I'm starting what I hope will turn into a fun and dare I say beloved Christmas tradition - a Christmas book Advent Calendar!
How a Christmas book Advent Calendar works
Before December, I collect, wrap, and number 24 Christmas-themed books (but if you start a little late, that's totally ok too!). Each morning (some families do evening), my little guy will unwrap a book, and we'll read it to him at the breakfast table.
I also had an extra basket that I put a big Christmas bow on so that we could store our already opened books for easy reading access throughout the month.
How to source the books
This is a long-term project for us. Eventually, I think we'll have amassed quite the Christmas book collection that we can pull from year after year, but we're not quite there yet.
This year, I purchased some books from Amazon, scoured the holiday section of our local second-hand bookshop (hurray for Half Priced Bookstore), made a lot of pick-up requests at the public library, and requested some old childhood favorites be mailed from the grandparent's library (it takes a village).
The Takeaway
I'm not going to lie, between the book sourcing and all the wrapping, it's been a pretty time-consuming project. However, I imagine it will get easier each year as we collect more books of our own, AND I think it's going to be totally worth it!- really any excuse to add to our home library and do something Christmas-y (it's a win-win).
Ok, FINALLY- here's a list of the top 10 Christmas books we're especially excited about this year:
1. The Christmas Promise by Alison Mitchell
Really any books from the Tales That Tell the Truth series are the absolute best. This one tells the story of Jesus' birth. We read it all year round, but I wrapped it up for Advent anyway.
2. A Very Noisy Christmas by Tim Thornborough
This is another book that tells the story of Jesus' birth. It's especially fun for little ones because some pages are supposed to be read in a Shhhh whisper and others in a VERY LOUD VOICE!
This was the first book of Advent that we opened, and my son had me re-reading it to him all day long.
3. Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner
This is a super cute book that definitely sparks the imagination. If you haven't read it already, a little boy makes a snowman and then imagines all the ways that snowmen celebrate Christmas together.
4. 12 Little Elves Visit Texas by Trish Madson
I'm really excited about this Texas-themed book for our first Christmas in the Lone Star State! The little elves in the story visit different, famous sites around Texas (that are all decorated for the season).
It's a great way to remember visiting some of the sites and to put some new ones on your bucket list. It's a fun, upbeat little story that rhymes (always a bonus). It comes in other states (and even Canada) but not South Carolina yet...
5. I Spy Little Christmas by Jean Marzollo
I loved all the I Spy books growing up, and now my son loves playing "I Spy" on our walks and has a find it book (Find Momo) that's been a favorite in our book rotation for the past few months.
This book is geared towards 2- 3 year olds, but they also have more "advanced" I Spy Christmas books available for older kiddos, such as I Spy Christmas.
6. The Silent Noisy Night by Jill Roman Lord
This is the perfect book for the animal-loving kiddo in your life. It tells the story of the birth of Jesus by highlighting all the joyful noises that might have accompanied the event (mooing, baaing, hee-hawing...).
It's definitely a fun and happy story that I know my son will have me reading over and over.
7. Christmas Mice by Richard Scarry
We are obsessed with Richard Scarry's busy busy books over at our house. This book is a fun and easy read about two little mice who wake up early on Christmas and explore all the different holiday presents and decorations.
My son's favorite part of the book is finding where the two mice are "hiding" in each picture.
8. The Night Before Christmas by Clement Moore
This is a total classic that we have as our book to open on Christmas Eve. This is the abridged version.
9. Where's Santa Claus? by Nosy Crow
This is a cute and simple Christmas-themed hide and seek book made with felt (read: no more torn pages!). It's definitely geared towards babies (My son absolutely adored this book last year at around 10 months old).
This is probably his last year with it before his sophisticated toddler self outgrows the simple hide and seek concept, but his baby brother will definitely get a kick out of it next year.
10. Little Blue Truck's Christmas by Alice Schertle
The original Little Blue Truck book is already a household favorite. The only thing that could've made it better?- some Christmas cheer! This story features animal sounds, counting, trucks, and Christmas trees. What more can you ask for?
Oh, and I forgot to mention that there is a Christmas tree that actually lights up on the last page.
I know that there are so many more great Christmas books that were left off the list. I'd love to hear your holiday favorites, so leave them in the comments below!
For some non-holiday board book favorites, check out my Top 10 Board Books to Read with Your Baby post.
About Mama Says
I'm Lauren, a wife and mom living in Texas. I love coffee dates, game nights, football season, and bike rides.
I heavily rely on the wisdom and knowledge of other moms. Whether it's a serious topic such as discipline or something more mundane (but just as vital to my sanity) like, "Is there a diaper that my son won't pee through in the middle of the night?!," my community of fellow moms has been vital. The motto for Mama Says is "leaning into everyday mom life," and I hope that the content here helps you in some small way as you work each day loving and raising little humans.
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