Hyacinth Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 I like to include something Christmas-y for our morning couch time in December. Last year we read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and the year before that we read A Christmas Carol. Ideas for this year? My boys are 12 and 13 if that matters in your suggestions (though they'll sit through nearly anything). Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-34th-Street-Valentine-Davies/dp/0547414420/ref=la_B001KD5K5Q_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415402211&sr=1-1 This is the brief novel on which the movie, "Miracle on 34th Street" was based. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 The 101 Dalmatians. Really. It's a Christmas story because the pups arrive home on Christmas Eve. If you have only seen the Disney movie, then you really have very little idea of what the 101 Dalmatians is about. :-) Also, John Grisham's "Saving Christmas" is quite good ("Christmas with the Kranks" was based on it). 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 A Child's Christmas in Wales (short story) The Box of Delights Letters from Father Christmas A Christmas Memory (short story) The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 Since you have older children, I left off most of the usual picture books and simple readers. :) Letters from Father Christmas (Tolkien) -- either ISBN: 9780618009374 OR ISBN: 9780395596982 Christmas Every Day (Howells) The Thirteen Days of Christmas (Overton) Miracle on 34th Street (Davies) Cricket on the Hearth (Dickens) Gift of the Magi (Henry) A Child's Christmas in Wales (Thomas) The Other Wise Man (Van Dyke) The Glorious Impossible (L'Engle) And, some longer picture books, wonderful for ALL ages :) The Remarkable Christmas of the Cobbler's Sons (Sawyer) The Christmas Knight (Curry) Small Miracle (Collington) The Christmas Miracle of Jonathon Toomey (Wojciechowski) The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree (Houston) 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyacinth Posted November 7, 2014 Author Share Posted November 7, 2014 Thanks! My library hold list is maxed out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMommy Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 This is one of my Christmas readings lists...I picked the one that has the most family favorites! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 "The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey" was made into a film version, if that interests you. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0498361/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Another vote for Letters From Father Christmas -- we read that last year, and everyone loved it! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 I blogged our Christmas reading list from last year. The chapter books are toward the bottom of the post. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Great post idea, OP! And thanks for all the suggestions... filling up my kindle now... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Not a novel, but I used to read The Journey of the Magi, by TS Eliot, to my boys every year. My headmistress read it to us when I was at school. L 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 The Night Santa Fell to Earth by Cornelia Funke is cute. My favorite is The Twenty Four Days Before Christmas by Madeleine L'Engle. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tawlas Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Mary's Donkey. We're a secular family but I want my kids to understand *why* we have Christmas - it's not just a gift free for all!! This story was given to us by my sister and it's their favorite too. It's a very sweet story :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbabe Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Kringle was a good book. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 I like to include something Christmas-y for our morning couch time in December. Last year we read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and the year before that we read A Christmas Carol. Ideas for this year? My boys are 12 and 13 if that matters in your suggestions (though they'll sit through nearly anything). Thanks! Did they particularly love either of the read alouds? We like reading the same books year after year. It becomes a tradition in itself. I would reread The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and listen to A Christmas Carol (read by Patrick Stewart) as an audiobook. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reign Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 The night santa fell to earth has a nice audio read by the author Cornelia Funke. She has an interesting accent and we all enjoyed it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Thanks for this thread! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kentuckymom Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Suggestions for a family with older kids, who has read most of this list ? :) I really want to do a family read-aloud in December. Has to amuse and entertain 10+. And at least have a Christmas setting KRINGLE by Tony Abbot It's an imagining of the origin of Santa Claus in the form of an epic fantasy including vikings,evil goblins, and shoe mending elves. I happened upon it at the library several years ago and now I read it every December. I tried to read it aloud to Squirrelboy last year but he didn't get into it. I plan to try again this year. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doodlebug Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Elizabeth Goudge's I Saw Three Ships. Advent is a beautiful time for poetry, too. Last year I fell in love with Mary's Song by Luci Shaw. The Glory by Madeline L'Engle is magnificent, too. Following for more ideas!!! Stella 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Advent is a beautiful time for poetry, too. Last year I fell in love with Mary's Song by Luci Shaw. The Glory by Madeline L'Engle is magnificent, too. Okay, I just have to share my "brush with fame". I have met and chatted with Luci Shaw several times at an arts conference. She was close friends with Madeline L'Engle. And I had lunch at one of these arts conferences with Shaw's husband, a wonderful artist and gentle spirited man who was the son of Christian missionaries in China at the time of the Japanese occupation, and he was one of the boys who was encouraged / helped by Eric Liddell who was imprisoned there as well. :) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Good thread, thanks! Added several new ones to our list for this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 If you are interested in something with a strong Christian/advent bent, Check out Arnold Ytreeide's books (Jotham's Journey, Bartholomew's Passage, Tabitha's Travels). (I also like his Easter book, Amon's Adventure.) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Ok, it isn't a novel, but stumbling around from all the great ideas here I came across the Kindle version of The Baker's Dozen picture book for one cent. Very cute pictures and I've been wanting to read it, so now for a penny I will (and you can too). :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 I made a few lists last year: Chapter Books Christ-centered Christmas books Inspirational and Fun Christmas Reads 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JewelryLadyKim Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 Anything Christmas book by Tomie de Paola Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 Since you have older children, I left off most of the usual picture books and simple readers. :) Letters from Father Christmas (Tolkien) -- either ISBN: 9780618009374 OR ISBN: 9780395596982 Christmas Every Day (Howells) The Thirteen Days of Christmas (Overton) Miracle on 34th Street (Davies) Cricket on the Hearth (Dickens) Gift of the Magi (Henry) A Child's Christmas in Wales (Thomas) The Other Wise Man (Van Dyke) The Glorious Impossible (L'Engle) And, some longer picture books, wonderful for ALL ages :) The Remarkable Christmas of the Cobbler's Sons (Sawyer) The Christmas Knight (Curry) Small Miracle (Collington) The Christmas Miracle of Jonathon Toomey (Wojciechowski) The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree (Houston) LoriD, Why did you choose those particular editions of Tolkien's book to recommend? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 Lori D., Why did you choose those particular editions of Tolkien's book to recommend? Thanks! Because they are much more complete. There are some other editions out there that are very abridged -- as I recall, this edition is a small size abridged version. From the reviews I read, while this edition is clever, with actual letters and envelopes, the letters are just cut off if they run longer than one page. No information about this edition, and I can't "see inside" to tell if it is abridged or not. This edition is paperback, older out of print, and leaves out just a few of the "extra" letters (short notes specifically answering questions the Tolkien children were asking). The layout is clean and easy to read, and the artwork is nicely reproduced. In the past, it has been plentiful to find used, and so, not very expensive. This edition is hardback, more recent, so there are still some new copies floating around. It has all the letters and envelope/stamp artwork created by Tolkien all very nicely reproduced, but the layout is a bit annoying with ghosted design elements under the text, making it harder to read. This edition is the original hardback. Very nice, but out of print, and is usually really expensive, even finding it used. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 I found a book of Christmas stories by Connie Willis I'll probably read to the girls. Or maybe a Jeeves at Christmas book. Couldn't get my hands on a copy of Kringle, but I did find a book called Nickolai of the North, which sounds promising for ds. Which is the Jeeves book set during Christmas? I must find this immediately and read it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Oh we need a new book also!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 KRINGLE by Tony Abbot It's an imagining of the origin of Santa Claus in the form of an epic fantasy including vikings,evil goblins, and shoe mending elves. I happened upon it at the library several years ago and now I read it every December. I tried to read it aloud to Squirrelboy last year but he didn't get into it. I plan to try again this year. I had never heard of this, but am really glad to see my library system has a number of copies! We loved The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (L. Frank Baum) last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 anyone have a good St. Nicholas storybook. Something with nice art? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 "St. Nicholas and the Three Poor Girls" from Potamitis Publishing. Very short book for young children. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austen Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 THE ALPHABET OF DREAMS by Susan Fletcher. This is for older students, middle school and up. (It has some violence and touches on puberty issues.) It is about a brother and sister from Persia who fall in with the Three Wise Men. A beautiful story. Well-written and researched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 We'll be reading A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 I found a book of Christmas stories by Connie Willis I'll probably read to the girls. Or maybe a Jeeves at Christmas book. These are right up my alley. I read that Connie Willis collection several years ago and enjoyed it a lot. I don't think anyone has yet mentioned The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gardner. A young boy's advent calendar tells a bit of a story each day, and as the story progresses it becomes a mystery and a time-travel fantasy all in one. I'm not describing it well, but it's a captivating story. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsWeasley Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 We do The Dark Is Rising, but I accept that that's a weird choice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 I just wanted to say thanks for leading us to Tolkien's Letters from Father Christmas. We started it today and both love it! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Not the OP, but thanks for the ideas! Settling down in my comfy bed with a heap of new Christmas books to read through. Lovely! Making cocoa and enjoying a quiet evening. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Oh, hooray! We do a "25 Days of Christmas" reading list every year, but we're getting to where many of the picture books are on the younger side. The only chapter books I've been able to come up with have been A Christmas Carol and Letters to Father Christmas (which I enjoyed, but the kids were completely indifferent to it). There are so many great suggestions here. Thank you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 We do The Dark Is Rising, but I accept that that's a weird choice. :thumbup: One of my all-time favorite books at any time of year! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Thanks all, I've been meaning to find some Christmas books and Letters from Father Christmas and Miracle on 34th Street were free on Kindle Unlimited so we can start reading today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 Thanks for the recs! I was thinking of reading little women, I love the Christmas part the most. I guess I should find something a little more Christmas themed! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 I have a book of Louisa May Alcott Christmas stories. You might like that, Runningmom. I will look for a link. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 I will try to find it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 I don't think anyone has yet mentioned The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gardner. A young boy's advent calendar tells a bit of a story each day, and as the story progresses it becomes a mystery and a time-travel fantasy all in one. I'm not describing it well, but it's a captivating story. Got this from the library and it is fun. Thanks for the suggestion! ETA, it doesn't end as well as it begins. No gospel, no salvation, no redemption, no eternal significance in this Christmas story. Just a reminder that Jesus taught people to love one another and share with others in need. The mystery part was fun but somehow it didn't all come together well at the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewoman Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 One of the most touching and sensitively written stories I have ever read, and a great read-aloud, is Truman Capote's autobiographical A Christmas Memory. It is a long short story sometimes packaged with other Capote holiday short stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaChicken Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 We're reading it for the first time and the boys are loving it! My kids are asking for Kringle again. This will the 4th year in a row. Each year they find more to talk about: how far north did the Roman settlements actually reach, are there segments of Ygdrasil represented, what do runes actually look like and what do they mean, can we use a sail to push/pull something across ice (and how do we make it easier), and this year they are searching for specific mention of skraelings (I'm looking forward to where that takes them, but dh is not so much). I liked the book but all 3 of mine are nuts about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Marking to find later. We need a new read aloud and a Christmas one would be perfect this month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Thanks for the recs! I was thinking of reading little women, I love the Christmas part the most. I guess I should find something a little more Christmas themed! We are reading Little Women right now. I love it. So much about gratefulness which my kids and I really need right now. :) I look forward to the Alcott short stories link! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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