By Mari Lynn Garbowicz
Traditions can become a favorite part of the holiday season. The familiarity and anticipation of doing something special as a family year after year is special.
One holiday activity that may become a family tradition is the 24 days of Christmas books tradition – a simple and educational twist on an advent calendar.
To do this, wrap 24 Christmas books and put them under the tree or in a special basket. Every night before bed, let your children choose a book to unwrap and then read it together.
The best thing about this tradition is that it doesn’t have to cost a lot. To find the 24 books:
- Use What You Have. Find Christmas books that you already have at your home.
- Shop for Cheap Books. Go to thrift stores or use Facebook/Online Garage sales to find seasonal books.
- Buy a Few New Books.
- Use Your Local Library
Each night leading up to Christmas, your child selects one book to unwrap and then you read it together. You might want to save The Night Before Christmas for December 24th.
This activity adds so much excitement to the days leading up to Christmas, and it strengthens the bond between parent and child. Sharing a good story together is a wonderful way to create Christmas memories that will last a lifetime.
The Demmer Library is a wonderful resource for books you may want to include in this activity. Some suggestions are:
Snow Globe Wishes – Erin Dealey
The Berenstain Bears Old Fashioned Christmas – Jan and Mike Berenstain
Jan Brett’s The Nutcracker – Jan Brett
The Twelve Days of Christmas in Wisconsin – Erin Eitter Kono
The Last Christmas Tree – Stephen Krensky
Santa Bruce – Ryan T Higgins
Come and See(A Christmas Story) – Monica Mayper
Bear Stays Up For Christmas – Karma Wilson
The Polar Express – Chris Van Allsburg
The Bear and the Star – Lola M Schaefer
If You Take a Mouse to the Movies – Laura Numeroff
Froggy’s Best Christmas – Jonathan London
The Wonderful Gifts of Winter – Dandi Daley Mackall
And Then Comes Christmas – Tom Brenner
Snowmen at Christmas – Caralyn Buehner
Who Was Born This Special Day? – Eve Bunting
Dream Snow – Eric Carle
Merry Christmas, Strega Nona – Tomie de Paola
Llama Llama Holiday Drama – Anna Dewdney
Stick Man – Julia Donaldson
The Night Before Christmas – Clement Moore
Bear Noel – Olivier Dunrea
A World of Cookies for Santa – M. E. Furman
Silent Night – Lara Hawthorne
Harold at the North Pole – Crockett Johnson