Counting Down to Christmas with Children’s Literature

The Christmas season has started! These five Advent calendar books will help you joyfully count down to Christmas. Open a new page each day and explore the joys of the holiday season.

December has started, and with that, my favorite time of the year: Advent calendar month! The tradition of the Advent period originated in the Western Christian culture in the fourth century. The Advent period lasts for four consecutive Sundays, starting the Sunday closest to November 30th. It is believed that this tradition originally aimed to count down to “the baptism of new Christians at the January Feast of Epiphany.” The link to Christmas was added in the Middle Ages. In the 19th century, Advent calendars were invented by German Protestants. They counted the days to Christmas by burning candles, pieces of straw, or ticking off days on the wall. Over the course of the following century, advent calendars developed into slightly more elaborate items, including pictures or chocolates for each day leading up to Christmas. 

These days, Advent calendars have become a popular trend that is shared and promoted on the internet. Year after year, social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are filled with both short and long-form unboxing videos of physical calendars. These calendars are no longer your average supermarket-bought chocolate calendars; they often include beauty products, luxurious food and drinks, and toys. 

While I love Advent calendars and create many for my friends and family each year, I do have a side note before continuing the article. Namely, Advent calendars have an undeniable link to mass consumption. So, I urge you to think before purchasing calendars full of items you or your child will never look at again after initially opening the door. That being said, can an advent calendar book ever be considered a useless object? I do not think so. Advent calendar books are a great way for children (and adults) to be encouraged to read a page or two each day leading up to Christmas, spend time with each other, and enjoy the cosy holiday season. They are an exciting gift for children that can be reused every year or re-gifted to friends. Did I make you curious? then let’s dive into my recommendations!

Cat Family Christmas: A Lift-the-Flap Advent Book by Lucy Brownridge & Eunyoung Seo

Count down the 12 days to Christmas with this adorably illustrated Cat Family picturebook. Every day, the book covers different Holiday activities such as wrapping gifts, decorating the Christmas tree, and caroling. The advent calendar aspect is not only in the story; the picturebook also includes over 140 flaps, covering side narratives and other cute little characters. It is so adorable that this book can be reused year after year.

‘Tis the Season illustrated by Richard Jones

This adorably illustrated book is filled with 24 Christmassy short poems written by poets such as Ogden Nash, Nikki Giovanni, John Agard, and Christina Rossetti. As if that is not enough yet, every poem is accompanied by a fun pop-up surprise! This book is perfect if you want to dive into fantastic, seasonal children’s poetry. The short texts are great for a brief daily reading session with your loved ones. 

Christmas is Coming! by Katie Hickey

This is not just an Advent story book; it is a 24-day activity book!  It starts with 24 flaps on the cover that hint at the activity of the day. Inside, the book is filled with suggestions for seasonal crafts, games, songs, stories, recipes, and much more.

How Winston Delivered Christmas by Alex T. Smith

In 24-and-a-half days, the book tells the story of Winston, a little mouse who hopes to deliver a letter to Santa. Eeach day, the picturebook offers includes an activity to get in the holiday spirit. There is gGood news for anyone who already loves this book or will love it after reading it this Christmas seasonif you loved this book: there is a second part called How Winston Came Home for Christmas, just waiting to be explored by new readers!

If none of these Advent Calendars suit your wishes, I can can highly suggest making your own! There are plenty of examples online. A low-budget option is dividing a book into 24 parts and wrapping each part. Each day, you can read this part (alone or together with your Advent Calendar buddy). If you have a higher budget, you can also buy or thrift 24 books. Lastly, I suggest making your own Advent Calendar book if you are feeling very creative. Write or illustrate some pages, and then you are ready to count down to Christmas.