traditions have become one of my favorite aspects of the holidays. the familiarity and anticipation of making a special dish or doing a family activity year after year is so special.
Our newest Christmas activity is our 24 Day Christmas Book Tradition – a simple and educational twist on an advent calendar.
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You are reading: 24 days of christmas books
last year i started this new countdown to christmas for our family. I wrapped 24 Christmas books and put them under the tree. Every night before bed, the children would choose a package to unwrap and we would read it together.
Sometimes a cup of hot chocolate or a hot chocolate chip cookie was included as a gift to go with our book. it’s so much fun!
I’ve tried other advent calendars in the past, but it seemed like I was just spending $20 on junk that wasn’t being played with or used. With the books, it felt good to buy something that we would definitely use and it’s educational for the kids.
24 days of Christmas book tradition
The best thing about this tradition is that it doesn’t have to cost a lot. My plan to get the books for this DIY advent calendar is simple and easy.
1. use what you have. find holiday books you already have in your house. I was surprised to discover that we were already 19! we love books, what can I say?
2. buy cheap books. go to thrift stores or use facebook/online yard sales to find seasonal books. I can often find them for just a dollar or two, making it an inexpensive option.
3. buy new ones. I use amazon for this because I think their book prices are pretty good and they deliver right to my door. If I’m buying something new for my kids, books are always something I don’t feel too guilty about and there are plenty on amazon for $3-4 bucks.
4. library You can even use the library to expand your selection of holiday books for free! just be sure to be careful not to tape the books (so you don’t damage the cover). And be sure to keep up with the return due date so you don’t get charged late fees.
creating the Christmas advent calendar
My daughter loved this activity last year. she spent a lot of time choosing the package that she wanted to open.
It’s like 24 days of Christmas blind bags (are your kids as obsessed as mine?) with an educational twist. and instead of a small toy, we can read a book together as a family.
First, find 24 Christmas books.
then wrap each book individually.
Each night before Christmas, your child selects a book to unwrap and then read it together.
It’s so much fun! And while it may seem like a lot of work to wrap 24 books, it’s really quick and adds a lot of excitement to the nights leading up to Christmas.
new books for christmas 2019 (2020 update below)
Since my oldest son will be 6 this year, I am updating and adding some new books this year. We’ll still be reusing some of the books listed below, but adding a couple new ones to keep things fresh and age-appropriate.
here are the books on my list:
katie the candy cane fairy
See Also: E-Books for Amazon Kindle | The New York Public Library
the mouse in the hammock, a christmas story
bear stays up for christmas
put a point, the night before christmas, this looks like something my 2 year old will love.
2020 update
These are the updates I made this year to our library.
smash the cat christmas countdown
cocoa’s grumpy christmas
a very fiona christmas
a baby jesus
What if I don’t want to do 24 days of books?
not! you can fully customize it for any period of time that seems reasonable to you. I think 12 days would be a good introduction to this Christmas advent calendar.
original books for christmas advent calendar
here are ideas for books that we are reading this holiday season or that we can buy. after buying christmas books at our house, i’ll be searching some thrift stores and amazon for some new books to throw into the mix. I hope you give this 24 Days of Christmas Book tradition a try!
look and see find Christmas Bible stories – we have the Rudolph version, but I love this Bible version to remind us what the season is for.
Touch and feel Christmassy – I bought this for my daughter a few years ago and now it’s perfect for our newest little one. and my oldest son still loves to touch and feel the book! to entertain us all.
frosty the snowman board book: no list is complete without the classic frosty the snowman. I like this one because it plays music and my kids love to push a button!
the night before christmas from frozen olaf: a friend gave us this book last year and it is one of our favorites. If you have a little one obsessed with frozen, I think he will love this book/cd combination.
my snowman book: It’s not really Christmassy, but I usually include it because it goes with the winter theme. is a cute little book with vibrant images. I bought this a few years ago for my oldest son who will now be going to the baby.
how the grinch stole christmas – a couple of years ago, my daughter discovered the grinch movie at christmas. back in June, we were still watching the grinch at least a couple of times a week. despite that extreme we did not ruin anything good. we still love this book!
llama llama jingle bells: the whole llama llama series is very good. those silly llamas always make us laugh.
See Also: The 15 Best Books on President John F. Kennedy – Brooksy
berenstain bears & the joy of giving: the message of the berenstain series is good and I like to share it with my children.
rudolph the red nosed reindeer – you will remember your childhood while reading to your children with this book. It’s also a great price!
elmo countdown to christmas: flip up books are great for keeping younger children’s attention. It will be new to us, but it gets great reviews.
the sweet smell of christmas – eeek! It’s a Christmas scratch and sniff book! did you have this as a child? aromas of hot chocolate, christmas trees, apple pie & more.
fancy nancy splendid christmas – ever since the fancy nancy show debuted on disney jr. my daughter is obsessed. the halloween book was a winner so this one goes on my list. there is also a disney jr. fancy ice skating book by nancy if you don’t mind a winter theme.
happy holidays, bubble guppies: a book with flip-up flaps! we have a flap book that is not festive and is always fun to read.
Christmas Weird But True: 300 Holiday Facts – This children’s book from National Geographic would be fun for elementary school children. I may add this to our list in the next year or two.
The Beginner’s Bible, The First Christmas: A great way to teach younger children why we celebrate Christmas. this book is a great price!
A Charlie Brown Christmas: I love bringing some of my childhood memories back to my children’s childhoods.
12 Days of Wonderful Christmas from Pete the Cat: We have other Pete books and they are so much fun. we can try this for our preschooler this year.
Merry Christmas Mouse: The mouse series is so much fun. I love how they make it for most parties.
paw patrol holiday helpers – paw patrol is one of those cartoons that doesn’t really get on my nerves! Here’s a cute little holiday book featuring your kids’ favorite puppies.
just a snowman: the little bug books are a cute series and ever so affordable.
The Night Before The Night Before Christmas: The story of a family who has trouble getting their act together. the author possibly modeled this after my family?! feel like this at some point. we enjoyed this fun take on a classic.
river rose and the magic christmas – today’s show featured this book written by kelly clarkson. It also comes with a link to listen to a song recorded by Kelly.
The 12 Engines of Christmas: This Thomas the Train book will entertain both of my boys, which is always a win.
Christmas cookie day: Like many, making Christmas cookies is one of our most anticipated traditions.
This twist on a traditional advent calendar was a hit in my house last year. Will you be trying this 24 Days of Christmas Book tradition this year? I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas!
If you love giving books, check out this unique baby shower gift idea.
See Also: Sharon Kay Penman – Book Series In Order