Have you ever heard of a Christmas book Advent calendar? It’s so simple and yet so fun. And best of all, it’s the perfect way to incorporate read-aloud time into your family’s holiday traditions.
With a Christmas book Advent calendar, instead of a toy or a piece of candy, your child opens a Christmas picture book every day. It’s like a chocolate Advent calendar … only better!
First, gather enough books so that you’ll have one for every day of Advent. You can use my library list to gather books from the library, or you can use this holiday activity as an excuse to build up your own library of beautiful Christmas books!
So how many books will you need?
The traditional Advent calendar begins on the Sunday nearest the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (November 30) and continues through four Sundays, ending on December 24. This year (2022) Advent begins on Sunday, November 27, so that means you’ll need 28 books.
Wrap enough Christmas books for every day of Advent and add a numbered tag to each one. Create your own tags or download our Printable Advent Tags and choose a set to print and attach to your wrapped picture books.
Now it’s time to display your Christmas book Advent calendar.
Put the books under the Christmas tree, on a shelf, or in a basket. You might even want to keep them hidden so that your kids will have to hunt for them.
How you display them is up to you. Be creative and make it fun!
Now comes the fun part. On each day during Advent, have your children open one of the wrapped books for your family to read together. The “togetherness” is part of the joy of this engaging holiday activity.
Perhaps this is the year you’ll start a new reading tradition in your household. Grab a cup of cocoa, a warm, snuggly blanket, and some kids, and get started with some beautiful Christmas books!
If you’d like to create your own picture book Advent calendar but need some picture book inspiration, here are some of my favorite picture books for Christmas. Click to download a checklist of my favorites to take to your local library.
Looking for MORE books? You can find more great library lists here!
Does your family have any favorite holiday book traditions? I would love to hear about it in the comments below.
Virginia
says:Thank you for sharing wonderful ideas
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Virginia!
Matanda
says:Thank you so much for this idea!! We always do an Advent Calendar, but we have never done one with books!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Matanda! Have lots of fun reading!
Rebecca
says:We did this last year and my daughter loved it so I came back looking for the post again to get the advent tags. Last year I had only one new book but this year I’ve squirrelled away five as a treat.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceRebecca,
It’s great to hear your daughter enjoyed the Christmas Book advent calendar last year! I think it’s a wonderful tradition to keep up!
Janet Andrews
says:Love the reading of a book a day!
Jeanette
says:We’ve done a book advent before, but never numbered the books. Thanks for offering the tags and other great ideas, we’ll have to try some of them out!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Jeanette!
Rebecca Essenpreis
says:I love how much you guys crammed into this one blog post. The great idea, lists of book suggestions, extra ideas from others. Free printables. Thanks!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re so welcome, Rebecca!
Paula V
says:I love this idea and the list you’ve shared is a great help and we still have time for a 12 days of Christmas advent this year
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYes! There is still time for this book advent, Paula.
Serena
says:I love this idea. I am going to work really hard to gather books over the next year so I can actually implement it.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceSounds like a great plan, Serena!
Sable
says:I love this idea!
Briana Pierson
says:This is such a great idea!
Whitney
says:We love this tradition!
Lacey
says:Love this
Brittany
says:I finally started doing this this year- my kids love unwrapping them each day!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceGreat to hear, Brittany! Thanks for letting us know your kids are enjoying this.
Amanda
says:Love this idea!
Amber Harper
says:What great ideas!! And a sweet way to make “old” books feel new again.
Jenna M
says:Love this idea!!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Jenna!
Vanessa
says:This is an awesome idea! I saw a friend doing this. I have something to look forward to next year!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceIt’s actually not too late to start, Vanessa! I always start later than the first of the month, because one of my kids have an early December birthday and we start the day after that. Lots of people do just one or two weeks before Christmas too.
Kristina
says:We are doing a book advent this year. I absolutely loved the printable tags and my girls love reading a fun Christmas book everyday. We even added a chocolate!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI always add a chocolate too, Kristina!
Marleigh
says:I love this idea. It would be neat to do it with bags or something reusable so you don’t have to wrap them every year. 😆
Robin
says: Customer ServiceGreat idea, Marleigh!
Margaret
says:Love this! We keep our Christmas books in a basket under the tree, but I love the intentionality and excitement that wrapping would provide (although I don’t love the extra effort it would require, ha ha)
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI know what you mean, Margaret. Someone just recommended reusable bags instead for just this reason!
Katrina Hadlock
says:This is a great idea.
Mama Bear
says:Love this idea!
Kassi
says:We’ve done this idea (shared by you guys!) several years at Christmas and it’s been a really special tradition to read picture books together!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you for letting us know that you have enjoyed this tradition for several years, Kassi! Wonderful to hear!
Claudia M.
says:Such a cute idea! My twins would love this!
Judith Martinez
says:I’m going to do this for just the last week before Christmas. 24 is too much but I can do 7.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceGreat way to make this more workable for you, Judith!
Brittany
says:Love this idea!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Brittany!
Katie
says:Love these to make it special!
Ryanne
says:What a great idea! My kids will love this!
Alicia
says:Great ideas!
Lauren
says:The advent tags definitely add to the fun. Thank you for providing a library list too so it’s not a super expensive experience.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou are very welcome, Lauren! The library is a wonderful resource that is too often overlooked!