Making a Book List and Checking it Twice

 

When the holiday decor goes up, our storage cube of holiday stories comes out. We’ve added books to our collection every year, and I want to share some of our favorites in case you are looking for ideas to add to your festive reading options.

For kiddos of all ages, our favorite is A Muppet Christmas Carol. Yes, there is a book version! If you’ve seen the movie, it’s really hard not to sing the Marley and Sons song in that section of the book.

 

Reading the original A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens remains my favorite. He has a lot of characters, but Ebenezer Scrooge’s redemption story stands out as an enduring lesson.

 

Interrupting Chicken Saves the Nutcracker will be a new favorite for the kids. This funny story teaches the valuable lessons of listening and sitting still.

 

I received Andrea Clark Madden’s translation of The Nutcracker, with illustrations by Carter Goodrich, as a kid. I still have it, and have shared it with Josh over the last few seasons. My version is hard to find, so check out this Nutcracker option.

 

If you’re looking for something to read after the kids go to bed, grab a copy of Hiddensee by Gregory Maguire. This story is of Drosselmeier and his creation of the Nutcracker. You might know Maguire from his other novels, like Wicked, but for me, this is my favorite book of his.

 

Want to see The Nutcracker in person this season? There are performances by the Saint Louis Ballet at the Touhill Performing Arts Center through Dec. 23rd; Ballet 314’s The Nutcracker & the 1904 World’s Fair at the Edison Theater Dec. 12-14th, and the Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker by the Saint Louis Dance Theatre at Chaminade’s Skip Viraugh Performing Arts Center, Dec 19-20th.

 

The St. Louis Night Before Christmas by Ryan Nusbickel is a funny tale about Santa’s visit to the ‘Lou. There are so many local references throughout. Nusbickel has also written The St. Louis 12 Days of Christmas for even more St. Louis fun.

 

For a little more serious version of Santa’s visit to St. Louis, check out Santa is Coming to St. Louis by Steve Smallman.

 

Santa Claus Meets the Tooth Fairy is written by local author Kimesha Malone, RN. We got to meet and listen to her read her story at Donuts with Santa a few years ago!

 

The Wishing Tree by Meika Hashimoto is one of the sweetest books we have read together. It emphasized the simple joys of this time of year and how one person can bring happiness to an entire town.

 

The Dinosaurs’ Night Before Christmas by Anne Muecke combines dinosaurs and Christmas, what could be better? Our version came with a CD of Al Roker reading the story and a selection of prehistoric-themed Christmas Carols.

There are so many great movies. Many were either a book first or were made into a book. Our favorites to read include Elf, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson, A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz and Home Alone.

 

New for This Year:

Josh and I finished The Lord of the Rings just in time to start Letters From Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Baillie Tolkien. Every December, a letter would arrive for the Tolkien children from the North Pole with stories from Father Christmas. Now we get to share even more of Tolkien’s great storytelling.

Juniper’s Christmas by Eion Colfer was on an Instagram list of books to read this holiday with kids who love fantasy books. This is right up our alley. Juniper gets thrown into a Christmas adventure to help a mysterious woodsman. There’s a reindeer in training, someone trying to steal Santa’s magic, what more could you need? Plus, it’s the read for the Novel Neighbor 8-12 Book Club selection. The kids will meet at the store Friday, Dec. 12th at 4:30 p.m. to discuss the book.

 

What great books did I miss that you and your family read every year? Let us know. And I hope a new favorite is headed your way!