Christmas Book Basket for Kids

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Every month I assemble a book basket for my kids. The basket typically contains a variety of themed books about seasonal topics. My kids are free to read them any time they want. My December ~ Christmas book basket is a little different. Every December I select and wrap 25 Christmas books for kids to read throughout the holiday season.  

Actually, I do this at the end of November so it is ready to go on December 1st. I number the wrapped books 1-25. Hannah and Ben take turns unwrapping the day’s holiday picture book, and we read it together all snuggled on the couch. Download and print these cute free countdown to Christmas tags.

I try to match up book themes with activities from our advent activity calendar. So on Gingerbread Day, we unwrap and read The Gingerbread Man. On Christmas Eve, we read The Night Before Christmas.

Related: Family-Friendly Advent Calendar Activities

We have had many of these books for years, but I try to add a new book or two each year. If my kids don’t seem very interested in a book we are reading, I give it away so a new family can read it too. There is no use forcing them to read a book they don’t like when the activity is supposed to be fun.

I add new books to our collection throughout the year. Sometimes we find new favorite Christmas books. We also enjoy reading Christmas chapter books as a family.

What if we travel during the month of December?  Won’t that make it hard to keep up with a daily book? Not with a little advance planning! There are 3 options for keeping up with the Christmas story tradition while traveling:

1. Bring books with you. This option works best if you are not limited to luggage space. If you are flying, either pack the books in your checked bags or leave them unwrapped. I have heard that TSA does not like wrapped items going through security. A gift bag might be a good way to wrap the books once you reach your destination.
2. Load up your Kindle with digital books. This is a great way to read Christmas books when you are short on luggage space. A Kindle lets you bring a ton of books without any extra weight.  Everyone in my family has a Kindle, and it makes traveling so much more enjoyable.
3. Have Christmas books waiting at your destination. This option is great if you are visiting family or friends. Grandma can swing by her local library and check out a few Christmas stories to read while you are in town.

Don’t feel like you need to go out and buy 25 Christmas books!  Libraries are a great resource for holiday stories. They tend to be very popular, so you might want to reserve a few online ahead of time. I also recommend putting those books towards the beginning of the Christmas baskets so you can read them and return them without worrying about late fees.

Christmas Book Basket for Kids

These Christmas books for kids are excellent additions to any Christmas book basket.

Froggy’s Best Christmas by Jonathan London

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The Biggest Christmas Tree Ever by Steven Kroll

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Related: Hands-on Activities for The Biggest Christmas Tree Ever

Stable in Bethlehem:  A Christmas Counting Book by Joy N. Hulme

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Mickey’s Christmas Carol A Little Golden Book

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The Christmas Promise by Susan Bartoletti

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The Twelve Days of Christmas in Washington by John Abbott Nez (These books are available for quite a few states! Find the one for your home state to personalize your Christmas book basket.)

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Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney

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Christmas Tapestry by Patricia Polacco

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The Berenstain Bears Meet Santa Bear by Stan & Jan Berenstain

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The Berenstain Bears and the Joy of Giving by Jan & Mike Berenstain

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Gingerbread Mouse by Katy Bratun

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Related: The Best Gingerbread Books

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore

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The Night Before the Night Before Christmas by Natasha Wing

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The Gingerbread Man retold by Jim Aylesworth

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Jingle All the Way by Tom Shay-Zapien

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If You Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff

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Related: Fun Activities for If You Take a Mouse to the Movies

The Nativity by Francesca Crespi (This is a pop-up book with beautiful illustrations)

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On This Special Night by Clair Freedman

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How to Catch Santa by Jean Reagan

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Related: How to Catch Santa Activities

How to Catch an Elf by Adam Wallace

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Little Blue Truck’s Christmas by Alice Shertle

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Related: 3 Simple Activities for Little Blue Truck’s Christmas

Turkey Claus by Wendi Silvano

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Related: Turkey Claus Activities

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

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Related: The Polar Express Activities

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski

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The Christmas Wish by Lori Evert

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A Little Women Christmas by Heather Vogel Frederick

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A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz

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The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg

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Christina’s Carol by Tomie dePaola

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The Little Fir Tree by Margaret Wise Brown

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Christmas in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

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A City Full of Santas by Joanna Ho

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The Christmas Owl: Based on the True Story of a Little Owl Named Rockefeller by Gideon Sterer and Ellen Kalish

Last update on 2026-08-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

What was your favorite Christmas book as a child? Add it to your Christmas book basket to share with your own children!

Keep reading . . .

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• Best Christmas Chapter Books for Kids
• Charlie Brown Christmas Activities for Kids
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• Christmas Boredom-Busting Basket

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