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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.
stavkapro
says:I consider, that you have deceived.
Indi
says:I started a christmas book collection when my oldest was 3 years old (now 8). And now we have a whole box of wonderful chrsirmas picture and chapter books collection. Last christmas I tried adding an advent , a book a day tradition. It was a hit! We wrapped all our old books and it was so much fun to see old and new!
melbet-pakistan
says:It only reserve
Janeth Sanchez
says:I started doing this last Christmas, the kiddos were very excited to see what book they received next, we will continue doing this activity with them.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceJaneth,
Thank you for letting us know that your children enjoyed having a new book every day during the Christmas season! Sounds like you may have started a new tradition!
Shaina
says:This is such a fun idea! A great way to expand their love of books, during the magic of Christmas.
I’ll definitely be doing this next Christmas.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI hope your next Christmas season is especially special because of this, Shaina!
Mary
says:I filled my library requests from this list and found some great books. Our library has had wrapped bundles to check out. All the books were surprises. A very special librarian asked each of my kids what they liked to read about and made tailored bundles.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceMary,
It sounds like you have a wonderful librarian! What a great treasure!
avenue17
says:Matchless theme….
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you.
aviator-bharat
says:The same, infinitely
baterybet
says:It is very valuable phrase
Melaina Cox
says:Love all these ideas! Going to get ready for next year!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceMelaina,
Getting ready well ahead does reduce the stress of hurrying!
Bethany M.
says:This is such a lovely tradition. We keep a basket of books in our living room and at Christmas we swap all the usual books with beloved holiday ones, but the advent idea would make it even more special.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Bethany!
Tasha D
says:I love this idea! I am going to do this next year with my kiddos! They are going to love it!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceGlad you plan to use this idea, Tasha!
What I do when I find an idea I want to implement months from now is put it on my calendar as an appointment. That way I don’t forget!
Sydney L
says:I missed the chance for this but plan to do it next year. I’ve always loved the idea and the option to include library books, especially. An experience reading a holiday/winter story together each day is a great way to count down the season!
Merry
says: Customer ServiceI hope you have fun doing this next year! Such a cozy way to enjoy the season!
Emily L
says:I love this tradition!
Karen Hardy-Moore
says:Such an amazing idea! So cute!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Karen!
Erica Palmer
says:What a beautiful, concrete way to count down to an anticipated occasion! I like the adaptability of this idea – while many of us are familiar with advent calendars for Christmas, you could use a book-a-day countdown for any meaningful holiday, a birthday, a special trip, or another similar experience. Additionally, you do not have to purchase all of the books you use. As long as it does not damage the book, library books on related topics are ideal for an advent or countdown calendar.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYes, great points, Erica!
Angela
says:My kids love this, but we do it for the 12 days of Christmas (following) they love the excitement of another surprise, even if it isn’t a book for their age. We sit and read it together
Robin
says: Customer ServiceOh, what a great adaptation, Angela! Thanks for sharing.
Rachel
says:I really love this idea! The first few years I try it, I think I’ll wrap the books in whatever I have on hand (reusable bags, pieces of fabric, etc.). Then if my child loves it and the tradition sticks, I may possibly invest in more festive cloth drawstring bags to reuse every year to wrap the books.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceRachel,
Reusable gift bags are great idea!
JIll
says:We are doing the books this year! We found many at the library sale and utilizing many of the Good and Beautiful books! With 5 kids, it is exciting to see them engaged in a book rather than the computer or TV.
Diana
says:I love this idea. But I like to mix it up with great books that aren’t only holiday related.
Katie
says:This is a fantastic idea! I love the change from chocolate.
Chilsea Tankersley
says:Oh I love this idea! Thrifting books would be fun too. Thank you for the resource!
Elizabeth
says:We gave a book advent a try for the first time this year and it has been a huge success! All of my kids (ages 8-2) look forward to opening and listening to the book each day! Thanks for the idea!!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceElizabeth,
Thanks for letting us know this book advent is working so well with your children! Love it!
Jasmine
says:A gift each day! Maybe put a tag on for each child if there’s more than one reading level. Why not do this during other holiday breaks?
Shalyn Sanford
says:Love this idea!
Chrystal
says:Yes! This is such a great idea to get children excited about reading!
Yahiliz Seiltgen
says:Absolutely great idea!
Paul
says:Super cool idea!
Mindy Welhouse
says:Love this idea!
Kristin
says:We love doing this as a family, only I don’t limit it to holiday books. I try mixing in favorites as well as ones we haven’t read in awhile.