Holiday Book Roundup
I've started a tradition with my boys of getting a new holiday book every year, and we've started really amassing quite a collection. Every year I bring them out right after Thanksgiving, and we treasure them for the month of December, reading them through over and over. My kids love this tradition, but I do as well.
One of the best parts of having kids is being able to re-visit the joy of the holidays, and many of the books I've chosen just take me right back. Seeing my boys' delight as well is the icing on the cake (or perhaps I should say the star on the tree ;). I've listed my favorites below - with links to the exact editions we have. You'll likely recognize many of the stories, but perhaps the actual edition of it will be new to you. Enjoy!
How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah? We only celebrate the first night of chanukah, but I have loved reading this book in advance of the holiday to my youngest son. It's a light approach to the holiday that I think is perfectly geared to the preschool set.
The Nutcracker (Story Orchestra Version): I found this one completely on a whim this year as I was browsing the stacks at my favorite bookstore in the world - Rizzoli - in New York City. The Nutcracker is a story that I realized was new to my sons, and having exact pieces of the score to accompany each page is such a clever addition. ALL of my boys are loving this one - even the 8 year old who unfortunately is getting a little bit cynical about Christmas. I highly recommend it!
The Polar Express: Sadly, I did not grow up with this story as part of my repertoire, but I am so thrilled that it's now become an essential part of our holiday reading. This particular book is beautifully illustrated and almost comes to life as we read it. The movie is also a favorite, but admittedly I prefer the book. Every year without fail, I find myself choking back tears at the end. A story about the magic of Christmas, but with a deeper message to always believe in something greater is the kind of book that I'll read long after the kids have grown.
The Night Before Christmas: This classic story has always been one of my favorites, but I was delighted when I found this gorgeous version. It's likely a bit dated now, as it came with a CD on which you can listen to an audio version recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary, but I still love it. We read this every year and it brings me such joy to see my boys so entranced by the images on each page.
A Christmas Carol: Well this is interesting. Apparently the version I have of this book now retails for $100! I'm not exactly sure what the story is there but you can find a more reasonable version of the book here. This is a book we still are growing into. My oldest son who is 8 is able to sit through almost all of it - the other two aren't quite there yet. However, it's a beautifully illustrated and written book and a much shorter version of this classic tale. I'm looking forward to reading it to and with all of my boys and in the meantime, I will just be enjoying it myself!
We love our holiday book tradition, and I'm so happy to have shared these with you today. Do you have any special holiday books? Let me know in the comments below - I'm always looking to expand our collection.
In the meantime, I'm going to be taking the rest of the year to spend some much needed downtime with my family. We'll be having lots of fun activities in the lead up to Christmas, and then we are off to California for a family vacation.
I have many ideas, plans and wellness related topics that I can't WAIT to share in 2018. This little space is going to grow in a big way, and I hope you'll join me for the ride.
Happy Holidays, and wishing you so much love for 2018.
As always...ONWARD into a new year!
With Love,
Brett
