Christmas is an awesome time of year to come up with all kinds of new family traditions. We have added a few to our family that we really love, including having 25 days of Christmas books! This is how we give the gift of reading to our kids in the month of December.

Countdown with this 25 days to Christmas book list!
A Christmas tradition that we started years ago was our Christmas Eve box. Every Christmas Eve after dinner a present magically appears under our tree for the kids to open. This package always has new pajamas, some hot chocolate, a small treat, and a new Christmas book. We all curl up together and read our book before sending the kids upstairs to get into bed for the night. This is such a sweet tradition that our kids have grown to look forward to and to love.

This got me thinking that we could bring this love of reading and books into the entire month of December! This year, we are going to do a 25 days of Christmas book present every single day through Christmas. Every night these books are going to magically appear under the tree (as long as I don’t get caught!) and we will have an entire month worth of reading about Christmas. This is also a very cool way to count down until Christmas! All of our packages will be labeled with how many days until Christmas so there is another aspect of anticipation and excitement around these fun little presents.

Free countdown tags to go along with your Christmas book list countdown!
You can get these adorable countdown tags to go along with these books for free! When you sign up for my emails, you’ll receive these tags, plus access to all of my free printables. Woohoo! Sign up below now, and you will get instant access to my Subscriber’s Studio where you can get your download. Already a subscriber? Make sure to login to the Subscriber’s Studio now. Your password is at the bottom of everyone of the emails I send you.
Easily add these 25 books into your home this season!
“But, how are you going to afford 25 new books?!” Friends, we are not made of money, and I don’t intend to necessarily buy 25 books. We will definitely be buying a handful because as a homeschool mom I’m a bit of a book addict. I fully anticipate getting books used, borrowing books from friends, and getting books from the library. My kids will just get a notice before this starts that we are enjoying these books just for the season. If you’re able to buy all 25 books to do this, then that will be an even better treat! For those of you who can’t, though, that is the best way I know to get this fun experience in and still have money to, you know, pay the electric bill.
Here are 25 of my favorite Christmas books that we plan on gifting this year! I planned to get books that will be great for all ages. Classics, fun childhood books, and poems for everyone in your family to enjoy.
25 Days of Christmas Book List
1.Baboushka and the Three Kings by Ruth Robbins and Nicolas Sidjakov. This Caldecott Award winning book has stunning illustrations- which is exactly why it is the main book in Rabbit Trails through Christmas! Go on the journey with Babushka to search for the three kings.
2. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. This short novel is the perfect Christmas classes. Add another dimension of fun and watch one of the Christmas Carol movies after you read it to compare and contrast, too!
3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss. “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch.” That’s one of the only songs I don’t mind stuck in my head! This is another Christmas book you can also piggyback a movie with.
4. What is Christmas by Michelle Medlock Adams. This sweet book goes through what Christmas may be about, to conclude that it truly is about our Savior Jesus and his birth.
5. Winter Candle by Jeron Ashford. Christmas isn’t the only holiday that’s celebrated this time of year. Winter Candle shines a light on different holidays being celebrated in an apartment building celebrations.
6. Christmas Lizard by Cory Edwards. My son is a huge lizard lover, so getting a book about both Christmas and lizards is awesome!
7. Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien. Every December, J.R.R. Tolkien would write his children letters from Father Christmas, complete with a stamp from the North Pole. This is a collection of his letters.
8. Who is Coming to our House? by Joseph Slate. Follow all of the animals as they prepare a place for Jesus in the manger.
9. Merry Christmas, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff. We love the Give a Mouse a Cookie mouse and all of his friends! So, adding a Christmas version is a must in our house.
10. The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado. Joshua the lamb had a crippled leg and felt left out when he couldn’t run around with the other lambs, but God answered his prayers in an amazing way.
11.The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffmann. If you’re able to, try to catch the ballet after you read the book, too! Last year we were able to catch a children’s ballet and my boys were enthralled.
12. Santa Claus the World’s Number One Toy Expert by Marla Frazee. Santa knows how to match the perfect toy for each child because he’s the world’s number one expert toy maker!
13. The Snowman by Raymond Briggs. This picture book is a childhood favorite of mine. I remember getting lost in the pictures of the snowman coming alive in the boy’s dreams at night.
14. Christmas Trees by Robert Frost. This classic poem is beautifully illustrated to enchant young and old.
15. The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. This beautiful tale of sacrifice and giving is a classic that begs to be read year after year.
16. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. This Christmas book is a silly and heartwarming story about a set of rowdy siblings who take over a Christmas pageant.
17. Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck. A beautifully written Christmas book about a boy’s special gift to his father.
18. Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer by Robert L. May. This is the original story and has the most gorgeous illustrations to go along with it!
19. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. Here is another classic Christmas book that you can also enjoy by comparing the movie after you read. And don’t forget your hot chocolate!
20.Santa is Coming to… by Steve Smallman. This is a whole series of books that you can choose the location for! This is a fun way to get kids even more excited for Santa to visit and to see places that they may recognize from your home city or state.
21. Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert Berry. When Mr. Willowby’s Christmas tree needed to be cut to fit in his parlor, he had no idea the adventure it would go on and the friends it would meet.
22. Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus by Chris Plehal. This Christmas book is based on true events of a little girl named Virginia who wrote to the newspaper to ask…Is there a Santa Claus?
23. The Legend of the Christmas Stocking by Rick Osborne. This beautiful story is about St. Nicholas, the importance of giving, and how God set the example of giving when he gave his only Son, Jesus.
24. The Night Before Christmas by Charles Santore. This is the Christmas book that every family should own! We love reading this every Christmas Eve, right before bed.
25. The Bible: The Book of Luke. Look no further than the Bible to find the ultimate Christmas story…the true meaning of Christmas is the story about the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You can get my free printable The Journey through Luke journal to go along with your reading!
I hope your family enjoys this new tradition and that you’re able to grow your library of Christmas books! What are your favorite Christmas books? Let me know in my online homeschool community or in the comments below!
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This is such a great idea; it is definitely a great “Advent” calendar idea. I think we are going to do this, thank you for sharing. We just won’t be able to put them under the tree, but we will definitely be able to unwrap them and count down.
Have so much fun with it!!
We have been doing this for at least 8 years, I think. My kids are 10 and 14 and we still love this tradition!
I love that you’ve been doing it for so long and they still look forward to it!