building a Christmas book collection

Growing up, Santa Claus sometimes paid us a special in-person visit before dinner on Christmas Eve. He would tell us all about the long journey he was about to begin and we’d remind him what we asked for (honestly that was risky–I always fear my kids will come up with something brand new!)

And my favorite-he’d bring us a new Christmas picture book to read that night, signed inside with the year. I wanted to share with you some classics as well as some unique stories that would make for a great Christmas book collection.

My sister and I both have kids now and recently divided up the Santa books from childhood. Over the years Santa brought some unique books like An Irish Night Before Christmas as well as the classics.

I’ve been striving to build a good well-rounded bunch of books myself now that Santa has continued the tradition for my kids. One of my favorite simple December memories so far with them has been reading Christmas bedtime stories by the tree.

First, these are some of the must-haves! You may already own these but I still wanted to share:

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

The Night Before Christmas

The Polar Express

An Christmas Treasury Tons of short stories but mainly great because of the letter Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus and the Christmas Story from the Bible

The Gift of the Magi

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever which is actually a chapter book but no Christmas book list is complete without it!

I already did a post about why I love many of these classics a few years back. See it here for more in depth on those and a few other Christmas books.

Because I want to build a beautiful collection my own kids will take care in dividing up one day, I’ve really hunted for my finds. I love the illustrations in picture books, but the story has to be top notch too to make the cut. These are handpulled out of Santa’s toy sack and signed by the big guy himself, after all.

Next, some possibly lesser known but great finds for heirloom Christmas books:

The Year of The Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story – This story brought tears to my eyes but I was even more moved by my 5 year old who was really struck by the mother’s selflessness. It’s a really sweet story of simpler Christmases.

The Story of Three Wise Kings – Easily my children’s most talked about members of the Nativity scene. It’s a really beautiful book and an interesting look a little further into the journey of the wise men. I got it for this year to coincide with the Christmas Star event with Jupiter and Saturn!

12 Days of Christmas – We all know the words but this cut out version is fun and great quality. Good for younger kids who won’t be able to sit for a long story and actually a good counting book. My kids often pick this one and we end up singing!

Snowmen at Christmas – This is a really charming, whimsical story with fun illustrations and an overall great magical feel to it. It reminds me a little bit of The Snowman (the short movie) from when I was a kid.

And finally, my upcoming picks:

Because I am always on the hunt I actually have a whole shopping list on my Amazon dedicated to potential Santa books.

The Legend of the Poinsettia – This was slated for 2020 but then The Christmas Star event did set me on the hunt for the Wise Kings book above (same author). This book gets amazing reviews and I know we’d enjoy learning about the Christmas traditions of another culture. It is also more religion based which our collection needs.

A Little House Christmas Treasury – I’ll be honest I almost bought this for myself but its back ordered. This is an illustrated collection of the Christmas chapters from the Little House books. Her stories are a great reminder to children to be appreciative, as not that long ago kids were over the moon about a shiny new penny.

Silent Night – The illustrations from what I can see on my screen are so amazing that I keep coming back to this one. The story is really just the simple lyrics to a song, but so sweet and classic. Also great for young listeners who need less words/more pictures.

A World of Cookies for Santa – I love that this book explores over 20 other traditions from other countries. The inside includes maps, cookie recipes, and great illustrations. I have been wanting to bundle this up with baking supplies–would be so cute as a gift for neighbors with kids or teachers!

So many of these books are still able to make it to you by Christmas Eve!

Now I have to know–what are some of your favorite Christmas books?