24 of the Best Christmas Books for Kids

Whether you are looking for new books or classic titles, picture books or chapter books, we are going to check out some of the best Christmas books for kids! Perfect for homeschooling, simply snuggling up together on the couch, or even for a 24-days of Christmas book exchange, this list is sure to become your go-to for finding some favorite Christmas books. 

Four lucky families are going to win during the 2025 Christmas Blessings Giveaway! All the details on how to enter are found below the 24 Christmas books for kids list!

Books for Christmas Gifts

As a literature-loving homeschool family whose goal is to fill every nook and cranny of each and every bookshelf in our home with books, you know I’m a sucker for a good book list. Whether it’s must-read titles for summer, an epic list of rhyming books, or even books perfect for fire safety week… it doesn’t matter. 

Seasonal book lists, holiday-themed collections, picture books, graphic novels you name, I’m digging in (and probably sharing, too!). 

For years, our family has subscribed to a gift rule that helps keep us focused and on budget. It’s an adaptation of the “something to wear, something to read, something you want, and something you need” rule. I saw the idea years ago and loved the simplicity it offered to this previously frazzled mom who felt guilt year after year that there wasn’t enough under the tree.

Keep Christmas simple because my mantra (along with homeschooling, learning, and parenting!) as I created categories for gifts and found a way to engage my inner gift giver (who always wants to buy just “one more gift”) while also being mindful of budgets and the true meaning of Christmas.

Today, I want to help you give great Christmas books to your family this year by supplying you with some of the best children’s Christmas books around.

​Christmas Book Ideas

There are many ways to give holiday books at Christmas including:

• As a Christmas present
• As a stalking stuffer
• As part of an annual tradition of gifting classic Christmas books
• As part of a “Days of Christmas” type of celebration (12 or 24 are the most common)
• As a way to energize your December homeschooling.

As for options… well, yours are endless, my friend. You can choose from a new Christmas book, gift a family heirloom, or buy a copy of one of your favorites. You can give a picture book, a classic Christmas tale, or even opt for a beloved children’s book. 

If you’ve never given books, this is the perfect time to start a new holiday tradition!

Best Christmas Books For Kids

Christmas books for kids are a great way to fill your bookshelves, give quality gifts this holiday season, and create memories around a sweet story. This list contains a fantastic mix of funny stories that will make your whole family laugh, heartwarming stories that will have you all feel the joy of the season, and classic Christmas tales that every family should own. 

While not a complete list of every Christmas tale around, this list of the best Christmas books does contain some amazing titles.  And as you’ll see, there is one for each day of December so you can get ready for Christmas all month long! 

1. The Christmas Owl

Inspired by a true story, The Chrismas Owl is a great holiday book tells the tale of a little owl found in the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center and his rescue by a kind and caring woman. A heartwarming story that is perfect for this time of year.

2. The Polar Express

The Polar Express has become a loved tradition of many over the years. It is a story about the journey of a little boy who is welcomed aboard the Polar Express to take a trip to the North Pole and meet Santa! On the way back home, he loses the special gift Santa had given him, only to have it magically turn up under his Christmas tree on Christmas morning.Your family will enjoy this tale about believing in the magic of Christmas.

​Also available as a Christmas movie, the Polar Express is a great addition to your holiday celebration. 

3. The Nutcracker

Relive the great adventure of this classic tale in this beautifully illustrated version of the story of a girl who befriends a nutcracker prince. Follow them on their dangerous journey as they try to reach the Sugar Plum fairy safely and avoid the evil Mouse King! The Nutcraker is always a great choice at Christmas.

Add to the book by seeing if your family can attend a live performance of The Nutcracker. This is a beloved Christmas tradition in my home that my daughter and I look forward to every year!

4. The Little Red Sleigh

This charming Christmas story will soon become one of your favorites. Little Red Sleigh has one dream, and that is to become the sleigh that carries Santa Claus and all the gifts he delivers on Christmas Eve. With the help of her friends, she does everything she can to make that dream come true. This is a must-read if your family loves Christmas picture books. 

5. A Charlie Brown Christmas

No holiday season is complete if it does not include A Charlie Brown Christmas. Read on as Charlie’s friends try to help him get into the Christmas spirit and help him realize the true meaning of Christmas in this classic Christmas book. 

Be sure to catch the movie adaptation of this tale to help you get into the holiday spirit. 

6. Construction Site on Christmas Night

From the authors that brought us Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site comes this Christmas Story that finds the construction team working on a home for the fire engines. They finish just in time to receive their own Christmas surprise! This holiday picture book is great for young children and parents alike. Be sure to add this one to your cart.

7. The Candy Cane Fiasco

This humorous adventure begins when a little girl’s grandma gives her a candy cane, thus beginning The Candy Cane Fiasco. Your children will enjoy this rhyming story about the sticky situations she gets into. Even Santa tries to help clean it up in this zany children’s Christmas book. 

8. Bear Stays up for Christmas

As we all know, bears typicaly hibernate for the winter. However, in this entertaining story, Bear decides he is going to stay up for Christmas and he enlists his friends to help him. How does it work out? Well, grab a copy of Bear Stays Up For Christmas and find out!

9. Dasher: How a Brave Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever

In this New York Times bestseller, Dasher is a reindeer in a traveling circus, but she longs to be in a place with snow under her hooves. During her travels, she meets a man in a red suit and with the help of a powerful wish, Christmas is never the same again. Be sure to include Dasher in your Christmas books list for this year.

10. The Christmas Pine

Inspired by London’s yearly tradition of a Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square, this is a heartwarming story about one little pine tree’s journey from being a tiny tree in the woods to making an exciting trip to the city square to be this year’s special tree where the people gather to sing carols and celebrate the Holidays. 

11. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey

A young widow and her son approach a carpenter, who never seems to smile and spends his time alone, with a special request. Throughout the task requested of the woodworker, the three of them deal with their losses with the help of a Christmas Miracle.

12. The Snowman

This unique wordless book uses only pictures to tell the story of this little boy who takes flight over the countryside with his snowman who comes to life while the town is fast asleep.

13. All is Bright: When God Came Down One Silent Night

In this story built around the lyrics of the song Silent Night, this book about the first Christmas tells the tale of the birth of Jesus. With its great rhymes and beautiful illustrations, it would make a great addition to your holiday traditions. 

14. The Candies Save Christmas

Best-selling author James Patterson brings us this fun kids story about how the Christmas Candies help rescue the scrawniest little tree in the Christmas tree lot and save Christmas.

15. The Wonderful Once: A Christmas Story

In this Christmas adventure that captures the spirit of Christmas, one single magical deed changes the world forever in this unique Christmas story.

16. 5 More Sleeps ‘til Christmas

In this fun Christmas story, Jimmy Fallon prepares readers for the most exciting week of the year.  With great illustrations and rhymes, the comedian tells the tale of a little boy who is anxious for Christmas to arrive.

17. The Year of the Perfect Tree

Set in the heart of the Appalachian mountains in the early 1900s, this is a story about a family trying to remain strong while the father is away fighting in World War I and hoping that he makes it back in time before Christmas as it is their turn to supply the Christmas tree for the village.

18. The Berenstain Bears and the Joy of Giving

In this Christmas book about the much-loved Berenstain Bears, Sister Bear and Brother Bear learn about the true meaning of Christmas. A great story that teaches that there is just as much joy in giving presents as there is in receiving them.

19. The Night Before Christmas

The perfect Christmas story for Christmas Eve, this classic story describes what one man witnesses on the night before Christmas. This hardcover special edition features an embossed cover and 4-page fold-out and is perfect for kids of all ages. 

20. Christmas Day in the Morning

In this time of commercialization of Christmas, Christmas Day in the Morning reminds us that sometimes the best Christmas gifts are the ones that don’t cost a penny.

21. A Christmas Carol

Whether you opt to read the full Christmas classic, the illustrated 200th-anniversary addition linked here, or perhaps grab a children’s abridged version, this is one book that you should be sure to read at Christmas time. 

22. How The Grinch Stole Christmas

​The main character in the classic Christmas tale despises the cheerful holiday and decides that he must stop Christmas from coming. Yet, even without the presents, roast beef, or the perfect Christmas tree, somehow, the holiday still arrives in this classic Christmas tale.

23. Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree

This heartwarming tale of a too-tall Christmas tree is sure to become one of your family’s favorite Christmas books as you see just how useful this tree top can be.

24. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

​You’ve probably already seen one of the best Christmas movies, so why not add a copy of this children’s book to your home library?

Click here to shop the whole list of Christmas books for kids with ease!

Whether you already have a tradition of reading Christmas books with your kids or are looking to start a new one this year, be sure to utilize this collection of some of the best Christmas books for kids. Perhaps you can even use this to spark some new Christmas traditions in your home. 

Looking for More Christmas Content?

Be sure to check out these great December posts!

• 25 Christmas Traditions For A Wonderful Holiday Season
• How To Make Homeschooling Through The Holidays Festive
• 10 Great Ways To Energize Your Homeschool In December
• Remembering Christ In A Modern Day Christmas

Enter The Christmas Blessings Giveaway!

That’s right, my friend, purchase your kid’s Christmas books (and maybe even a Christmas gift for the homeschool teacher in your life) when you win one of four gift cards that will be awarded during the 2025 Christmas Blessings Giveaway!

This year, I have once again teamed up with an amazing group of bloggers to bring you the annual Christmas Blessings Giveaway, and I am so happy to once again be a part of this!

This year we will have FOUR winners!! Each winner will get a $250 gift card to wherever they choose – a restaurant, clothing store, grocery store, online retailer, or even your favorite bookstore! 😉

Below, you will find the entry form with quite a few bonus entries – but remember, the more you enter, the better your chance of winning! I know it can seem tedious and time-consuming to go through all the entries, but isn’t a chance at $250 worth it? I think so! Plus, all of these amazing bloggers donated their own money towards the prizes, so this giveaway wouldn’t be possible without them. I hope you’ll take the time to check out each one. Who knows, maybe you will find some new blogs to follow. 🥰

Terms & Conditions: Giveaway ends November 28th at 11:59pm ET.  Winners will be drawn and emailed the following day. The winners will have 48 hours to respond to email to claim the prize.  By entering this giveaway you will be added to the email lists of the participating bloggers. You must live in the United States or Canada to be eligible to win.