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Christmas is a time for joy, for families to get together, and bask in the warmth of the festive season. This Christmas book list with suggestions for every age helps you usher in the festival spirit.
Books are always the best of gifts, the best of friends, and the best anchors in both good and bad times. Here are a few Christmas themed books for various ages, from those for little ones to those for adults.
How Many Sleeps ‘Til Christmas? by Mark Sperring
Little Pip is so excited by the prospect of Christmas, that he wakes his father up early one snowy winter morning. Not yet, says Dad. So how many sleeps ‘til Christmas? A lovely sing-song read for little ones.
Bear Stays Up For Christmas by Karma Wilson
Bear’s friends are determined that this winter, Bear does not go to sleep as usual. There is a surprise visitor, who makes Christmas very special for them.
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
A young boy makes a snowman on a day it snows. At night, the snowman comes to life, and they have many adventures together. This is a wordless book by Raymond Briggs, which has been made into an Oscar winning movie.
The Empty Stocking by Richard Curtis
Charlie has been a naughty boy this year. So will Santa fill his stocking? Or will Charlie have to do something about it? A hilarious Christmas story to read aloud to little ones.
When Santa Fell To Earth by Cornelia Funke
So one day, Santa falls down to earth, thanks to Twinklestar, that marzipan loving reindeer who’s frightened of lightning. What happens then?
The Snow Sister by Emma Carroll
It is Christmas Eve, and Pearl Granger is making a snow sister – a sister made of snow is better than no sister at all. Then comes a mysterious letter, that changes everything. A wonderful chapter book for early readers.
Michael Morpurgo’s Christmas Stories
A wonderful collection of short stories on the festive season by this master storyteller, one that includes his best – The Best Christmas Present In The World.
The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder
A young Norwegian girl disappears one day while shopping for Christmas with her mother, and travels back 2000 years in time to Bethlehem. Fifty years after this happens, a boy called Joachim finds a curious advent calendar, which brings to him her story in bits and pieces, which need to be put together to solve the mystery. Can he get her back?
The Christmas Star: A Festive Story Collection by Eva Ibbotson
This recently published book is a festive collection of three Christmas stories by the iconic children’s author well known for books like Journey to the River Sea and The Secret of Platform No 13.
Lost Christmas by David Logan
10 year old Goose’s life changes completely when his parents are killed in a car crash on Christmas Eve. A year later, again on Christmas Eve, he meets Anthony, a strange man who does not remember anything about himself, but seems to know everything about everyone else. Who is he, and what does he know about Goose’s life? Could Goose have happiness again? A wonderful book that can rekindle a belief in miracles.
My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by various authors.
This is an anthology of 12 heart-warming love stories that explore the tenderness of this emotion in young adults, juxtaposed with the holiday season.
Christmas Stories by Everyman
This anthology by Everyman’s Pocket Classics comprises many known and unknown stories of the festive season, including masterpieces by greats like Leo Tolstoy, O.Henry, Saki, Arthur Conan Doyle, Evelyn Waugh, and many more.
The Christmas Box Collection by Richard Paul Evans
A collection of three novellas – The Christmas Box, which is about Christmas when a young family moves in with a widow. Timepiece, which is about the power of forgiveness and the ties that can connect one generation with the next. The Letter, which is about a couple grieving for their only child, and the mysterious letter found at its grave. A must read.
The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman
Twelve women meet once a year on Christmas Eve, to exchange hand-made cookies and stories of their lives, a tradition that has brought them close over the years. Ann Pearlman is a wonderful storyteller who truly knows how women’s minds work and how women friends are necessary to tide one over anything that life may throw at you.
Image source: child sitting reading near the Christmas tree by Shutterstock.
In her role as the Senior Editor & Community Manager at Women's Web, Sandhya
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