Every month I assemble a seasonal book basket for my kids.  The basket typically contains a variety of books about seasonal topics. My kids are free to read them at their leisure.  My December book basket is a little different.   Every December I select and wrap 25 Christmas books for kids.  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 story and we all read it together.

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.

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 through the year.

What if we travel in December?  Won’t that make it hard to keep up with a daily book?

Not with a little planning!

There are 3 options for keeping up with the Christmas book basket while traveling:

1. Bring books with you.  This option works best if you are not limited on 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.
2. Load up your kindle with digital books.  This is a great way to read Christmas books when you are short on space.  You can 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 book basket so you can read and return so others can enjoy.

Christmas Books for Kids

These are the books that are currently in our Christmas book basket.

Froggy’s Best Christmas by Jonathan London

The Biggest Christmas Tree Ever by Steven Kroll

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

Mickey’s Christmas Carol A Little Golden Book

The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story by Gloria Houston

The Christmas Promise by Susan Bartoletti

The Twelve Days of Christmas in Washington by John Abbott Nez (These books are available for quite a few states!)

Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney

The Littlest Christmas Tree: A Tale of Growing and Becoming by Janie Jasin

The Little Christmas Angel by John Speirs

The Berenstain Bears Meet Santa Bear by Stan & Jan Berenstain

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

Gingerbread Mouse by Katy Bratun

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore

The Night Before the Night Before Christmas by Natasha Wing

The Gingerbread Man retold by Jim Aylesworth

Jingle All the Way by Tom Shay-Zapien

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

On This Special Night by Clair Freedman

My Adventure With Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Sally Snyder (This book was personalized for my husband by his grandfather many many years ago)

Kindle Christmas Books for Kids

Santa’s Temporary Team by Ana Montoya-Wade and Kota Wade

Twas the Night Before Christmas:  Edited by Santa For the Benefit of the Children of the 21st Century  by Clement Clark Moore

Santa Loves Cookies:  A Parody

The Legend of Christmas Magic by A.D. Trosper

What is your favorite Christmas books for kids?

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