Disclosure :: affiliate links are included below.
Six Favorite Christmas Books for Kids
I have a big box of holiday-themed books that I keep in my kids’ closet, pulling it out during the relevant times of the year and reintroducing books. We have Easter, Halloween, and Thanksgiving books aplenty… but our biggest collection is for Christmas!
If you’re looking to expand your Christmas-themed children’s books, I’ve got a list of my kids’ top favorites. We all look forward to reading these every year.
Samurai Santa: A Very Ninja Christmas by Rubin Pingk – This is my personal favorite book on the list, because the art is so stunning and the story isn’t your usual Christmas plot! Yukio the little ninja wants a snowball fight for Christmas, but none of the other ninjas will join him because they’re trying to be good for Santa. But Santa has a surprise of his own…!
Goodnight, Manger by Laura Sassi- In our family, we believe the birth of Jesus is the most important part of Christmas, and this book tells the humorously realistic version of what it must have been like in the stable where the baby Jesus was born– noisy and chaotic! I love showing my kids images of Jesus with a darker skin tone and talking about the nativity in this new way.
The New Orleans 12 Days of Christmas by Lisa Marie Brown- My kids love a good twist on the classic 12 Days of Christmas. We have lots of different book variations on it, but this one comes with New Orleans flair. The kids love how familiar all the local components are and connect with the pictures of things they all recognize in a special way. Lords a-leaping and turtle doves don’t have anything on beignets and shotgun houses.
The Twelve Hours of Christmas by Jenn Bailey- This one I bought for the gorgeous, vibrant artwork, but we keep coming back to it for the precious story! Like I said before, my kids just love different version of the 12 Days of Christmas. This book takes us through one family’s crazy, warm Christmas day full of family and love. It starts with a missing kitten, is peppered with jokes, and features twins in dinosaur costumes– what more could you want out of a Christmas day? (My kids love finding the missing kitten on each page.)
Moo, Baa, Fa La La La La! by Sandra Boynton- We are all huge Sandra Boynton fans in this house! They’re perfect for toddlers, but big kids love them too, because they’re just plain silly, fun, and sweet. This one opens with the line, “Deck the halls with cows and holly.” As soon as I read it, it sets all my kids off in giggles. (Bonus: Check out another of her seasonal books, Merry Christmas, Little Pookie!)
The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore- It doesn’t get much more traditional than this! For me, this book is so familiar and comforting, like a hug. We read it throughout the whole month of December, but it’s always the last book we read before bedtime on Christmas Eve. As an honorable mention, don’t forget Cajun Night Before Christmas, which is a beloved Louisiana classic.
