It has been a busy season around here and I have been struggling to finish projects and get into the holiday spirit. Instead of baking gingerbread houses, I have been crunching deadlines and running errands like a crazy woman.
We finally got our tree up and decided that we needed to do something to find the spark that was eluding us. Hanging the stockings just wasn’t getting us there. So we did something that never fails: we turned to a book. Well, books. But not just any books–picture books.
As always, the books did not fail.
So if you are feeling more stress than spirit, here is one way to fix the problem–a list of our top 12 Christmas picture books that are sure to bring a smile to kids of all ages, even those who are just young at heart:
Santa Trap by Jonathan Emmett
This is a great story about a naughty boy who tries to exact his revenge on Santa for not caving to his demands for toys.
A Wish to Be a Christmas Tree by Colleen Monroe
A sweet story about a tree that has grown too tall to fulfill his goal of being a Christmas tree and how his fiends convince him that he is their present just as he is.
Auntie Claus by Elise Primavera
Where does Auntie Claus disappear to every year? Sophie decides to find out.
Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner
Another snowman book that tells what these icy beings do to celebrate Christmas.
Olive the Other Reindeer by J. Otto Semibold
Olive mishears a popular Christmas carol and believes she must be a reindeer. This is what happens when she arrives at the North Pole.
Russell’s Christmas Magic by Rob Scotton
Russell decides to wait up for Santa and ends up saving Christmas.
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
There are few books that capture the spirit of Christmas as well as this one does. Who doesn’t want an invitation to ride the Polar Express to the North Pole to see Santa off on Christmas Eve?
Merry Christmas, Splat! by Rob Scotton
Poor Splat worries that he has not done enough to prove that he is nice enough for a good present from Santa and sets out to fix that.
A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz
This is the classic animated story in book form.
Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson
Bear decides to wake from his hibernation long enough to celebrate with his friends.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss
What can I say about this classic? It’s the Grinch. Enough said.
And, finally, because how can you celebrate Christmas without the Christmas Eve classic: The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore? You can’t.
If you want more grown up content, but still in the same vein, then you can’t go wrong with Letters from Father Christmas by JRR Tolkien or A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens–the original Christmas story.
Happy Holidays, everyone! I will see you all in the New Year. This blog will be silent until then, so grab a good book and curl up by the fire. See you in 2016.