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Christmas Books to Add to Your Collection
By Kendra | November 23, 2009
Last week Laura asked about Christmas books:
“One of the things we’d really love to do though is have a load of books and stories that we read around Christmastime: I wasn’t brought up in a Christian home and my parents had many stories we’d look forward to at Christmas, it was a lovely tradition, but they’re not necessarily the same books I’d choose for my kids 
You’ve mentioned your Christmas collection of books a couple times, and I was wondering if you could do a post that lists what’s in that box? If you’ve done one before then point me in the right direction! I scoured the site and only got as far as One Wintry Night and The Priest With Dirty Clothes. We would really appreciate a few more suggestions!”
♥
I’m super happy to pull the boxes out and share with you what’s in our collection because my kids pour over these books year after year after year. I put them in a place of honor- in a huge basket in front of the living room fireplace. And remember: this is a 20-year-old collection, purchased and acquired bit by bit.
Currently Out of Print, Spiritual/Overtly Christian
Currently In Print, Not Necessarily Spiritual
Currently Out of Print, Not Necessarily Spiritual
Board Books for the Little Ones
I look for these everywhere throughout the year- library sales, used book stores, and the local Christian bookstore the week after Christmas when they’re marked down by 50%. Christmas books are a wonderful thing to collect!
Topics: Educating at Home, Resources | 15 Comments »
November 23rd, 2009 at 6:06 pm
I see some of my family’s old favorites here, but a few new-to-me titles, too. Thanks for sharing your list!
November 24th, 2009 at 1:16 am
Thanks for this list, Kendra. I was wondering if you could tell me, which are are your favourite 3 or 4? ….the ones your kids will enjoy and ask for the most?
November 24th, 2009 at 5:31 am
Oh thank you Kendra soooo much!!! We have a couple of those books. Every time I go to the library my goal has been to find decent Christmas books, but I don’t have the time to read through them to make sure they’ll pass with having a toddler and preschooler to keep an eye on (and to o.k. book choices from the other kiddos)! I will put some on my reserve list at the library and I think I might hop on Amazon (through your link, of course -wink-wink!) and purchase a few, too! Thank you soooo much!! Thanksgiving Blessings to you and your family! Hugs!
November 24th, 2009 at 8:00 am
Tara-
Our hands-down favorites are One Wintry Night, The Birds’ Christmas Carol (this is a small chapter book, not a picture book), Josie’s Gift, The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, The Crippled Lamb (inside the Max Lucado Treasury), Silent Night, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (also a short chapter book- makes me cry!)
November 24th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Kendra,
I’m a long-time reader, but have never commented. Thank you so much for this list. I’ve been looking for this! We are a missionary family that has lived here in the states for the last four years, but will be going back overseas next summer.
In that time, we started homeschooling our oldest daughter (7)and rely heavily on the library. In fact, I’m having a hard time imagining school without it. I know that a curriculum like Sonlight would be convenient, but I’m also wanting a well-rounded personal library. I use sites like Ambleside Online and the book Honey For a Child’s Heart, but how do I narrow my options? It would be fun to see what your favorite homeschooling books are (other than your curriculum books) and which books on your shelves are worn from lots of kid love.
So here’s the difficult question – what 10 (or more) books would you recommend to someone who has no library access?
November 24th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
We have quite a collection of Christmas books that we have acquired over the years too. From a Family Fun article years ago, we started a tradition of wrapping 24 of our Christmas books and placing them under our tree (we really don’t have any presents under our tree until Christmas day). I tried to make fabric bags one year to put the books in and my daughter almost cried! I guess the paper to wrap 24 books is worth the tradition we have started and have continued…
)
November 24th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Top Ten:
One Wintry Night
The Birds’ Christmas Carol
Josie’s Gift
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
Max Lucado Treasury
Silent Night
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
The Legend of the Candy Cane
The First Christmas
The Christmas Stories of George MacDonald
November 24th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
thanks Kendra! This is just what we were looking for. We’ll get looking for which of those are available in the UK!
thanks again
L
November 28th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Great list! I have our favorites on my blog here:
http://smallworldathome.blogspot.com/2009/11/christmas-books-that-make-me-cry-repost.html
November 29th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Love the list! Some of our old favs and some new ones I will need to get.
I just bought Keeping Holiday, by Starr Meade, and will start reading it w/ the kids when we return home from our Thanksgiving Trip. It came highly recommended.
We read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever every year and snort cocoa out our noses. Its not pretty.
Aubrey
November 29th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
I host a weekly meme called Read Aloud Thursday, and I started it last year right at Christmas time. Here are a few of last year’s pre-Christmas posts that detail some of our favorite Christmas books:
http://hopeistheword.wordpress.com/2008/12/10/read-aloud-thursday/
http://hopeistheword.wordpress.com/2008/12/18/read-aloud-thursday-2/
http://hopeistheword.wordpress.com/2008/12/17/on-the-fourth-day-of-christmas-an-advent-blog-tour/
Starting this Thursday (Dec. 3), I will once again begin highlighting Christmas read-alouds! Anyone is welcome to join in!
Thanks for sharing your favorites, Kendra! Most of yours are ones we don’t have (yet!).
December 11th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Thanks for all the recommendations, and for the Advent recommendations in your other post. So helpful!!
December 13th, 2009 at 8:41 am
http://sweetcraftiness.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-letter.html
December 20th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
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