In year’s past, we have taken 4-5 weeks off of our usual lessons and used lovely guides and ideas to spend that time focused on traditions, connection, and Jesus. This year, I have written a curriculum that we will be using and I would be honored if you would join us by using it in your homes as well. As I began to write this guide, I wanted to include some of our favorite living picture books for the Christmas and Advent season.

In this list, you will find my all-time favorite titles for winter and Christmas. You will find a mix of shorter, light-hearted stories and many deeper, meaningful stories (keep the tissues close for a few). In the pages of these living books, you will see diversity, traditions, and culture! Some of the stories will take you back in time or to other places in the world. Some are silly and will fill your hearts with joy and wonder. Many teach lessons of giving, sacrifice, and focus on keeping Jesus at the center of the season. I tried to include books that would appeal to many ages. I hope you love them as much as my family does.

If you have purchased A Connected Christmas to use with your family this season, here are a few inside tips about the booklist:

There is one title assigned to each day of the curriculum with a coordinating hands-on connection, such as a handcraft or recipe. Some of them are strongly connected to the theme in the story for that day and others are more of a general project and could be easily assigned to another read-aloud if you are unable to collect all of the titles. If you move a title to another day than is assigned, I recommend also moving the hands-on connection to the same day, as they are partnered together.

My recommendation is to try to gather the books either at your local library or to purchase them on Amazon or at a used bookstore such as thriftbooks.com. If you go this route, you could wrap each book up to have your children open up at lesson time, which makes for a fun experience and tradition. As a last resort, if you are unable to locate a physical copy of the books, I have included links to YouTube read-alouds of each book in the book list download. If you have exhausted those routes and need to swap a book out for another, there are many wonderful titles out there to choose from. Just double-check the hands-on connection for the day to see if it still makes sense without reading that specific book.

If you love this booklist, consider trying out our booklist from A Connected Christmas: Around the World. This list includes 15 books from 15 different countries, providing a window into how the holiday season is celebrated throughout the world.

Related: Picture Books Celebrating Christmas Around the World [FREE Booklist Download] and How to Develop a Love of Literature in Your Home