Christmas Book Lists of Christmas Past

I’ve been working on my 2023 Christmas Picture Book list for almost a month now, there are SO many good Christmas picture books out there and this is my favorite post I write all year! Picture books are magical year-round, but for some reason, the magic seems to double around Christmas. We’re not quite ready to roll out the red carpet for our 2023 list, so to hold us all off, here are all of the links to past year’s Christmas picture book lists.

Find the very first Christmas book list here:

My second year of writing a Christmas picture book lists almost felt wrong because it seemed like so many incredible holidays and celebrations were left out. Thus came the Christmas Book List as well as several other lists of holiday books!

By my third year of writing my Christmas Book lists, it felt like a tradition.

Last year’s Christmas book list almost felt like it couldn’t be topped, but maybe this year I’ll say the same thing.

Stay tuned! The Christmas Picture Books of 2023 will be hitting the blog soon! Which books are you hoping to see on the list?

Quick, Easy, Doable Activities For Kids Over Winter Break

Winter break is nearing for many families! It is exciting that the holidays are well on their way and we are able to celebrate a great time of the year with family and friends. However… if you’re like me, winter break can also feel very long and sometimes daunting. I’ve found that when my oldest is home from school even just for the weekend, she struggles with not being in the same routine and not having an adult constantly telling her what to do and where to go. Basically, she’s looking for me to entertain her. And with a household to run, food to make for parties, clothes to coordinate for family pictures, presents to wrap, and more, I just cannot add “entertaining my 5-year-old all day every day” to that list. It’s impractical for everyone. So alas, here are a few *mostly independent but can also benefit from some light supervision while you load the dishwasher* activities you can try with your kids, as well as a few family things to do during winter break. (Or is it a few months?? Because it feels that way sometimes.) 

Invite a friend. Now that they’ve been in school for roughly a semester, friendships are more established and planning playdates with peers is easier. People tell me all of the time how nice I am to have so many neighbor kids in and out of my house constantly but to be honest, it really doesn’t make my job as a mom any harder. If anything, it makes it easier! They all play so well together that I can happily supervise their play while I fold laundry and they run from room to room pretending they are being chased by pirates. 

Indoor bowling. Those red solo cups you have stashed away for your next Christmas party? Spare a few for your child to create a tower of cups that they can turn around and knock over with a soft ball. You can also use stuffed animals, nerf guns, or rolled-up socks. Once your kid masters making the tower by themselves, this activity becomes one that can be done by themselves with supervision. 

Paint with water. Always my favorite go-to activity! Construction paper + paintbrushes + cup of water = entertainment. Just remember not to fill the cup of water with too much, in case of a spill. 

Stuffed animal sort. The best part of this activity is that they get to pull ALL of their stuffed animals out into the middle of their bedroom or the family room. And we all know your collection is huge… what kid doesn’t have at least 1000 of them? Once they have all the stuffies out, give them different ways to sort them. Sort by color, sort by size, sort by how many arms and legs they have. There are so many possibilities! 

Winter/ Christmas/ Holiday book-a-thon. Have a basket full of the books you want to read over winter break that stick with a collective theme. Then each night you grab a book and read together before bed. Or first thing in the morning. Or at lunchtime. Either way, it gives everyone something to be excited about each day. You can see our big list of Christmas and other holiday books here! 

Dance parties. We are huge, huge believers in dance parties at our house! They can be used for changing the mood of the day, to kill time, or for those moments when you just need to utilize your gross motor skills. 

Take a field trip. Staying home over winter break can mean a lot of staying indoors and going a little stir-crazy. A field trip for your family can be as simple as a quick run to the grocery store for everyone to pick out a snack, or as extravagant as visiting your town’s aquarium! The goal is to get out and experience something besides the same four walls of your home! 

Get outside. I know, I know. It’s winter. It’s cold. But the benefits are incredible and after some good, quality time outside, you’ll all be refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the day. 

Here’s to wishing you good luck in surviving winter break! We can do this together!

Christmas Picture Books for 2022

For the past three years, I’ve written a new Christmas book list of favorite Christmas books to read during this season. It’s been such a fun blog post for me every single year, so this year I am excited to announce that this will be my fourth Christmas book list! Picture books are near and dear to my heart, but Christmas books just hit different. You can read past book lists here:

2019

2020

2021

And without further adieu: Christmas Picture Books 2022

Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert Barry

The rhythm of this book is really what makes it fun! You won’t be disappointed by this one. 

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! By Dr. Seuss

I’m not typically a Dr. Suess fan, the books seem excessively long and almost a little too far-fetched for me. However, this is one that I do love. 

Madeline’s Christmas by Ludwig Bemelmans 

I grew up on Madeline books, “an old house in Paris that was covered with vines” brings comfort to my soul. But adding Christmas to the setting just makes it a notch better! 

5 More Sleeps ‘til Christmas by Jimmy Fallon 

Such a fun book that encompasses the anticipation leading up to Christmas through the eyes of a child. 

What Christmas picture book is on your list this year?

Christmas Book List for 2021

Announcing our 2021 Christmas book list! This is one of my favorite posts each year to write. It’s so fun to look over our holiday books and choose a handful to share with you each year. Here’s what I’ve gathered for this season- 

The Christmas Wish by Lori Evert: This is a longer picture book, but worth the read! Such a cute Christmas story. 

Merry Christmas, Curious George by Margret Rey 

The Wish Tree by Kyo Maclear: This is one I know I’ve put on a winter or Christmas list before, but it’s too good to not include again! 

A Simple Christmas on the Farm by Phyllis Alsdurf

What Christmas and holiday books are you reading this year? 

Merry Christmas! But What About Other Holidays? We Need More Picture Book Representation

Friends, I’ve written a lot of posts about Christmas picture books, but there are many, many people who don’t celebrate Christmas and have a different holiday they observe. And while finding book lists for Christmas is easy, it’s a little more difficult to find picture books for other holiday celebrations such as Hannauka or Diwali. So over the next few weeks, I’ll be blasting you with book list after book list for these other holidays. 

I’ll be covering
Diwali
Hanukkah
Las Posadas
Chinese New Year
Winter Solstice
Kwanzaa
Three Kings Day

Typically, I don’t like to recommend books unless I’ve held them in the flesh or even on an eReader and read every page to know if it’s something I really want to share with friends. However, our little, local library has limited access to some of these holiday books. I made a friendly suggestion to our children’s librarian that we should add some of these new titles and she agreed and promised to do what she could! 

Because of this, I have had to get creative and watch read alouds on YouTube or do research on Goodreads on some of these picture books to make sure it is something I truly want to recommend to you. 

Another great resource I have found is this free printable of different holidays with QR codes to scan that you can share with your students to learn more about each holiday. 

So happy holidays and stay tuned for lots and lots of books that will help you teach your students about multiple holidays, not just Christmas! 

The Christmas Book List Of 2020

Christmas books! I’m giddy about putting together this post! The Christmas season is my favorite time of the year, and books are one of my favorite subjects. Let’s put the two together! 

Pick A Pine Tree: We don’t own this one yet, but I’m looking forward to the day we do! 

Dasher: Doesn’t the moody cover of the book just invite you in while you sit under a cozy blanket with a cup of hot cocoa?

Red & Lulu: The same author as Dasher. The magic of New York during the Christmas season is captured in this holiday book. 

The Crayons’ Christmas: A holiday twist on The Day The Crayons Quit

What books would you add to this list? Need some good book ideas for the holiday season that aren’t Christmas themed? Stay tuned for next week! 

Featured photo: pexels.com

Books Sure To Put You In The Spirit Of The Season

Awhile back I wrote a post about winter books perfect for these cold December days. Today, I want to expand on this and share some of my favorite Christmas books this holiday season. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year, families gathering together, sometimes even traveling far to spend time with one another. Gifts are exchanged, people serve and help each other, and whole community happiness shines. Here are my favorite books that bring that spirit of Christmas in a little more for us. 

First, what is Christmas without the classic The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg? A magical story of a boy who rides the Polar Express to the North Pole. If this book doesn’t put you in the Christmas spirit, I don’t know what else will! 

Christmas Wombat by Jackie French is a favorite of mine as well. By the end of the book, everyone is smitten with this little wombat that follows Santa and his reindeer around on Christmas Eve, stealing carrots and taking naps.

Snowmen At Christmas, a book by Caralyn Buehner is a fun story about snowmen who celebrate Christmas in their own snowmen way. 

A newer Christmas book called Pick A Pine Tree by Patricia Toht instantly stole my heart when I saw the beautiful illustrations by Jarvis. Once you start reading, the rhyming script almost sends you into a Christmas trance, reflecting on your own experience of picking and decorating trees for Christmas.  

How will you use Christmas books this holiday season? What are some of your favorites?