One of my favorite Christmas traditions is reading Christmas books to Dannica and DJ before bedtime (and sometimes after breakfast, before lunch, before nap and after nap times–we LOVE Christmas books). I love to read books that relate to Christmas activities before we do them to Dannica and DJ because I think it helps to visually, mentally and emotionally prepare them before we actually do them in person (such as visiting a tree farm, visiting Santa, going caroling, etc). It is also a great way for children to gain greater depth in understanding the motions that we go through during the holidays because sometimes we tend to forget why we have those traditions in the first place.
Here is a list of our current and past favorites–We hope they bring you and your family as much joy as they have done for us!
1. Pick A Pine Tree–an ABSOLUTE MUST. Adorable little story about picking and decorating a Christmas tree. Stunning illustrations. This is Dannica’s FAVORITE.
2. When Santa Was A Baby–Short story about how Santa became who he is today. Again, stunning illustrations, and such a fun read for children to see how Santa grew up.
3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas–The Pixar movie has already come out, but really…truly…nothing is better than reading the original book–and Dannica agrees. I must have read this book to her a hundred times by now and she has memorized it from cover to cover. Dr. Seuss is the number one reason why I went to Dartmouth College, and so it goes without saying that this book is my all time favorite Christmas book ever!
4. The Night Before Christmas–Speaking of another classic, this book is a fresh imagining of the classic (probably the most famous and recognizable) poem by Clement C. Moore. This book makes you realize that all the Christmas magic isn’t just for little kids, but adults too.
5. Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas–We love ANYTHING Fancy Nancy, and this book is absolutely wonderful. A gentle reminder of what is most important in celebrating Christmas traditions.
6. Olive, the Other Reindeer–An adorable book about little dog named Olive who thinks its a reindeer, and how a little tiny canine saved Christmas! We are also partial to this book because we love dogs 🙂
7. First Snow–A great beginner’s book about how to build a snowman. Truly stunning illustrations and I personally adore the small Korean touches in the illustrations.
8. Olivia Helps With Christmas–One of Dannica’s favorite storybook character, Olivia here “helps” out with Christmas!
9. The Little Reindeer–How a small child goes through a Christmas Eve adventure! GORGEOUS illustrations and fun little cutouts.
10. The Wish Tree–How a little boy sets out to find the Wish Tree with the help of some woodland friends.
11. Samurai Santa–Lots of ninja (and snowball) fun with a surprising twist at the very end! 🙂
12. Little Blue Truck’s Christmas–Fun Christmas rendition of the Little Blue Truck’s series. Dannica especially loves the twinkly lights at the very end!
13. Don’t Push The Button! A Christmas Adventure–Dannica loves the original book and this one is just as much fun!
I hope these books add lots of Christmas cheer to your home, and have your young ones’ embrace all things holiday that much more!