Nope. This is not another giveaway. I apologize if I got your hopes up, but don’t let that keep you from reading on. This post is a pre-holiday treat that I hope you will enjoy.
Once November hits I officially become glued to my day planner. It seems that holiday activities don’t wait until the traditional Christmas month of December. Oh no. Starting November first it seems we are inundated with television commercials, storefronts and e-mails announcing holiday markdowns and savings. On top of which I find my schedule filling up faster than a stocking with Christmas goodies: concerts, school activities, holiday bazaars and parties. And somehow, someway I’ve got to squeeze in our annual family Christmas picture, order cards, go shopping for three eager children, husband, parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, etc. One word. Exhausting. Three more words – I can’t wait.
We’re in the middle of a major office/playroom remodel (more on that another time). For the past three days I’ve been sorting through toys, books, papers and files. I have successfully filled a giant garbage bag with miscellaneous items, and it feels good to throw stuff out. One of the projects I just completed was going through all of our children’s books. I love books, but especially a really good children’s story. We have so many, and of varying categories. One of which is a stack of Christmas storybooks. I’m pretty picky when it comes to children’s literature, and the ones we have are true Christmas treasures.
My pre-holiday treat for you is a list of my top ten favorite children’s Christmas books. Perhaps this list will give you some gift ideas. I have chosen these particular books because of the content of their story or poem, and the quality of artwork. The following books, to me, put a warm fuzzy in my heart, bring huge smiles on my little ones’ faces, and in their own special way make the season bright.
Amy’s Top Ten Children’s Christmas Books
- Snowmen At Christmas – written by Caralyn Buehner and illustrated by Mark Buehner.
- The Night Before Christmas – Clement C. Moore’s classic Christmas poem brought to life with the charming and winsome artwork of Mary Engelbreit.
- The Legend of the Candy Cane – written by Lori Walburg and illustrated by James Bernardin.
- Away In A Manger – the classic Christmas carol illuminated by the “artist of light”, Thomas Kinkade.
- Silent Night – yet another beautifully illustrated rendition of the traditional Christmas hymn by Thomas Kinkade.
- The Little Drummer Mouse – written and illustrated by Mercer Mayer.
- The Miracle of Jonathan Toomey – written by Susan Wojciechowski and illustrated by P.J. Lynch.
- Christmas Cookies – “Bite size holiday lessons”, written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Jane Dyer.
- The Spirit of Christmas – written and illustrated by New York Times bestselling author, Nancy Tillman.
- You Are My Miracle – written by Maryann Cusimano Love and illustrated by Satomi Ichikawa.
I’ll close with an excerpt from The Spirit of Christmas by Nancy Tillman:
That’s when the Spirit of Christmas smiled.
“Remember, this all began with a child.
Because it took nothing but love to begin it,
It’s not really Christmas if love isn’t in it.”
Your tree may be large as the room will allow
With a big yellow star on the uppermost bough,
But of one thing I’m certain,
I’m sure of one thing.
It is love that makes the angels sing.
Happy reading and pre-holidaying, my friends!