I can’t believe it’s time to start preparing our annual Christmas Book Advent, but here we are! This sure has been a crazy year, full of wild changes and unwelcome interruptions. I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to settling right down deep into our favorite family traditions- this book advent being one of them! I’m ready to to be wrapped up by these books like a worn out favorite blanket.
Our 2020 picks!
We are still narrowing down our forever favorites, but we have a number of books that have been on our list before, so we are slowly getting there. That’s one of the many reasons I love this tradition: it takes time to marinade in it and to see which books come out standing the test of time. In a fast-paced, cookie cutter world, I embrace things that take time to form.
Our stack this year is a mix of about half library books, and half books we own. Our goal is to eventually own all 25 books that make our forever list, but for now we utilize our amazing library and reserve books well in advance to make sure we get them in time. (To see last year’s list, click here.)
Without further ado, read on for the books that made our list for 2020.
An Orange For Frankie by Patricia Polacco
The Little Fir Tree by Margaret Wise Brown
Christmas Farm by Mary Lyn Ray
Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo
Apple Tree Christmas by Trinka Hakes Noble
Mousekin’s Christmas Eve by Edna Miller
Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert Barry
Christmas Mouseling by Dori Chacones
The Carpenter’s Gift by David Rubel
Song Of The Stars by Sally Lloyd Jones
The Year Of The Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston
Brave Irene by William Steig
Over And Under The Snow by Kate Messner
Pick A Pine Tree by Patricia Toht
The Christmas Miracle Of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
Night Tree by Eve Bunting
A Wish To Be A Christmas Tree by Colleen Monroe
The Broken Ornament by Tony DiTerlizzi
The Nutcracker (any edition)
A Night Of Great Joy by Mary Engelbreit
Mortimer’s Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
The Night Before Christmas (any edition)
The First Christmas Night by Keith Christopher
Once our books are assembled, I wrap each one individually with its corresponding number (to be opened on that day in December) and place them under the tree.
Do you and your family have a favorite book you read every year at Christmas? Comment and let me know! We are always on the lookout for potential new favorites!
I sincerely wish a blessed holiday season upon your families this year. Merry Christmas!