Tis the season for holiday themed books! We have created a list of some of our childhood favorites, the Christmas stories of classic characters and some of the new stories we have fallen in love with as adults.

*Links to each book in cover images. We may collect a small commission on any Amazon purchases.

Christmas Stories from Favorite Characters

1. Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas by Jane O’Connor: We love Fancy Nancy and this Christmas book has been one of our favorites for years. One of my favorite lines happens when they are trying to find the perfect Christmas tree: “I think bigger is always better. But my dad says we must compromise. That means we end up with the tree my mom wants.”

2. Angelina’s Christmas by Katharine Holabird: Angelina’s ballet adventures continue as she finds a real life Santa living in her town and spreads some holiday cheer!

3. Olivia Helps at Christmas by Ian Falconer: Olivia and her brothers help to get the house ready for Christmas, but it’s almost too much to expect them to go bed when they’re this excited! Their enthusiasm on Christmas Day is so sweet, and of course Olivia has an amazing gift for her parents.

4. Eloise at Christmastime by Kay Thompson: As Eloise fans, we love this book and the movie that goes with it! Preparing for Christmas at the Plaza in true Eloise fashion is full of mischief, fun and lots of festive gift giving. Oooooo we absolutely love Christmas!

Classics from our Childhood

1. The Night Before Christmas by Clement C Moore and Holly Hobbie: This poem is a Christmas classic, and I love this version-the illustrations are so sweet!

2. The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden: This story about a sweet orphan and toy store on Christmas Eve is magical and the illustrations by Barbara Cooney are beautiful as well. This is a longer tale that’s great for older children-my ten year old loves reading about someone her own age.

3. Morris’ Disappearing Bag by Rosemary Wells: This book is another one that we had as kids that my girls still love today. Morris’ older sibling got exciting presents for Christmas that they won’t let him play with and he’s feeling left out until he finds a magical disappearing bag by the tree.

4. The Mitten by Jan Brett: While it isn’t exactly a Christmas story, it does take readers on a wintry adventure through the woods as a little boy drops his mitten and one by one, different woodland creatures find it. The illustrations are incredible and provide so much entertainment beyond the story.

Modern Classics

1. Olive, the Other Reindeer by Vivian Walsh: The tale of Olive, a Jack Russell Terrier who thinks that she’s a reindeer and wants to help Santa in any way she can is a classic that we loved when we were kids.

2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss: Children may be more familiar with the multiple Grinch movies that are so popular, but you can’t go wrong with the classic book by Dr. Seuss.

3. The Story of Christmas illustrated by Helen Dardik: This board book shares the story of Christmas in a simple way for the youngest of readers.

4. The Nutcracker by Fiona Watt: A wonderful board book that plays music from the ballet as you follow Clara on her journey.