Counting down to Christmas can be magical with these 25 gorgeous Christmas books for children! This holiday tradition tightens the family bond during this busy time of year, giving everyone some time to pause and connect with each other in a special way. Read on to see my list of books along with an eco-friendly idea for revealing your daily books.
Counting Down to Christmas
If you haven’t heard of a book advent or counting down to Christmas with books, the concept is simple:
You read a new holiday book with your family every night from December 1-24 or 25. If purchasing 25 new holiday books sounds a little extreme to you, feel free to make it work for your family! Here are some more ideas:
- You could countdown 7 days before Christmas (or any number).
- You could rent books from the library and return then when finished.
- You could make it a special weekend activity.
Also, many people wrap each book with wrapping paper to reveal the new books. This is a nice idea, but also very wasteful and time-consuming! I certainly don’t have time for that, so I decided to reuse the same bag for all of the books. After we painted 25 leaves to showcase our countdown, we were ready to go!
Related: 40+ Winter Picture Books for Kids!
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Here are the timeless holiday books I chose
1. The Little Reindeer
This is an enchanting Christmas story about a little girl and a lost reindeer in the forest. This story features beautiful illustrations, red foil highlights, and die cut pictures.
2. The Last Stop on the Reindeer Express
Follow Mia on a magical journey on the reindeer express as she delivers a special Christmas card to her grandfather. Little readers will love the lift-the-flap doors, peek through holes, and even a card to open and read! We made some beautiful reindeer food after reading this book!
3. Walking in a Winter Wonderland
The classic song “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” is brought to life in this beautiful book. This book has a lovely vintage feel with bright and beautiful illustrations.
4. Pick a Pine Tree
This must-have holiday book takes the reader on the journey of picking out a pine tree and bringing it home to decorate for Christmas. We love this story so much that we made this fun nature craft to go along with it!
5. Red and Lulu
Find out what happens when Red and Lulu get separated from their evergreen tree. Will they find each other again? This heartfelt holiday story reminds us how important it is to be surrounded by love.
6. The Night Before Christmas
This beautiful book offers a timeless take on the classic poem “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement C. Moore. Holly Hobbie’s wonderful watercolor pictures tell the story from a child’s eye view, which magnifies the wonder of this special night.
7. Night Tree
If you’ve ever decorated an outdoor tree with natural material, then this book is for you! Follow a young boy and his family as they decorate their favorite tree with popcorn, tangerines, sunflower seed balls and other goodies as a gift for the animals. You might have to start a new holiday tradition after reading this book!
8. Christmas Farm
Follow the tale of a Christmas farm from seed to tree in this beautiful holiday book. This story is beautifully written and the lovely illustrations pull the reader in to this cozy, holiday story.
9. Stick Man
This is another one of our absolute favorite December books! You can also find a lovely animated version of this story on Amazon Prime and Netflix. I created a sensory extension activity for this story that you might want to try!
10. Mice Skating
This story isn’t necessarily a holiday story, but it’s one of my favorite winter read-alouds so I had to include it on our list. This story is about Lucy, the outdoor enthusiast mouse. She loves ice skating and tries everything to get her homebody mice friends to join her on an ice skating adventure!
11. The Great Spruce
Alex loves all types of trees but his favorite is a spruce that his grandfather planted many years ago. Find out how Alex saves his favorite tree from a couple of city folk who want to take it away to use it in a holiday celebration.
12. The Wish Tree
Follow Charles as he searches for a wish tree. The poetic text and beautiful illustrations evoke the true meaning of the holiday season and will surly become a holiday favorite.
13. Mr Willowby’s Christmas Tree
Mr. Willowby cut off the top of his tree because it didn’t fit in his parlor. The top of the holiday tree is passed along to many different animals to enjoy in the forest. This story has a subtle message of conservation and recycling.
14. Silent Night
Celebrate the magic of Christmas with this well-loved carol. The beautiful illustrations make this a standout version of this story.
15. Let it Glow- A Winter’s Walk
Follow a child’s journey home in a snowy landscape in this magical story. This beautiful light up book reveals carol singers’ candles, stars in the sky and a star on the tree.
16. A Wish to Be a Christmas Tree
An overgrown pine who always gets passed up for Christmas gets a little help from the deer, squirrels and birds to make his wish come true. This heartwarming tale will become a favorite in your home!
17. A World of Cookies for Santa: Follow Santa’s Tasty Trip Around the World
Follow Santa around the globe to see what different treats await him on Christmas Eve.
18. Walk This World At Christmastime
Peek through windows and open doors to see how different cultures celebrate Christmas. This story features interactive flaps, inviting children to learn in an advent calendar style.
19. Little Robin’s Christmas
Little robin shares all of his vests with other cold animals. Due to little robin’s kindness, a special someone rewards him in this heartwarming holiday tale.
20. The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree
This classic holiday story tells a tale about courage and the power of family.
21. When Santa Was a Baby
This book is too cute not to share! It tells the story of Santa as a baby and will get everybody laughing. The illustrations are absolutely adorable!
22. The Tree That’s Meant To Be
This is a sweet story about a less than perfect fir that is left alone and not chosen by a family. Friendly forest animals gather around the lonely tree to cheer it up during the holiday. This book is STUNNING!
23. Santa Mouse
This charming holiday tale is about a imaginative and sweet mouse who gives Santa the most unusual gift. As you can see by the cover, the illustrations are adorable and have a vintage feel.
24. The Christmas Garden
This new holiday book is so beautiful! The story takes readers on a journey through a garden filled with Christmas delights. It celebrates the beauty of nature, Christmas, and imagination!
25. Dasher
This gorgeous book shares the story of Dasher the reindeer. Follow Dasher as she follows her dreams and ends up exactly where she belongs.
I hope check out these books! I promise, your little nature lovers will love them as much as my boys.
∼Tara
Need some nature crafts to go along with these books? Check out..
Holiday Candy Cane Stick Bouquet
A Simple and Adorable Holiday Wreath for Kids
Looking for Holiday Gift Ideas?! Check out…
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