Create a Christmas Book Advent Calendar

by Marie Rippel

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.

Here’s How It Works

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!

Gather Your Books

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 (2020) Advent begins on Sunday, November 29, so that means you’ll need 26 books.

Wrap Your 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.

Display Your 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.

wrapped books in a basket for book advent calendar

How you display them is up to you. Be creative and make it fun!

wrapped books with book advent calendar tags

Countdown to Christmas with Picture Books!

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.

little boy unwraps picture book for book advent calendar

girl opens a picture book for book advent calendar

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!

Looking for Christmas Picture 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!

Holiday Book Traditions Shared by Our Readers

Use a mix of books and movies! – shared by Angela
Go outdoors to read your books every day. – shared by Cheryl
Read The Advent Book by Jack and Kathy Stockman. – shared by Danielle
Wrap a new book for each child to deposit on their beds after they fall asleep on Christmas Eve. – shared by Heather
Keep a collection of Christmas books that stay in a special basket during Advent. – shared by Danielle
Re-wrap Advent picture books before they get stored for the next year! – shared by Beth
Just leave unwrapped books under the tree for the kids to choose for anytime reading. – shared by Kelsy
Keep a basket of Christmas books under the tree to read aloud during the Christmas season. – shared by Jessica L.
Every Christmas our family reads each night from the Jesus Storybook Bible. As soon as dinner is over, we read a chapter and put a corresponding ornament on a little tree. – shared by Annette
Start a “12 Days of Christmas” tradition with a different theme for each day. Have books to read, crafts to create, and movies or special foods to enjoy. – shared by Meggen L.
Light the advent wreath’s candle and read a Christmas book. – shared by Elizabeth

Does your family have any favorite holiday book traditions? I would love to hear about it in the comments below.

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Erin B.

says:

December 6, 2021 at 11:51 pm

This is a great way to make reading fun and exciting leading up to Christmas!

Alison O

December 6, 2021 at 9:17 am

We have a bin of Christmas books and I LOVE the idea of wrapping them but I haven’t been so organized yet. If we read them together I’m happy. We are having an extra crazy year so I’ll be thankful for Christmas however we celebrate!!!

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

December 6, 2021 at 10:37 am

I understand about an extra crazy year and just trying to enjoy the holidays in whatever way possible, Alison. I have already found that taking time for a few small things has made the biggest difference in feeling the holiday spirit and togetherness as they don’t add to the stress. Reading Christmas books even unwrapped, maybe with some hot cocoa, may be just what your family needs!

Chauncey Newberry

November 30, 2021 at 8:54 pm

I absolutely love this idea!!! I need to make this happen

December 1, 2021 at 12:21 pm

Wonderful!

Jessica Hancock

November 27, 2021 at 7:43 am

I have always done the 25 books of Christmas. I have to update it every year as my children get older. Thank you for the recommendations and the free book tags!

November 29, 2021 at 10:49 am

You’re welcome for the tags, Jessica.

Heather o

November 20, 2021 at 5:42 am

Thank you for the Christmas Book List! Can’t wait to do the book advent this year!

November 20, 2021 at 4:41 pm

You’re welcome, Heather! I hope you make lovely Christmas memories with the books.

Jelena

November 8, 2021 at 4:54 pm

We have been doing this book countdown since my son was born, the day after the holiday. The first book I ever read to him was Mama, Why? by Karma Wilson. While not a technically a holiday book, its soft cadence and dreamy illustrations really bottle the magical feeling of December. It’s always the first in our countdown. After nine years and two more kids, now when I read the line “and Polar Cub asked…” I am met with a precious, soft-voiced chorus cuddled around me, “Mama, why?” …I wouldn’t trade that for the world. :)

November 13, 2021 at 6:58 pm

Awwww, what a sweet, sweet story, Jelena!

Pam timmons

October 15, 2021 at 7:05 am

The tag down load is not working
Thanks
Pam

October 15, 2021 at 8:44 pm

I’m sorry to hear the tag download is not working for you, Pam. It is working currently for me, so please try again. If it still does not work for you, consider trying another device and letting me know what device and operating system you are using.

Elaine

November 27, 2020 at 11:48 am

I have been doing this with my kiddo since preschool. He is now in 3rd grade. We have all of the titles on paper folded up and put them in the boxes of our Christmas tree Advent Calendar that has little magnetic ornaments too. There are 3 that are not random. The 19th is Daddy’s choice and he can pick from any of the books even if it has already been read. The 24th is always The Night Before Christmas and the 25th is always illustrated Luke 2. We have different books than you have listed. A couple of them are The Velveteen Rabbit, The Tale of Three Trees, Mickey Mouse’s A Christmas Carol, and The Nutcracker.

December 1, 2020 at 11:43 am

Thank you for sharing the variation on this that you have done, Elaine! It sounds like a lovely Christmas tradition.

Jennifer

November 20, 2020 at 11:11 pm

We haven’t done the advent pictures books yet. But last year we did read The Nutcracker as our daily read aloud for the time of advent, this year we will be reading A Christmas Carol- by dickens!

November 21, 2020 at 4:13 pm

Enjoy, Jennifer! I have read aloud A Christmas Carol a few Decembers! I’m not normally a fan of Dickens, but I really enjoy this book. There is some wondrously unexpected descriptive language to be found in it, and of course the classic theme of good will toward our fellow man.

Janine

November 12, 2020 at 5:31 am

Hi there
I can’t seem to download the printable tables tags??

November 13, 2020 at 7:10 am

I’m sorry about that, Janine! Here is the direct link to download them: Christmas Book Advent Tags.

Let me know if that doesn’t work for you.

Joan L Jensen

November 8, 2020 at 1:24 pm

LOVE IT! Thanks for this idea.

November 9, 2020 at 11:27 am

You’re welcome, Joan!

Milli

October 31, 2020 at 4:20 am

Thank you so much for these wonderful tags! I have been looking all over for some cute ones and finally found yours!
Thanks again!

November 2, 2020 at 4:29 pm

You’re welcome, Milli!

Morgan

March 5, 2020 at 12:40 pm

We have been doing this for the past 2 years. My kids love it everyday counting down until Christmas. I will be using some of these books listed to change it up. Thank you!