing announcement to Mary.

Admittedly, this is one of my favorite Nativity books we have read. One of my biggest pet peeves is when books depict the wise men arriving on the night of Jesus’ birth (Scripture tells us otherwise), so I was very impressed that they did NOT do that in this book. We also loved the illustrations in this book.

Silly Picture Books

It’s the night before Christmas and all through the farm, not a creature is stirring, not even a…duck? Farmer Brown is busy decorating his home in preparation for Santa’s arrival on Christmas Eve! All seems calm in the barnyard, but Farmer Brown isn’t the only one who is getting ready… Ho Ho OH NO! Once again, Duck has gotten the whole barnyard STUCK in quite a predicament! Will anyone be able to un-stuck Duck and save Christmas?

I’m sure I’m not alone in this, but I love it when my kiddo reads aloud to me. The Click Clack Moo books were some of the first that she had the confidence to read aloud to me (and they’re not too lengthy). This book had both of us giggling! If you’re a fan of the Click Clack Moo books, you’ll love this one!

Christmas is coming, and Cat has a hunch he’s not on Santa’s “nice” list. Which means? No presents for Cat. So he tries to be good, but children, it seems, aren’t wild for his brand of gift-giving. Still, Cat might surprise himself, and best of all, he may just get to meet the man in the red suit himself—and receive a holiday surprise of his own.

This is yet another series of books Claire has loved reading aloud to me. This book cracked us up! We’ve read it several times and will probably read if again before we have to return it next week.

Bruce is a lot of things. He is a bear. He is a grump. He is a pretty decent cook. And he is a mother. One thing Bruce is not? Santa Claus. But that doesn’t stop the whole forest from lining up to give him their Christmas wishes when he becomes the victim of mistaken identity-again.

We love the Bruce books! Start with Mother Bruce if you’re unfamiliar. This book is the latest in the series and it did not disappoint!

Heart Warming Picture Books

Red and Lulu make their nest in a particularly beautiful evergreen tree. It shades them in the hot months and keeps them cozy in the cold months, and once a year the people who live nearby string lights on their tree and sing a special song: O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree. But one day, something unthinkable happens, and Red and Lulu are separated. It will take a miracle for them to find each other again. Luckily, it’s just the season for miracles. . . . From Matt Tavares comes a heart-tugging story combining the cheer of Christmas, the magic of New York City, and the real meaning of the holiday season: how important it is to be surrounded by love.

I don’t have much to add that isn’t in the Amazon description, except that out of all the books I’m reviewing here, this one was probably my absolute favorite.

It is Christmas Eve. An abandoned gray cat shivers alone in the cold, snowy forest. In a nearby farmhouse, a young boy worries that Santa Claus might not be able to come in such bad weather. But soon the bitter wind stops howling, and the sound of sleigh bells rings clearly through the woods. Neither the cat nor the boy knows it, but a small Christmas miracle is about to occur.

If you’re an animal lover (especially a cat lover), you will LOVE this book. I’ll admit, I got choked up reading the ending to this. It’s so sweet.

Originally published over twenty years ago, and out of print since 1998, Sleeping Bear Press is proud to bring this beloved Christmas tale to a whole new audience. Moving and nostalgic, and brought to life by glowing watercolor paintings, it reveals the joy of a very special present and the love that a father and daughter share.

This was another one of my absolute favorites (possibly tying with Red & Lulu). This sweet story of farm life, sacrifice and true giving was unforgettable and one we will read every year.

New York Times bestselling author Laura Schroff tells the remarkable story of her lifelong friendship with a boy named Maurice who she met on the street while he was asking for change in her book, An Invisible Thread. Now, in this sweet picture book, Laura retells the first Christmas that she and Maurice spent together. She shares how Maurice gave her a small white bear and, as she later learns, the only thing he had that he could truly call his own—to show her how grateful he was for their friendship. This heartwarming tale captures the true meaning of the holidays and will be one you’ll want to share with your family year after year as a reminder that a gift from the heart is always the best present under the tree.

I had not read An Invisible Thread, but this picture book made me want to. I will warn you that you shouldn’t read this book if you don’t want to cry. I cried all three times I read it, and Peter even teared up reading this to Claire. One of the best parts is that the end of the book has practical ideas of how you can display acts of kindness to those around you this Christmas season.

Jonathan Toomey is the best woodcarver in the valley, but he is always alone and never smiles. No one knows about the mementos of his lost wife and child that he keeps in an unopened drawer. But one early winter’s day, a widow and her young son approach him with a gentle request that leads to a joyful miracle. 

We loved reading about how kindness and love changed a man’s gruff exterior. It also made us think of the brokenness people might be experiencing that we don’t see. The illustrations were gorgeous, as well.

Christmas is here and Mr. Willowby’s tree has arrived! There’s just one big problem . . . the tree is too tall to fit in his parlor. He cuts off the top so it will fit, but little does he know that the top of that tree will travel clear across the countryside, bringing holiday cheer to the homes of bears, rabbits, mice, and more!

Before this Christmas, this was hands down my favorite Christmas book (and one of the few that we owned). I still love this book! I could read it again and again.

Other Favorites

Everybody loves Christmas at Tante’s. The old lady decorates a wonderful tree and makes certain to have something for all who come to visit, be it the nearby village children or the shy animals of the pine forest. The only creatures Tante overlooks are the spiders she has swept out of her cottage while cleaning. But the curious spiders want to come inside and see Tante’s tree, too. When a midnight visitor lets them into the old lady’s home, they unknowingly spin Tante the very gift she has longed for—a gift that has inspired the draping of tinsel on Christmas trees ever since.

I love books about folklore of how certain traditions started. This book is no exception. Despite our extreme dislike of spiders in our home, this was still a book that Claire and I loved (though I’m thankful our tinsel doesn’t have the same origins 😜).

Join Marie, Fritz, and the intriguing Nutcracker himself on a magical Christmas Eve adventure. Behold the frightful Mouse King, the elegant Sugar Plum fairies, and the entire Land of Sweets in this dazzling, gorgeously illustrated holiday classic. With spare text based on the story in the ballet, this book offers a front-row seat to the enthralling tale that is a perennial favorite of adults and children alike.

While we listened to the Nutcracker last year, this book made Claire fall in love with The Nutcracker. The gorgeous illustrations and simple retelling made this a book to remember. Since then, we have watched countless videos of The Nutcracker Ballet and listened to the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy on an almost daily basis. 

When Wilma decides her garden needs a new beginning, she gathers string, scissors, shovels, sixty-two dozen balsam seedlings, and Parker, her five-year-old neighbor. Year after year, Wilma and Parker nurture their trees, keeping careful count of how many they plant, how many perish, and how many grow to become fine, full Christmas trees. 

We loved this story! It was a fun read and was actually very educational about how Christmas trees grow. There was even a page in the back describing that in depth. It would be a great little science lesson for the busy Christmas season.

By moonlight in the quiet forest, a young boy and his family decorate their favorite tree with popcorn, apples, tangerines, and sunflower-seed balls as a gift for the animals of the woods. “Sure to become a Christmas favorite, this beautifully illustrated story of a family’s unusual tradition brings to life the true spirit of Christmas.”

If you follow me on Instagram, you might’ve seen my picture about our cranberry popcorn garland we worked on and hung outside for the birds and squirrels to enjoy. This book is very reminiscent of that. Such a sweet tale of remembering others (even animals!) this Christmas season.

Christmas Chapter Books

We haven’t read a lot of Christmas chapter books (mostly because they’re more time consuming than picture books, but here are the few we have read and loved!

All year long Lily and Liam look forward to the holidays at their grandparents’ farm. It’s always the perfect trip: walking to the lilac library, trimming the tree, giving gifts. But this year, thanks to a white cow alone in the meadow, things will be different. This holiday, Lily and Liam will find out the meaning of a special gift.

This is a must read if you’re animal lover, even if you’re an adult. By the same writer as Sarah, Plain and Tall, The True Gift is such a sweet tale of loving animals, caring about others and sacrificing things you love for the benefit of others. 

Tumtum and Nutmeg just want to live out their comfy lives in peace, unbothered by anything as distracting as an adventure. But the holidays are upon them, and it seems to be the time of year when Arthur and Lucy, the disheveled human children of Rose Cottage, and bumbling veteran hero General Marchmouse are most likely to get into trouble. Tumtum and Nutmeg want to make things right, but first they’ll have to outwit a wicked mouse named Purple Claw, face a crazed circus ringmaster, and even save Christmas!

This is a collection of books, rather than just one book. Only one of the stories is actually about Christmas, but the stories about Tumtum and Nutmeg are so sweet! Claire loved them and we highly recommend the entire book (though this post is specifically about the Christmas story).

Kirsten and her family will be celebrating their first Christmas in America. Kirsten wants to keep some of their old Swedish traditions alive in the new country, so she secretly plans a Saint Lucia celebration. But everything depends on a trip to town with Papa, and he’s too busy to leave the farm. At last they go–and get caught in a terrible blizzard. It’s up to Kirsten to keep herself and Papa safe through the night. When she finally gets home, the candles in the little cabin glow with a special holiday warmth.

What’s not to love about American Girl books? Kirsten and Samantha were my favorites growing up. Claire also loves them and this book was a sweet read around the holidays. We haven’t read the Samantha one yet, because our library hasn’t had it in, but I remember loving it as a kid.

 

 

These are just a few of the many Christmas books we have loved this holiday season. If you haven’t made much time to read, it’s not too late! You can check these out from your local library or order them from Amazon and get them in time. If you’d like more suggestions of Christmas books, you can check out Read Aloud Revival’s favorite Christmas picture books here and favorite Christmas novels here. Read Aloud Revival always has the best book suggestions!

Do you have any favorite Christmas books? Share in the comments below! I’d love to hear them.