A basket, brimming with books under the Christmas tree (to any children who are concerned by the absence of presents: don’t worry, I actually have two trees, and all of the presents are under the other one!)
Peace family, there are so many things that make this time of year special, including Christmas books. What are your favorite Christmas books and stories?
A friend and I were recently discussing the kinds of stories that were read to us around Christmastime as children, and it reminded me of some stories that I haven’t remembered in years, such as The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. I remember the excitement and delight I had whenever my teacher would read that book to us, but I don’t even remember which teacher it was, or what grade I was in. It’s funny and interesting, with real heart, and I hope to read it to my own kids some day. My sister-in-law’s family always reads ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve. Of course, many families also read through Luke’s telling of the Christmas story on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
I love books in general, and naturally, I love Christmas books, too. I use them for decorating, and I look forward to pulling out my Christmas books each year. They are like old friends!
Besides reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, I’m also reading an advent devotional that I bought at First Baptist Bryan called A Christmas Letter From Paul, and The Case For Christmas, by Lee Strobel. If I finish those, I will pull out A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens! Other favorites include Coming Home For Christmas from Gooseberry Patch, The Jolly Christmas Postman, and several Christmas-specific cookbooks that I love to leaf through every year.
Peace family, Christmas is a season of joy and celebration, and so many stories reflect that. Many stories also are very clear about remembering that Jesus is the reason we celebrate. My favorite Christmas stories encourage me to be a more faithful, more loving, and more joyful person. Does your family have any favorite Christmas books? If you’d like to start a new tradition, here is a list of some of my favorite Christmas books. Happy reading!
The Essential Christmas Book by Alan MacDonald and Janet Stickley (Faith-focused and great for kids, it offers an explanation of many Christmas traditions around the world. It also has some recipes and kid-friendly craft ideas.)
The Jolly Christmas Postman by Allan and Janet Ahlberg (Great for kindergarten and first-grade children- a postman delivers Christmas letters to characters from fairy tales, and you get to read the mail!)
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson (One of my favorites of all time- my guess is that this is a 3rd grade or so reading level. A church Christmas pageant is radically transformed when the worst kids in town, who’ve never heard the Christmas story, show up and want to be a part of it.)
Coming Home For Christmas by Gooseberry Patch (One of my absolute favorite books, it is full of recipes, craft and gift ideas, and different contributors’ most heart-warming memories and stories from their favorite Christmases.)
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas Treasury by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen (A collection of heart-warming, and sometimes tear-jerking, stories. Some of the stories might be too long for some children’s attention spans; this book is probably more encouraging for grown-ups.)
Silent Night: The Stories behind 40 Beloved Christmas Carols by Inc. Barbour Publishing (This short book shares the history behind many favorite Christmas songs.)
52 Little Lessons From It’s a Wonderful Life by Bob Welch (Encouragement and thoughts based off of parts of the famous movie.)
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens (The classic story that encourages us to love others and keep the attitude of Christmas in our hearts.)
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