One of my favorite things about Christmas is Christmas stories. We keep all of our Christmas books in a box and pull them out every season. It’s fun to tuck them away and then re-discover them every year. My kids are 3, 7, 9, and 12 and these are some of our favorite family Christmas books!
THE JOLLY CHRISTMAS POSTMAN
Pretty much the best Christmas book, ever. My kids LOVE this book, and so do I. There are actual envelopes to open up and pull out wonderful things like puzzles, mini-books, holiday cards and more. Every single detail in this book is charming; it’s a must-have. Find it here.
YOU ARE MY MIRACLE
This is the Christmas version of the beloved You Are My I Love You, by Maryann Cusimano Love and Satomi Ichikawa (if you don’t have that one yet, you NEED it!) My aunt Barb gave me both of these books when I had my first baby and they have been favorites ever since. Kids will love the colorful illustrations, and anyone who is a parent or has ever wanted to be one, will hold back tears every time they read it. Find it Here.
B IS FOR BETHLEHEM
Speaking of aunts-another aunt, Susan- gave me this book one Christmas. The illustrations in this book are breathtaking. Like, I want every page on a canvas on my wall. It’s an alphabet book with every letter representing something from the Christmas story. We have the board-book version, which I love. You’ll notice the cover in the link I’m including looks different, but it’s the same book. Find it Here.
THE CHRISTMAS STORY: THE BRICK BIBLE FOR KIDS
When I first got this book for one of my kids for Christmas part of me thought, “Is this allowed?? Is this sacraligeous?? Can Jesus be made out of legos??” You guys. This book is awesome. It’s clever and hilarious, and my lego-loving kids just love it. It’s got Mary and Joseph, and angels, and wisemen, and yes- even the baby Jesus, all made out of legos. Find it Here.
I BELIEVE IN SANTA CLAUS
This book is a sweet bridge between a very commercialized Christmas, and a Christ-centered one. It talks about all of the symbols of Christmas and how they remind us of Christ, and it’s done in a very simple, child-friendly, way. It even draws beautiful parallels between Santa and Jesus. It’s one of my most favorites! Find it Here.
THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER
This was my favorite book when I was a kid and I just read it last year with my own children, then watched the old 80’s movie on YouTube! This classic chapter book is a very short read; I think we finished it in a week reading a chapter or two a day, and it’s great for young readers. Of all the Christmas stories in the world, this is the most nostalgic for me. I think we’ll read it again this year! Find it here.
BUNNY SLOPES
This darling book requires some reader participation as you shake the book to make snow, tilt the book to make the bunny ski down the slopes, etc. My toddler is LOVING it right now. It’s a very quick read and guaranteed lots of cute little giggles. Find it here.
TEN GINGERBREAD MEN
This is just a simple board book, but also a toddler favorite at our house. The 3-d gingerbread men pop out of the pages and it makes for awesome number practice for little people learning to count. And you know how sometimes you just want a really quick and easy book before bed so you can make them go to sleep?? This is my go-to in that situation, lol. Find it here.
DINOSAURS’ NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
This book is just plain fun. If you’ve got dinosaur lovers at your house, they’ll get a kick out of this book. The writing is clever and the pictures are bright and beautiful. This was one of my boys’ most favorites when they were younger. Bonus: it comes with a fun CD we used to listen to in the car. Find it here!
I would love to keep adding to this post for next year- leave a comment and tell me about YOUR favorite Christmas book so I can check it out!
Questions & Reviews
I LOVE Christmas books! I own probably 40 or so and I check out about 20 new ones from the library each year. (We unwrap and read a new Christmas book each night from Dec. 1 to Dec. 24…and I’m an elementary school teacher…so I have a lot of books at school and a lot at home.)
My very, very favorite has already been mentioned a couple of times: Christmas Miracle for Jonathan Toomey.
Some others we really like:
The Pirates’ Night Before Christmas.
When Jesus Was Born in Bethlehem
God Bless Your Way
An Orange for Frankie (I pretty much adore everything Patricia Polacco writes). I also love Christmas Tapestry, Gifts of the Heart, and Trees of the Dancing Goats.
The Third Gift.
Robert Sabuda’s pop up books are amazing! He has the 12 Days of Christmas and The Christmas Story
Silver Packages.
Joseph’s Story.
I’m also trying to read/add more multicultural books to my collection. A few I’ve read this year or last include:
Yoon and the Christmas Mitten
An Angel Like Me
The Night Before Christmas (illustrated by Rachel Isadora)
The Third Gift which I mentioned above.
The Legend of the Poinsettia
Nine Days to Christmas: A Story of Mexico
I’m sure there are others that I’m forgetting but there are a few…
I love The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, we also read it every year and love it! Another on of our favorites is Twas the Night before Christmas. We have had a couple of versions and there are many great ones out there.
We love The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey – very heartwarming and you might cry!
OK… so this isn’t a “feel good, makes you cry Christmas book”, but it’s really funny. How Murray Saved Christmas by Mike Reiss. I have a house full of boys and this one still makes the 15 year old laugh.
What a fun list! I have only even heard of one of these books! Most Christmas book lists are full of all the usuals so this is a fun change. Thanks!
You’re speaking my love language….I adore Christmas books. I don’t actually have most of the ones on your list, I’ll have to start looking for them. I’ll add a few, mostly Canadian authors so they might be new to ya’ll. Some of my favourite picture books:
Pippin the Christmas Pig and Listen, Said the Donkey, both by Jean Little
The Christmas Donkey – a Little Golden Book from my childhood that’s a wonderful story of the first Christmas
I have a couple of short story anthologies that are great for older kids: Do Not Open Until Christmas by Jean Little and Christmas with Anne and other Stories by LM Montgomery.
The 9 month old’s current favourites are Little Blue Truck’s Christmas and You are my Merry Little Christmas!
A Wish for Wings That Worked; An Opus Christmas Story by Berkeley Breathed. Not only do I cry every. Single. Time, but my husband can’t get through it without actually weeping. He did when he read it to our daughters as they were growing up, and he still does when he reads it to our grandkids. Beautiful story.
I loved Listen to the Silent Night by Dandi Daley Mackall. It has beautiful illustrations and I can never read it without crying at the end.
My favorite is this gorgeous 12 days of Christmas one. My kids love looking for and finding everything on each page. The review tells about it better than I can.
https://www.crackingthecover.com/4107/add-laurel-longs-stunning-twelve-days-of-christmas-to-your-collection/
I love Mortimer’s Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson. It tells about a little mouse who learns about the true meaning of Christmas.