Our Favorite Christmas Stories

Our family has read MANY Christmas books over the years, but we have our favorites, stories that we want to read again and again. These are stories that go beyond the shallow, sugary coating of presents and lights and stay with you past Christmas Day and well into the new year; they carry the aroma of Christ, though they may not all mention His name. And what makes them EXTRA special is that we read them only at Christmas time! You can use these titles as a springboard to a new tradition in your family: a new book every year, or read one story a day, or give a copy of your favorite book as a present to another family!

(There are, of course, many more wonderful Christmas stories out there, so this list will be a growing list. And if your family has favorites, please share them with me!)

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

This is a chapter book for read-aloud or older children, but it's best read together. You'll see Christmas with fresh eyes!

The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The old English may be hard, so I recommend reading this aloud, or listening to an audio version of it. But don't think that watching a movie of this story (even the Muppets version... my favorite) is enough. Most adaptations remove Dickens's Christian message.

Christmas Tapestry by Patricia Polacco

A longer picture book that always moves me to tears 

Santa's Favorite Story by Hisako Aoki

A picture book that perfectly combines Santa with the true Hero of Christmas

The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg

How that traditional little candy can tell a wondrous story

Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo

A simple, touching story about a girl and a homeless man

More favorites:

Tree of Cranes by Allen Say

Oliver and Amanda's Christmas by Jean Van Leeuwen

Toot and Puddle: Let it Snow by Holly Hobbie

Toot and Puddle: I'll be Home for Christmas by Holly Hobbie

The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett

The Christmas Trolls by Jan Brett

(and if you like Jan Brett's books, she has a plethora of Christmas stories: The Night Before Christmas, Who's that Knocking on Christmas Eve? The Twelve Days of Christmas, Home for Christmas)