Our Favorite Christmas Books

"A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is

not a good children's story in the slightest."

C. S. Lewis 

Ever since my children were very small, I purchased a new Christmas book each year.  This has been one of my favorite holiday traditions.  There were years when I was younger and had more energy, when I wrapped all our books, so we could open one each night in December.  But more often than not, I just stacked them all in a big basket to be picked up by a reader whenever the mood would strike.  Over the past thirty years, I've built a nice library of beautiful books.  Unpacking the "book box" early in December is a delight that I look forward to every year.  Each book carries so many memories with it.  At times, I would encourage the kids to write some thoughts in the back of the book after they read a story.  Those words are family history and mean more to me than I ever imagined they would.  This is one tip that I would share with young families.  I wish we had done more of it.

This story was one of our favorites, and we read it each year before going to pick out our tree, sometimes carrying it along with us in the car to be read on the way to the farm.  A  number of years ago, I was involved with a Girls Camp at church and our theme was "May the Forest Be With You".  We had all kinds of fun "tree" related activities.  One evening we divided the girls into groups and had them rotate to different readers, who shared one of their favorite stories about trees.  I chose this book.  

Unfortunately, when I got home and began unloading all the camp stuff, I couldn't find the book anywhere.  I think an entire box was lost somewhere along the way, because our walkie talkies were never found either.  The walkie talkies were not a big loss for me, they could be replaced.  But the book, with years of journaling in the back, that's what made me the saddest.  I waited to see if it would surface, but after a few years, I gave up the search and bought another copy.  But, it's not the same without those childish scribbles.  

 And speaking of scribbles, our copy of The Night Before Christmas has a few.

Carl's Christmas tells a sweet story with no words.

This beautiful book, purchased in 1997, tells the story of a sad woodcarver whose heart is softened by a questioning child,  who spends time with him and watches him carve the holy family.  By Christmas Day his grief is lighter and he feels joy for the first time in years.   The illustrations are lovely.

This little book has been read aloud on many a family home evening prior to Christmas.  The little shepherd boy is the son of one of the shepherds who heard the angel choir and saw the newborn Christ.  On the 33rd anniversary of this event, he has an encounter with a man who changes his life.

Based on the true story of the Christmas Eve cease fire that took place in 1914, this book demonstrates the spirit of Christ beautifully, when for a brief time, the enemies stopped fighting one another and behaved as friends.  The book includes a CD, with the story being narrated by the author, as well as a beautiful version of Silent Night.  This is one of my more recent purchases and I love it. 

This has become one of my very favorites.  I cannot make it to the end without crying.  It's such a touching story about a young boys Christmas gift to his father.  Be sure and have the tissue close at hand. 

The Polar Express is the number one family favorite.   The cassette tape is a give away as to how long we've been reading and listening to this story. Every Christmas Eve the gift set comes out, and at the end we ring the bell to see if we are still among those who truly believe.  This tradition lives on, even with my adult kids.  Last year, Dillon and Jantzen read it to us, one reading, the other turning the pages.  Melts my heart just thinking about it.  

This is my book for 2014.  I didn't really know what a treasure it was when I ordered it.  I've been singing this Christmas carol for years without really understanding the back story.  The book includes a DVD with narration by the lovely Jane Seymour ( oh, that red dress!).  And that's not all.  There's dancing, live orchestra, handbells and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.   Oh man, this is a gem.

There are more, but I'll stop here.  I guess you can see how precious this collection is to me.  I would definitely run for this storage box in the event of a fire!  And, I haven't even touched on my favorite adult Christmas stories.  Maybe next year.   So, do you favorite Christmas books?