I recently came upon a blog post entitled, “25 Christmas Books to Read With Your Child”.  This post inspired me to dig out our favorite Christmas books from home as well as to take a trip to the library and gather a stack of books to read throughout December.  I love Adrienne’s idea of wrapping and opening a book each day. Unfortunately, I came upon the idea too late and didn’t have enough time to pull something like that together! What I love about the idea is that you can wrap bought or borrowed books – the fun of opening and reading them is still the same (even if they have to go back to the library).

Here are the 25 Books of Christmas that I chose to read. Obviously there are tons of variations and options to choose from but these are a great starting point. You can add and subtract some of your favorites to create your own list! Here is the FREE Printable Blank 25 Books of Christmas List that you can print to fill in your own list of books!

The 25 Books of Christmas

December 1st – The Night Before Christmas

We chose this one first because I created a great copywork book out of the story for the month of December.  I found a great FREE Printable The Night Before Christmas Coloring Book with the words included.   Then I added primary writing paper to it so Ava can copy and color each page as she goes.  Put inside a colored file folder and held in with the brass brads, it will make an excellent keepsake for years to come! We also have a couple of variations of The he Night Before Christmas we will be reading throughout the month, including a dinosaur one and a librarian one.

December 2nd – Santa Retires

After a particularly grueling Christmas, Santa and Mrs. Claus head to sunny Mistletoe Island, where they swim, surf, and do lots of yoga. They even start eating healthy! Vacation is so much fun that Santa decides to retire. The reindeer are grounded. The elves are shorthanded. Can there be a Christmas without Santa? And can Santa be jolly without Christmas?

December 3rd – The Christmas Book Flood

Based on a real Icelandic tradition where people gift books to their family and friends on Christmas Eve.

“As northern lights dance and snow blankets the ground, a young girl searches for the perfect book to give her loved ones for their annual book exchange on Christmas Eve. When December 24th finally arrives, they gather together to share magical stories, curl up by the fire, and read all night long―so the Book Flood begins!”

December 4th – The 12 Days of Christmas

Celebrate the magic of Christmas time with this well-loved traditional poem. Take a walk through each beautiful scene brimming with details that will remind you of the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas.

Be sure to check out my 12 Days of Christmas activity page for fun themed ideas! Copywork, coloring sheets, a fun sequencing activity and more!

We also love this song so much that we wrote and created a video version of it for our family! Check out The 12 Signs of Christmas below!

December 5th – The Wild Christmas Reindeer

Rambunctious reindeer have a lot to learn before Santa’s big night! Teeka has an important job training the reindeer in time for their Christmas Eve ride. The animals are spirited and mischievous, but kindness wins the day just in time.

December 6th – Dinosaur’s Night Before Christmas

The dinosaur fossils in the museum come to life (and sing, dance, and eat gingerbread) in this rollicking twist on the classic poem. And with the enclosed CD, children of all ages can enjoy dinosaur-themed Christmas party music, and hear the story read aloud by the Today Show‘s Al Roker! 

December 7th – Librarian’s Night Before Christmas

Due to low staffing, a librarian must spend her Christmas Eve stacking the shelves at a library in desperate need of renovations. After the strain of a long night that has left her feeling “like Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol,” she is pleasantly surprised to see Santa and his six elves coming to her rescue in a red bookmobile.

In this delightful retelling of Clement C. Moore’s classic, Santa signs Newbery winners and starred Caldecotts and stocks the library shelves with Hawthorne, Steinbeck, Millay, and Hemingway. After reading to the children and drinking some hot chocolate, Santa puts his elves to work replacing the rugs, fixing leaks, and organizing gifts according to the Dewey decimal system. As he leaves, Santa pays overdue fees and booms, “Do one more good deed. Have a real merry Christmas-teach someone to read!”

December 8th – Santa’s Sleigh is on Its Way

It’s a magical Christmas Eve, and all of the children in your town are sleeping. Well, all of the children but you! How could you possibly fall asleep when you know Santa and his sleigh are on their way?

Santa’s Sleigh Is on Its Way to My House is the beginning of a holiday regional series showing Santa’s journey to each US state. Make Christmas Eve extra special by reading about how Santa will soon be visiting your neighborhood! Start a new Christmas tradition and find your state’s edition now!

December 9th – Christmas in the Big Woods

Long ago, a little girl named Laura Ingalls lived in a little house in the Big Woods of Wisconsin with her Pa, her Ma, her sisters, Mary and Carrie, and their good old bulldog, Jack. Winter was just around the corner, and Laura worked hard to help make the little house ready for the cold days ahead. Soon there was frost on the windows and snow on the ground, but Laura and her folks were warm and cozy in their snug little house in the Big Woods.

December 10th – Frosty the Snow Man

I have to say this is one of those nostalgic books for me! We had the 1963 Big Golden Book version that in my opinion is second to none!

Based on the beloved 1969 television special, this timeless classic Little Golden Book retells the whole magical story of Frosty the Snowman.

Be sure to check out my Frosty the Snowman activity page for fun Frosty themed ideas! Word search, coloring sheets, felt crafts and more!

December 11th – Christmas Tapestry

December 12th – Christmas Is… by Gail Gibbons

December 13th – Olive, the other Reindeer

December 14th – Snowmen At Christmas

December 15th – Pick a Pine Tree

December 16th – The Nutcracker

On Christmas Eve, seven-year-old Marie and her eight-year-old brother Fritz anxiously await their Christmas gifts. When their godfather—a clock builder and toymaker—arrives, he unveils an ornate clockwork castle adorned with whirling figurines for the children. While Fritz plays with the clock, Marie is taken aside and given another gift—a nutcracker. After Fritz grabs the nutcracker from Marie and breaks its jaw by cracking too many nuts, their playtime ends and they head off to bed. When the clock strikes twelve, magic makes its way into this enduring tale and an epic battle ensues.

December 17th – Elf

A picture book of the beloved movie, Elf. Buddy the Elf has more Christmas spirit than anyone, but he’s never quite fit in with the other elves at the North Pole. Then Buddy learns that he’s really a human—and his father is on the Naughty List! Determined to bring his dad some holiday cheer, he sets out for New York City. But when Santa encounters disaster on Christmas Eve, can Buddy count on his new family to help him save the day? There is also Home Alone and Home Alone 2

December 18th – The Carpenter’s Gift: A Christmas Tale About the Rockefeller Center Tree

December 19th – The Candy Cane Fiasco

What parent hasn’t struggled with a sticky child? Parents will laugh along with the kids in this over-the-top adventure loosely inspired by real-life experiences with a sticky kid. .

My Gram gives me a candy cane, and that’s when things get tricky.
Now from my toes up to my nose, I am a wee bit sticky.

Who would have thought a candy cane, and bath for our dear kitty…
would be the reason we end up so high above the city?

December 20th – The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree

The Armistice has been declared, but still there is no sign of Ruthie’s father in their little Appalachian town. So, in accordance with the traditions of Pine Grove, it falls to Ruthie and her mother to bring home the perfect Christmas tree to donate to the town. Ruthie had accompanied her father to the rocky cliff where he marked a tree in the spring, so she and her mother set out to find it again, and haul it home. Their trip becomes the basisovernightof a new town legend; Ruthie, chosen for the role of the heavenly angel in the the church Christmas play, finds herself outfitted in a madeover wedding dress of the finest silkanother “miracle” wrought by her hardworking mother. An accomplished, fluid telling garnishes this simple story, as do Cooney’s moonlit paintings of wintry evenings and the welcoming glow of fire and lanterns. 

December 21st – Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer

December 22nd – How the Grinch Stole Christmas

December 23rd – Christmas Farm

December 24th – Santa’s Lost Reindeer

A hilarious Christmas tale that is sure to get everyone laughing! Santa’s Lost Reindeer is a humous story that follows a frazzled Santa through a search for his missing reindeer.

How can Christmas be saved? Santa’s in so much trouble.

With his best reindeer missing he needs help on the double!

December 25th – The Polar Express

Other Christmas Fun