The holiday season is a time for cherished traditions, and what better way to usher in the festive spirit than by starting a new tradition on Christmas Eve? One of the most magical and heartwarming traditions you can establish is reading Christmas books as a family. It’s a cozy, bonding experience that can bring generations together and create lasting memories. In this post, we’ll explore some delightful Christmas books that are perfect for the whole family, and how you can make this a cherished part of your holiday celebrations.
Starting a tradition of reading Christmas books on Christmas Eve can become a treasured part of your family’s holiday festivities. Gather around the fireplace, brew some hot cocoa, and take turns reading these tales aloud. Let each family member choose a book or take turns each year. It’s a chance to slow down, enjoy each other’s company, and reflect on the magic and meaning of Christmas. These stories, with their enduring themes of love, transformation, and the importance of giving, can be a source of inspiration and connection that your family will cherish for years to come. So why not make this year the beginning of a new Christmas Eve tradition?
Read on to see our picks for classic Christmas stories mixed with newer ones, that would make a great addition to your holiday traditions.
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A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens
First published on 19 December 1843 and written at a time of decline in festive tradition, A Christmas Carol became an instant classic. While the character of Ebenezer Scrooge has become the epitome of miserliness, his story of redemption reinforces expectations for Christmas Day as a time of peace and goodwill to all men.
‘If I had my way, every idiot who goes around with Merry Christmas on his lips, would be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. Merry Christmas? Bah humbug!’
To bitter, miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, Christmas is just another day. But all that changes when the ghost of his long-dead business partner appears, warning Scrooge to change his ways before it’s too late.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas!
by Dr. Seuss
“The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!
Now, please don’t ask why. No one quite knows the reason.”
For 53 years, the Grinch has lived in a cave on the side of a mountain, looming above the Whos in Whoville. The noisy holiday preparations and infernal singing of the happy little citizens below annoy him to no end. The Grinch decides this frivolous merriment must stop. His “wonderful, awful” idea is to don a Santa outfit, strap heavy antlers on his poor, quivering dog Max, construct a makeshift sleigh, head down to Whoville, and strip the chafingly cheerful Whos of their Yuletide glee once and for all.
Looking quite out of place and very disturbing in his makeshift Santa get-up, the Grinch slithers down chimneys with empty bags and stealing the Whos’ presents, their food, even the logs from their humble Who-fires. He takes the ramshackle sleigh to Mt. Crumpit to dump it and waits to hear the sobs of the Whos when they wake up and discover the trappings of Christmas have disappeared. Imagine the Whos’ dismay when they discover the evil-doings of Grinch in his anti-Santa guise. But what is that sound? It’s not sobbing, but singing! Children simultaneously adore and fear this triumphant, twisted Seussian testimonial to the undaunted cheerfulness of the Whos, the transcendent nature of joy, and of course, the growth potential of a heart that’s two sizes too small.
This holiday classic is perfect for reading aloud to your favorite little Whos.
The Night Before Christmas
by Clement Clarke Moore
The Night Before Christmas is an enchanting Christmas story that has brought Santa Claus to life for generations. Celebrate the holiday season with this bestselling edition of the classic poem.
This poem first appeared in a newspaper in Troy, New York, USA, on December 23, 1823, as “A Visit From St. Nicholas”. No one claimed authorship until 13 years later. Clement Clarke Moore, a professor and poet, said that he wrote the piece for his children. Unbeknownst to him, his housekeeper had sent it to the newspaper to be published. However, the family of Henry Livingston Jr. contended that their father had been reciting “A Visit from St. Nicholas” for 15 years prior to publication. Regardless of the true author, the poem is now a Christmas classic.
The Polar Express
by Chris Van Allsburg
“Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.”
Late one Christmas Eve after the town has gone to sleep, the boy boards the mysterious train that waits for him: the Polar Express bound for the North Pole. When he arrives, Santa offers the boy any gift he desires. The boy modestly asks for one bell from the harness of the reindeer. The gift is granted. On the way home the bell is lost. On Christmas morning, the boy finds the bell under the tree. The mother of the boy admires the bell, but laments that it is broken—for you see, only believers can hear the sound of the bell.
The Autobiography of Santa Claus
by Jeff Guinn
It all started when Jeff Guinn was assigned to write a piece full of little-known facts about Christmas for his paper, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. A few months later, he received a call from a gentleman who told him that he showed the story to an important friend who didn’t think much of it. And who might that be? asked Jeff. The next thing he knew, he was whisked off to the North Pole to meet with this “very important friend,” and the rest is, well, as they say, history.
An enchanting holiday treasure, The Autobiography of Santa Claus combines solid historical fact with legend to deliver the definitive story of Santa Claus. And who better to lead us through seventeen centuries of Christmas magic than good ol’ Saint Nick himself? Families will delight in each chapter of this new Christmas classic-one per each cold December night leading up to Christmas!
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
by Robert May
The story follows the journey of Rudolph, a young reindeer born with a bright red nose that glows like a lightbulb, unlike the other reindeer in Santa Claus’s North Pole reindeer team. Rudolph’s uniqueness makes him an outcast, as the other reindeer mock and exclude him for his differences.
As Christmas approaches and Santa Claus is preparing for his annual journey to deliver gifts to children around the world, a heavy snowstorm threatens to cancel the flight. Santa, desperate to find a solution, discovers Rudolph’s remarkable nose and realizes it can pierce through the storm, guiding his sleigh.
Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree
by Robert Barry
Christmas is here and Mr. Willowby’s tree has arrived. There’s just one big problem: The tree is too tall for his parlor! He cuts off the top so it will fit, and soon the top of that tree is passed along again and again to bring holiday cheer to all the animals in the forest.
Kids will love watching the tree move from home to home, and families will appreciate the subtle message of conservation and recycling, as the tree top spreads joy to all.
The Christmas Wish
by Lori Evert
Long ago, a brave little girl named Anja wanted to be one of Santa’s elves. So she leaves a note for her family and helps her elderly neighbor prepare for the holiday, then she straps on her skis, and heads out into the snowy landscape. From a red bird to a polar bear to a reindeer, a menagerie of winter animals help Anja make her way to Santa.
The Nutcracker
by E.T.A. Hoffmann
In this enchanting tale, the nutcracker doll that Marie gets for Christmas is no ordinary toy. As the clocks strike midnight on Christmas Eve, it comes to life! The Nutcracker must fight the Mouse King and his armies with the help of an entire cabinet of Marie’s playthings. He then whisks Marie away to a magical kingdom populated by dolls.
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
by Susan Wojciechowski
Jonathan Toomey is the best woodcarver in the valley, but he is always alone and never smiles. No one knows about the mementos of his lost wife and child that he keeps in an unopened drawer. But one early winter’s day, a widow and her young son approach him with a gentle request that leads to a joyful miracle.
The Mitten
by Jan Brett
When Nicki drops his white mitten in the snow, he goes on without realizing that it is missing.
One by one, woodland animals find it and crawl in; first, a curious mole, then a rabbit, a badger and others, each one larger than the last. Finally, a big brown bear is followed in by a tiny brown mouse and what happens next makes for a wonderfully funny climax.
As the story of the animals in the mitten unfolds, the reader can see Nicki in the boarders of each page, walking through the woods unaware of what is going on.
The Night The Snow Globe Came To Life
by Natalie Gibbons
A delighted little girl can hardly believe, when her snow globe came to life one magical Christmas eve! Her family is shocked, the treats are stocked, the music sings, and sleigh bells ring. Seven special notes to Santa, grateful hearts, and matching pajamas…Inspire his extra special visit – with goodies, gifts, and toys to go with it!
Will the children be fast asleep when Santa arrives,
The Night the Snow Globe Came to Life?
