Find your family’s new favorite Christmas read alouds and Christmas holiday books that make magical bedtime stories for kids.
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My family has always loved Christmas books. When I was a kid, my mom always had a dozen or so tucked in with the decorations. After we decorated the tree, the books went nearby for anyone who wanted to read them – usually curled up with a special Christmas stuffed animal too!
I continued the tradition with my kids. And if you’re looking for a few Christmas bedtime stories or stories about Christmas that make a great read-aloud, you’ll love this collection!
Christmas books
Below I’ve linked to physical books, but most of these are available as an ebook or Christmas audio book.
The Night Before Christmas
The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore is a classic, perfect for reading at bedtime on Christmas Eve. There are tons of variations, including a LEGO one.
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5 More Sleeps ’til Christmas
5 More Sleeps ’til Christmas by Jimmy Fallon is a cute rhyming countdown of the week before Christmas.
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Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh by Mo Willems features the adorable bird, trying to hop into Santa’s sleigh.
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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Robert L. May is the original story of the brave little reindeer with a shiny red nose.
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Frosty the Snowman
Frosty the Snowman by Diane Muldrow is the Little Golden Book version of the classic 1969 holiday special.
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Moo, Baa, Fa La La La La!
Moo, Baa, Fa La La La La! by Sandra Boynton is a silly rhyming board book that’s filled with animals getting ready for the holidays.
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The Polar Express
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg is a beautifully illustrated story about a little boy who takes a train to the North Pole to make a Christmas wish.
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How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss is an iconic holiday story with a timeless message and this version is in full color.
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The Christmas Owl
The Christmas Owl by Gideon Sterer is based on a true story about a tiny owl rescued from the New York Rockefeller Christmas tree.
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Olive, the Other Reindeer
Olive, the Other Reindeer by J. Otto Seibold is a pun-filled story about a little dog named Olive who dreams of joining Santa’s sleigh.
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Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree
Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert Barry is a fun picture book that follows a Christmas tree as it’s passed around and brings joy to woodland creatures.
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The Legend of the Poinsettia
The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie dePaola is a uniquely illustrated telling of a Mexican legend.
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How Winston Delivered Christmas
How Winston Delivered Christmas by Alex T. Smith is a charming story about a mouse who goes on an adventure to deliver a letter to Santa. Read a chapter a day for the month of December – there are 24 and a half!
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Bear Stays Up for Christmas
Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson is a picture book about a bear who decides to skip hibernating and stay awake to celebrate Christmas with his friends.
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Pick a Pine Tree
Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht is a sweet tribute to the family tradition of decorating for Christmas and all that entails.
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The Truth About Mrs. Claus
The Truth About Mrs. Claus by Meena Harris is about an elf girl who’s not sure about following in her grandma and mama’s footsteps, then learns a lesson from Mrs. Claus.
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Damon and the Magic Christmas Tree
Damon and the Magic Christmas Tree by Tash Creates is about a little boy who visits his grandma in New York to celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah.
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Juniper’s Christmas
Juniper’s Christmas by Eoin Colfer is a magical adventure about a girl who gets exposed to North Pole Magic while trying to visit a mysterious man she believes is Santa.
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The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum is an old story about the origins of Santa Claus, a child who is raised by fairies in the woods and devotes his life to making children happy. (You might recognize this as inspiration for the Rankin & Bass film, Santa Claus is Comin to Town.)
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When Santa Fell to Earth
When Santa Fell to Earth by Cornelia Funke is a fun adventure about a group of kids who must help Santa from a grumpy councilman when his sleigh crashed in their town right before Christmas.
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A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is the classic story of Ebenezer Scrooge and his Christmas Eve visit from three ghosts.
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The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson is about a chaotic family of 6 kids who are cast in the church’s holiday play and remind everyone of the meaning of Christmas.
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A Boy Called Christmas
A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig is about a boy who goes on an adventure to find his father at the North Pole.
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The Christmas Pig
The Christmas Pig: A Fable by Kinky Friedman is a unique fairy tale about a king who commissions a work of art each Christmas and sends his knights to find a boy genius to create it. Just a heads up, you’ll need tissues for this one.
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I added as many of our favorites to this list as I could come up with and I hope you’ve found a new family favorite read-aloud too! Bookmark this list so you can come back each Christmas to find a new book to enjoy.
What’s next? Try these other fun and creative ideas on One Mama’s Daily Drama:
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