Christmas Book Countdown

One of our favorite Christmas traditions each year is our Christmas Book Countdown. We started this tradition in 2015, and it’s one that my kids anticipate every single year. Today I’m going to share ALL the details with you. I will share how we do the Christmas Book Countdown as well as some alternative ideas! I am also going to share the changes I am making to our book countdown this year.

What is a Christmas Book Countdown?

In years past on December 1st, we begin our Christmas Book Countdown. The kids open a book each night that we read before bed. We open Christmas themed books, but really any kind of book would be fun! If you don’t want to do all Christmas books, this would be a great way to add to your book collection with any picture books your children would enjoy.

This year we are doing the 12 Days of Christmas Books. Our collection has grown so much over the years that it’s really hard finding 24 new (and good) Christmas books each year. This year I decided that it’s okay to modify a tradition. So, the 12 days before Christmas we will open a story and read it together before bed. My kids are getting older, and while they still love reading the books together, I just think it’s the right time to make some changes.

Other Takes on this Tradition

For the past several years I have purchased 24 Christmas books for our countdown. HOWEVER, you do NOT have to purchase new books each year. Here are some other options:

1. Many families wrap the same books every year. They store the books each year after Christmas so that their kids will be excited to pull them back out!
2. Some families add to their collection each year, but keep the majority the same. So, they may wrap 20 from the previous year but add in 4 new ones that they found. This is a great way to add new books to your countdown without having to buy all new books.
3. Other families do the 12 days of Christmas rather than a 24 day countdown. This is what we are doing this year!

Christmas Book Countdown 2021

Like I mentioned above, this year we are going to open 12 new Christmas books. Here’s our line up for the year.

1. The Naughtiest Reindeer
2. Santa’s Story
3. The Wishing Tree
4. 5 Sleeps Til Christmas
5. Santa’s Favorite Story
6. The Real Santa
7. Samurai Santa
8. The Christmas Owl
9. Snow Globe Wishes
10. Does Santa Look Like Me?
11. A Simple Christmas on the Farm
12. Gingerbread Pirates

I labeled each book with a countdown number. We will start with book #12 on December 13. Some years I do not label the books and just let the kids choose a book each night. It truly just depends on what kind of mood I’m in when I’m wrapping the books, ha!

tags / striped ribbon / green ribbon / Santa paper is old from Target / Plaid paper is from Hobby Lobby

Books, Books, and More Books

Yes, we have A LOT of books in our house. We are definitely book collectors. I do think that this tradition has helped to build a love of reading in our kids. Every year I store the Christmas books in the attic until the next holiday season. When we are decorating our house for Christmas, we pull the books back out again so that the kids can read through them until Christmas is over.

Finding the Books

Buying books each year can add up… this is why I recommend some of the other options that I listed above. But, here’s what I do every year:

1. I always start on Scholastic. I search their website high and low to find the best Christmas book deals. As I am doing this, I compare the prices to Amazon. I buy as many as I can from Scholastic. They also have really great bundles of Christmas books that help save even more money.
2. I look for the books for the next year right after Christmas. This allows me to get the best prices! If I waited until the month before Christmas, I would be paying top dollar for each book! Starting early is KEY!
3. We don’t have a lot of book stores around us anymore, but if we stop by a Half Price Bookstore, I always check out their selection.

Save for Later

I think that about explains our Christmas Book Countdown Tradition! Pin the image below to save for later!

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