Our Favorite Christmas Tradition: Books.

by Jesse Vivian

The Christmas season, especially with children around, brings so much magic.

While the week of Christmas is so much excitement, we try to prolong the joy and enjoy the moments of and lessons of the season in reading as many Christmas books as possible. Over the years, we have accumulated quite the collection of fantastic Holiday stories, and these are some of the most cherished memories we have as a family: reading Christmas books together.

As part of our Christmas celebration, we start a countdown and advent calendar in December (you can read more about that HERE). I’ve adapted an idea from Ralph at Simply on Purpose (she’s a parenting genius), and wanted to share this idea with you all, because it’s the best memory-making holiday tradition!

We use an advent calendar with daily treats, small gifts (including these books and holiday pajamas!) and simple, (mainly free) fun ideas of activities we do as a family (think: drink hot cocoa, cut down a Christmas tree, watch a Christmas movie, go Christmas caroling). We gift each of our children a new Christmas book each year with a handwritten note from us to start their own Christmas story collection one day, when they have their own family 

I’ve curated a list of our most cherished, favorite Christmas books that you can share with someone in your life this Christmas season.

 

  • Holly and Ivy. The sweetest story of an orphan girl who wishes for a doll for Christmas, and as Christmas magic will always be, finds so much more. This story is a favorite of my girls starting around age 8, and I tear up thinking of how sweet it is!
  • Red and Lulu. A sweet story of a pair of cardinal birds whose beloved Christmas tree was cut down. The illustrations are just beautiful and the story is well loved by all my children, at all ages.
  • Christmas Day in the Morning. This one makes me cry (borderline sob) each year, in fact I’m tearing up now just thinking of it! It’s a sweet story of a dairy farm family and a little boy who tries to give his hard-working dairy farmer Dad a special gift. It’s just beautiful and brings back the simplicity of Christmas and the real reason of giving.
  • Pick a Pine Tree. A sweet, poetic Christmas tale of the traditions and stories of the season. This is a sweet tale of decorating a tree, and it’s an easy, poetic read that all kids will enjoy!
  • The Berenstain Bears and the Joy of Giving. If you’ve been here a while, you know that we are huge fans of the Berenstain Bears series, and find so much parenting advice and tips for kids in these stories! This one is a great read for the start of the season, especially for kids of any age, to really grasp the joy of giving to others!
  • The Night Before Christmas. It’s the classic poem we all know by heart, but this rendition is so beautifully illustrated, even adults will be enthralled! A family favorite, no doubt!
  • The Berenstain Bears Old Fashioned Christmas. Another Berenstain Bears special, but this hardcover features the Holiday songs you know and love and a sweet story of a true old-fashioned Christmas celebration. My kids LOVE this one, in fact: I’ve got a few for sale in my farm shoppe this year, too! 

These are just a few of our favorite Christmas reads– I pack them away with our Christmas decorations each year, so when we bring them back out, my kids are SO EXCITED! It’s a simple, fun tradition and a way to start a collection of Christmas books your child will be able to take into their own homes one day, to share with their families 

What are your favorite Christmas books? I’m always looking for some new ideas to share with my kids!

Happy Holiday Season, friends.

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