Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Favorite Christmas Books

One of my favorite parts about getting our our Christmas boxes out ever year is putting out our collection of Christmas books.  When Luke was first born I started picking up Christmas books and now we have quite the stack.  What makes them special is that they're only out for a month or so and we read several every night.

What I'm sharing today are some of our very favorites - some are new this year and some are actually mine when I was little.

First up is  "Walk This World at Christmastime" and this book is SO beautiful!!!  Every page is a new country and there are flaps you can lift with little tidbits of information about other cultures as Christmastime.



I love the illustration style and how informative it is.


Christmas Night Fair and Bright we've had for several years and it's a simple (yet comprehensive!) retelling of the Christmas story.  The illustrations are great and the book rhymes which I love.




I ADORE the Nutcracker and am always looking for different versions of the story.   This book won me over with the BEAUTIFUL illustrations.


Jellybean approved as well ;)


A New Coat for Anna is a book that my mom used to read to me growing up and it is one of my very favorite stories ever.  It's set in post-WWII and Anna needs a new coat - her mother has to barter and trade to get the materials and the coat takes a full year to have make.  



I told y'all I loved The Nutcracker!   This was the version I grew up reading and when I think about the story this is the way I picture it in my head. ;)



Christmas Farm was a new addition to our collection this year and the book is so charming.  It's a bit of a "behind the scenes" look at Christmas tree farming and I love the watercolor illustrations.



Who doesn't love Greg Pizzoli?!?!  We're big fans and his  12 days of Christmas didn't disappoint.


Jelly Bean REALLY liked this book ;)



Yes... another Nutcracker... but  this one plays pieces of the music and the illustrations are BEAUTIFUL to boot.



If You Take a Mouse to the Movies is an oldie but a goodie and NEVER gets old.


A Pirate's Night Before Christmas is Mason's FAVE and it is so clever and fun.



Love Came Down at Christmas is fantastic.  It also has the entire Christmas story in the back which is super convenient.




12 Days of Christmas in Texas  is so much fun!  And a must-have if you're a Texan ;)



Arthur's Christmas Cookies is from my childhood and it is my favorite to read to the kids. 



I'd love to hear what your FAVORITE Christmas books are in the comments.

You can shop the books I talked about as well as a few that are on our wishlist this year below!



PS - this post contained affiliate links... thank you so much for reading and supporting my blog ;)

29 comments :

  1. I have a huge container of holiday books for all the holidays, but Christmas gets its own tub. We LOVE Christmas books around here...we share some of your favorites but also love The Crippled Lamb, Santa Claus Comes to Texas, Llama Llama Holiday Drama and so many more. I can't wait to get them out this weekend and start reading!

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  2. Jellybean's addition to the pictures is just too cute :) Nutcracker books are always my favorite! My grandma loved everything Christmas, especially the Nutcracker, and it always brings back such good memories of her when I see or hear anything Nutcracker related.

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  3. The Sweet Smell of Christmas. Love this book from my childhood.

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    1. I love that book too!! It reminds me of my grandmother's house!

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    2. YES, that was my favorite Christmas book as a child, and I ordered a new one off of Amazon a few years ago for my kids. The smells take me right back to my own childhood!

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  4. We have quite a large collection also and you have a unique list here. Can't wait to check them out! Two of our favorites are Polar Express and Santa's Book of Names.

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  5. I love this list! I've been scouring blogs for Christmas book lists and this one is the best I've seen. I've already got a few in my cart!!

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  6. One of our favorite is The Night Before the Night Before Christmas. It is hilarious!

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  7. Great choices! I will have to check out some of the ones we don't have!

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  8. I totally forgot about The Nutcracker Ballet! I love that book.
    You need to read to your kiddos the Olive, the other reindeer. It is so cute! The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey is great too. Your boys will love it.

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  9. I used to teach first grade and had such a fond spot for my "Christmas Around the World" unit. We had a gingerbread man that ran away and we had to "chase" him around the world, learning traditions as we went! The "Walk this Way" book would have been the perfect addition. At the end of the unit, we had a stamped passport, lots of completed crafts, and a gingerbread tasting!

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  10. My favorite childhood Christmas book is Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree. My grandmother always read this to us and now I have it for my kids! It's such a sweet story that rhymes and has an old fashioned feel to it. Mr. Willowby's tree is too tall and he chops off some of the top and throws it out - someone else gets that piece and the chopping just continues down to the smallest little mouse to get a piece of the tree! Love it.

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  11. After reading this I just ordered 12 books from Amazon....I few you suggested and others I found as well. I have been wanting to have a bin of Christmas books to have out for when my grandkids are over. I love cuddling up on the couch with all the twinkle lights on and reading Christmas books. They will love it! Thanks for all the great ideas!

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  12. We love one called Snowmen at Night. It's more of a winter book than Christmas, but its all about what the Snowmen must do at night to make them melt by morning. :) It's just adorable

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    1. That's one my children's favorites! There is also a Snowmen at Christmas (same author and illustrator), and we love it, too.

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  13. Song of the Stars by Sally Lloyd-Jones (she wrote the Jesus Storybook Bible) is SO beautiful! I tear up when we read it! Room for a Little One is also beautiful- told from the perspective of the animals in the stable.

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  14. What a great collection! I love the idea of putting out seasonal books for just a short time. My kiddos are grown now but I'm gonna keep this in mind for when they have their own families. :)

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  15. My children are in college now, but one of our favorite stories when they were little was "Santa's Favorite Story". Santa tells the real story of Christmas to the forest animals. Such a sweet story. I look forward to reading it to grandbabies one day :)https://www.amazon.com/Santas-Favorite-Story-Santa-Christmas/dp/141695029X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511285889&sr=8-1&keywords=santa%27s+favorite+story&dpID=61W703OF34L&preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

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  16. perfect timing on this post. finalizing our books for our Christmas book advent calendar! (Wrapping them up, opening one at bedtime every night). We are using old books as well as new to save on $$ (especially because like you our Christmas books are only out for a short period of time), I think I am more excited than my daughter for this!

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  17. Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck is probably the most memorable Christmas book I've read. It makes me cry just a little every time I read it, happy cry, don't worry it's not a sad book! https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Day-Morning-Pearl-Buck/dp/0688162673/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

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  18. This post is so helpful! I’ve been on the search for some Christmas books for my kids :) And I love the idea of packing them up with your Christmas stuff....I’ll be doing that for sure!

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  19. I love me some picture books! Great reccomendations, getting some of these for my classroom!

    xoxo
    Juliana Grace | www.julianagraceblogspace.com

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  20. "Christmas Lights" by Ann Fearrington is one that we love. It's about a family who goes out for a night time drive to look at Cmas lights, and it's very simple but has such beautiful illustrations. We usually read it on the 'main night' we go out looking at lights. We also enjoy "Bunny Christmas - A Family Celebration" by Rick Walton (nice rhyming story with beautiful illustrations).

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  21. My son is under 2 and we probably have 600+books (#teacherkidprobs haha).

    I started out wanting 25 books for Christmas- but ended up with tons more. The Goodwills here have an AMAZING selection for .99 (.89 with my teacher discount). Many come from Target salvage and are brand new.

    Just a tip for anyone looking for an easy way to stock up (we also have a store like Half Price Books called McKays that has amazing deals too!).

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  22. I started the same tradition when I had my first son and now it's definitely one that all 5 of them enjoy.
    I asked them each to pick their favorite ( oldest to youngest)
    1- The Night Before Christmas
    2-The Grinch
    3-Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer
    4- Christmas Mouse
    5-Animal Christmas Eve

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  23. We LOVE The Three Trees (also great for Easter)--it makes me cry when I read it! Room For a Little One, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and La Befana's Gift!

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  24. Check out Auntie Claus...griffin would love it!!

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  25. I saved all the Christmas books my dad and I would read each night leading up to Christmas and I can't wait to start this tradition with my own kids one day! But until that day comes, I'll continue to stock up on some of these and put them away for my future babes.

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