In our house, one of the first things that come out of our 'Christmas boxes' in early December, long before we are ready to decorate the tree or deck the halls, are the Christmas books.
By now, we have quite the collection, from Paddington and the Christmas Surprise, to The Night Before Christmas, Santa comes to Dublin and about eight other books that are distinctly Christmas-themed, and only come out this time a year. Once Christmas is over, they get packed away with the rest of the festive decor, and we have to wait a whole year before we get to read them again.
What this means, of course, is by the time December rolls around again, my children are so, so excited to get their hands on these books again, that for the next months, we read little else as far as bedtime stories are concerned.
And I love it. The tradition of it all. The memories. The very Christmas-y feel we all get when reading these books once again.
Are you ready to start your own Christmas book collection? Here are five beautiful books to get you started (*I may have even ordered one or two of these myself, to add to my own collection...)
1. The Nutcracker
They will love this classical story, in this most beautifully illustrated book.
€8.99, M&S
2. Pick a Pine Tree
Picking out the Christmas tree is one of the most important and exciting parts of the season! But which tree will be picked this year?
£3.99, Amazon
3. Paddington and the Christmas Surprise
Because that little bear is just the best – especially at Christmas.
£5.24, Amazon
4. The Christmas Eve Tree
An adorable pop-up book about Christmas cheer and last-minute surprises.
£4.19,
Amazon
5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Classic Story
A classic and perfectly magical Christmas story about the most famous reindeer of all.
£10.20, Amazon
