It's November 30th and I am once again, busy wrapping 23 books for the special Christmas/Advent tradition we do in our home. I have gotten so many questions over the past few years since I began posting this on social media. I LOVE this tradition we do as a family. It's something I remember doing from my childhood. I love that my boys look forward to this. This year, the older boys are excited to read the books they unwrap as well as read the books the younger two unwrap to one another. Let's hope for minimal arguing of who gets to read the book that night (haha!). Below is an updated list of the books in this years 23 wrapped books...if you want to read more about the tradition and see other books I've used, visit my post from last year HERE
Don't mind my furry friend, Ramsey, enjoying the cozy fire. She wasn't much help...
Ten Christmas Lights by Teresa Imperato - an adorable counting book with little lights that glow when you push the button.
Little Porcupines Christmas - by Joseph Slate, this book is about a porcupine who can't seem to find a place in the Christmas play. He feels very left out and his friends make fun of him. However, in the end, he saves the day by becoming the star on the tree.
What Do Snowmen do at Christmastime - Excited to add this book to the mix this year. I love the illustrations in this book.
Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson -if you haven't checked out any of the bear books, you should! They are so sweet, they rhyme, and have adorable illustrations
Everyone is Invited to Christmas: A fun book about enjoying the true meaning of the Christmas season....JESUS! The illustrations are beautiful and fun with all the woodland creatures.
A Birthday Party for Jesus: By the same author as Everyone is Invited to Christmas, it's about a bunny who wants to know the perfect gift to bring Jesus for his birthday.
Jingle Jokes: In a house full of boys, you need to have some good jokes.
Bizzy Bear: Christmas Helper - Excited to have this one join the mix this year for our youngest who is 2.5. He will love how intereactive the book is. Bizzy Bear books are wonderful for toddlers. They teach great learning concepts but also allow the child to be intereactive in the book which helps to keep their attention and work on fine motor skills.
God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Bergren - one of my favorites! I usually wait 'til the week of Christmas to open this one
Baby's Santa Mouse by Michael Brown - I'm not sure this book is even available anymore. I have the copy that my mom put in my Christmas book basket from when I was a little girl.
The Sweet Smell of Christmas by Patricia Scary - another book from my childhood. I have the one from when I was growing up, but the scratch and sniff has been worn so we have a new one for the boys. It's an adorable story about a bear who finds all the smells leading to Christmas (gingerbread, candy canes, Christmas Tree, hot chocolate, and more). This one is a favorite in our home.
Don't Push The Button Christmas Adventure by Bill Cotter - if you haven't tried interactive books with your 2-4 year old, you need to start! Don't push the button books are some of our favorites! This is just a silly Christmas version of the book
Santa's Favorite Story - by Hisako Aoki and Ivan Gantschev - I love this book because it blends Santa and the Christmas Story. The animals in the forest find Santa sleeping next to a tree. When he wakes up he tells them of the story of Christmas, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Beautiful but simple pictures about the story of Christmas. This is one of my favorites that I have found.
An Otis Christmas by Loren Long - in a house full of tractor loving boys, Otis is a favorite.
Mortimer's Christmas Manger by KarmaWilson (author of Bear books - a sweet story about a mouse who makes a home in the nativity scene but then each night keeps coming back to find that Jesus is back in the manger and has to keep removing all the pieces until one night, he hears the family telling the story of Jesus and decides he doesn't need the cozy bed anymore. We read this during the week before Christmas.
Humphrey's First Christmas by Carol Heyer. A beautifully illustrated book and story about the journey to the manger from the Camel's perspective.
Mistletoe the Christmas Kitten by Joe Troiano - a story about a kitten who looks different from the rest and doesn't have a cozy home to go to. He rescues some stranded kittens on a blistery Christmas Eve and finds them a cozy home to live in and get adopted into the family as well.
Snowman's Story by Will Hillenbrand This is a FAVORITE of mine. It is a book with no words, just pictures. The boys love taking turns telling their own version of the story. We've heard some very funny ones, and some pretty creative ones. You can each take a turn per page or have someone tell the whole story. This book is a blast. I believe it can also be found in Scholastic Book Orders.
Goodnight Manger by Laura Sassi (same author as Goodnight Ark, beautiful pictures) - when we received Goodnight Ark as a gift, I was blown away with the beauty of the pictures and loved that it was a goodnight story about Noah. I was so excited when I found Goodnight Manger!
Construction Site on Christmas Night by Chronicle Books - all the boys in my house LOVE anything that has to do with construction trucks. We love the Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site books and I just added this one to our collection for this year to be opened. I'm excited to see the boys reaction to it when they open it.
Little Blue Truck's Christmas by HHM books - we love Little Blue Truck books and I think my youngest will enjoy opening this one this year.
Where Do Diggers Celebrate Christmas? by Random House Books - another new one that was added this year to our collection. There are 3 books that have similar titles and we love them all in our home. This should be a fun one for them to open!
The Jolly Christmas Postman by LB Kids - I remember reading the Jolly Postman when I was little and loved it. I found the Christmas version a few years ago and picked it up. Now that the older two understand some of the classic fairy tales (with some thanks to Super Why), I think they'll enjoy reading this one.
On Christmas Even we read the Christmas Story from our bible with the boys. This book is wrapped in a special golden box and is placed under the tree. Throughout the month we discuss with the boys why the golden box is the most important gift under the tree. The older boys are now great readers and have begun to read us the story of Christmas from their bibles on Christmas Eve.
