I love Christmastime! The sparkling lights, the smell of mistletoe, the warm cozy fires, the big cups of hot cocoa, and the delicious Christmas cookies! It’s the perfect time of year to cuddle up in some flannel pj’s and enjoy some wonderful Christmas stories!
In this house, we love to read books (as I’m sure you already know). Reading is a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays…to learn about different Christmas traditions. It also gives us (as parents) an opportunity to share our favorite Christmas stories, from when we were children!
This year, we’ve been enjoying some delightful holiday literature, and we thought you might like to read some of our Christmas favorites. So…we are sharing a list of the books that we’ve fallen in love with this holiday season.
Our Favorite Christmas Stories (2017)
- Merry Christmas, Splat by Rob Scotton
- Oh Splat! One of our favorite cats (aside from Pete, of course). Splat pens a letter to Santa asking for a really big present for Christmas, and he makes sure to mention that he’s been a very good cat. π But Splat’s sister questions how good Splat really was this year…leaving Splat a little worried. So, Splat does what any cat would do in this situation…he makes sure to be extra helpful and nice. Will Santa leave a really big present under the tree, for Splat to open on Christmas morning? You’ll have to read the story and find out!
- Penguin’s Christmas Wish by Salina Yoon
- It’s Christmastime on the ice, and Penguin and Pumpkin are busy decorating their snow tree, when Pumpkin makes a wish for a real Christmas tree. Penguin gets a brilliant idea. He packs up a sled full of presents and decorations, and sets off on an adventure with his family. Come Christmas morning, they’re celebrating with Penguin’s old friend, Pinecone…the real Christmas tree!
- A World of Cookies for Santa by M.E. Furman
- This happens to be the story that Santa mailed to our little nugget (from the North Pole) this year! We always make sure to leave out some milk and cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve. I love that this book takes us on a journey around the world, where we get to learn all about the delicious treats that children, from across the globe, gift to Santa on his big night. The best part? This book comes with several recipes, so that you can make some of these worldly Christmas goodies with your family!
- Dream Snow by Eric Carle
- I’m pretty sure that you can never fail at story time, if you have an Eric Carle book! Growing up in Colorado, when I think of Christmas, I think of snow. Soft, sparkly, white snow. A fresh blanket of snow makes everything look magical! Much like myself, the farmer in this story starts dreaming of snow when he realizes that Christmas is right around the corner. My little nugget has been reading this story non-stop this holiday season. She especially loves the surprise at the very end…when she gets to press the button to hear the beautiful music coming from the decorated tree! FYI – this story comes in a board book version as well, although I think the hardcover version is the only one with a musical component.
- Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht
- I’m personally in love with this book (and my little nugget is too)! Everything about it is perfection…from the charming story detailing the process of turning a pine tree into a beautiful Christmas tree, to the stunning illustrations by Jarvis. One of our favorite family Christmas traditions is going to pick out our tree, and I love how this story shows the entire adventure…picking the tree, tying it to the top of the car, trimming the trunk to put it in the tree stand, giving the tree some water, and decorating with family and friends!
- The Christmas Wish by Lori Evert & Per Breiehagen
- This beautiful Nordic story is simply magical! Follow along as Anja makes her way to the North Pole to fulfill her dream of becoming one of Santa’s elves. Several gentle creatures help her on her long journey, and lead her to her final destination. We love joining Anja on her snowy adventure, as we flip through the beautiful photographs that accompany this story!
- How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas? by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague
- We love the How Do Dinosaurs…Β series! These books always provide a good laugh, and they usually provide a great behavioral lesson, as well. In this Christmas story, we learn that it is not very nice (or polite) to tear open all of the Christmas presents under the tree (before the big day), or shake up the Christmas tree so all of the ornaments fall off and break. The dinosaurs show us how we should behave at Christmastime…like being kind, helping out with the dishes, and giving grandparents big Christmas Eve wishes!
We’ve been delving into these Christmas stories every day…along with some of our favorites from last year! Our little nugget’s absolute favorite Christmas book is still The Twelve Days of Christmas! She can sing the entire thing by herself, and is constantly keeping us entertained. π
Do your kiddos have an absolute favorite, when it comes to holiday stories? We would love to hear all about it, in the comments below.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
