Creating a Simple Holiday Book Advent Calendar
With December fast approaching, I’m sharing one of our favourite traditions that is simple to set up and requires no extra shopping or spending: our Christmas book advent calendar.
Similar to a holiday activity advent calendar, the book version can be created with simple materials that you likely already have at home: craft paper or gift wrap and a set of your favourite holiday books. Not to worry if you don’t have exactly 24 – you can recreate this with however many you wish to include.
After wrapping and numbering each one, I love to display them all together, often along our fireplace mantel. Each day, the children get to unwrap the next book, and we all get to rediscover a favourite Christmas story together.
Most of our books have been in rotation for years (some are even from my childhood!) but I also love stopping into secondhand bookshops in search of new titles.
As inspiration for your own book advent calendar, here’s a collection of our family’s all-time favourite holiday books. Many of these are Christmas themed and geared towards younger children, but you can always substitute for ones that align with your family’s traditions and age range.
Favourite Books to Include in Our Holiday Book Advent Calendar
1. The Nutcracker by Stephanie Spinner
My daughter fell in love with this book and its accompanying musical CD years ago, and it’s been a favourite ever since. We also loved seeing the book come to life in a live performance of The Nutcracker a few years ago.
2. The Jolly Christmas Postman by Allan Ahlberg and Janet Ahlberg
My son received this as a gift several years ago and it's been well-loved. Most pages have a little related activity, such as a jigsaw puzzle, that the kids always look forward to playing.
3. The Twelve Days of Christmas by Jane Ray
The year we brought this book home, we read it almost every day. I remember looking for it once and finding it tucked into my daughter’s bed while she was fast asleep. The illustrations are so beautifully detailed – we especially love the page for “eleven pipers piping” where each piper is playing a unique pipe.
4. The Christmas Wish by Lori Evert
This was another popular book with my daughter when she was small. In it, various winter animals help a brave girl journey through the snow in search of Santa. We referenced this story often when talking about our trip to Finland.
5. Madeline's Christmas by Ludwig Bemelmans
With its beautiful writing and memorable illustrations, this is one we look forward to reading at bedtime every Christmas.
6. The Polar Express by Chris Vans Allsburg
This one is also a popular Christmas movie, but we love coming back to the book each year. I have to say it sometimes makes me a little teary.
7. Winnie-the-Pooh Christmas Stories by Andrew Grey
All our children enjoy Winnie-the-Pooh stories, though I think these are perhaps most loved by my youngest. If you have preschool-aged children, this is a great book to include.
8. The Little Christmas Elf by Nikki Shannon Smith
To keep the cost of the calendar a little contained (especially as I sometimes can’t find as many secondhand books as I'd like), I have added a few Golden Books over the years. There are many with good stories and they're really affordable, too.
9. The Christmas Tale of Peter Rabbit by Emma Thompson
When my daughter was in preschool, she loved Peter Rabbit, so this one was a big hit.
10. The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
I bought this book for my son a few years ago, as it holds fond memories for me as a child. There are no words, so the story is told entirely through the beautifully soft illustrations.
11. The Christmas ABC by Florence Johnson
I bought this classic Golden Book with my littlest in mind, but I’ve found that all the kids enjoy reading along.
12. The Christmas Story by Jane Werner Watson
This book is a sweet way to share the Christmas story with all of the children.
13. Tea and Sugar by Jane Jolly
I spotted this one in my local bookshop and was glad to have found it. I had a quick read in-store and enjoyed the story and illustrations. Until then, most of the Australian-themed Christmas books I had found were a little heavy on cheesy observations, whereas this one presents itself as a thoughtful and important historical read.
14. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
I like to include a few books that are longer and can be read together over several nights, including this version of Charles Dickens' classic story illustrated by Yelena Bryksenkova.
15. What Do You Wish For? by Jane Godwin
The illustrations initially pulled me in, but then I read the story and knew my youngest would enjoy it. I later realised it’s by the same illustrator as Dotty Sprinkles, which my littlest loves.
16. Paddington and the Christmas Surprise by Michael Bond
I couldn't resist when I saw this in my local bookshop. We read the original book many Christmases ago, and enjoyed the film, so this one is sure to become a favourite.
17. Dream Snow by Eric Carle
We have many of Eric Carle's books and they always strike a chord. This one was bought with the littlest in mind.
18. Little Fir Tree by Margaret Wise Brown
This is one I discovered on my search for festive titles. The story is about a tree that's set apart from the others in the forest. It’s a story with a soul – I cry every time I read it.
19. Christmas in Exeter Street by Diana Hendry
This book appealed to me as it reminded me a little of my Christmas holidays growing up. Each year, my mum and her sister rotated who would host Christmas. We all slept over and created such wonderful memories together that are still some of the strongest of my childhood.
20. A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig
One of my kids was a little less interested in picture books, but this one captured his interest and imagination.
21. The Night Before Christmas by Clement C Moore
We added this one in 2014 – the Classic Edition – and it’s been a Christmas Eve tradition ever since.
22. Letters from Father Christmas by J R R Tolkein
We added this one several years ago when we were reading The Hobbit together every night.
23. A Christmas Story by Brian Wildsmith
Though we already have one Christmas Story within our collection, I spotted this one and was captivated by the illustrations.
And our all-time favourite …
24. How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr Seuss
We’ve had this book for quite a few years and it always gets read over and over again. It's one of many Dr Seuss books that the whole family can recite almost entirely.
With so many beautiful stories out there, it’s hard to limit the list to 24 – so here are a few more options for your own book advent calendar:
1. Little Mouse’s Christmas by Riikka Jäntti
2. Slinky Malinki's Christmas Crackers by Lynley Dodd
3. The Girl Who Saved Christmas by Matt Haig
4. Snow In The Garden: A First Book of Christmas by Shirley Hughes
5. Father Christmas and Me by Matt Haig
6. We’re Going On an Elf Chase by Martha Mumford and Laura Hughes
I’d love to know which books your family looks forward to reading each year. And if you choose to create a book advent calendar this year, I’d love to see it – tag @nataliewalton on Instagram to share.
P.S. For more ways to celebrate without adding clutter or stress, check out my NEW guide to simplifying the holidays this year.
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