<p>Two of my favorites are John Grisham's Skipping Christmas and Jason F. Wright's Christmas Jars. The first is a quick, fun read and the second is a more serious, in the spirit of the season type of book. </p>
<p>Do you have a favorite book this time of year?</p>
<p>Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris</p>
<p>“A Christmas Memory” short story by Truman Capote.</p>
<p>Although they are children’s chapter books, I read these two every year: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Robinson) and What Child is This (Cooney).</p>
<p>My first thought was also Holidays on Ice. I just picked up a hardcover copy for $4.95 at B&N. I may go get a few more for little gifts.</p>
<p>Although I haven’t read it for years, The Polar Express, was one of the best books that I read to my children. I am waiting for grandchildren (although they will be Jewish) to be able to share this book’s magic and beauty.</p>
<p>Yes, I know that we are Jewish.</p>
<p>The illustrated children’s book The Donkey’s Dream. Unparalleled for imparting a sense of wonder.</p>
<p>I almost get misty eyed just thinking about that book, and I’m not even really a religious person.</p>
<p>In addition to the above books I will add Nancy & Plum by Betty MacDonald ( The Egg & I, Mrs. piggle Wiggle) and Angels & Other Strangers by Katherine Paterrson( Bridge to Teribithia).</p>
<p>[Angels</a> and Other Strangers: Family Christmas Stories by Katherine Paterson](<a href=“Angels and Other Strangers by Katherine Paterson | Goodreads”>Loading interface...)</p>
<p>Speaking of cross cultural holidays, i thought this double disc set sounded fun.
<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/19/arts/music/twas-the-night-before-hanukkah-from-idelsohn-society.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/19/arts/music/twas-the-night-before-hanukkah-from-idelsohn-society.html</a></p>
<p>The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.</p>
<p>Polar Express…and I have a beautiful copy of the Night Before Christmas…beautiful illustrations.</p>
<p>My two favorites are “The Christmas Tree” by Julie Salamon and “The House Without a Christmas Tree” by Gail Rock. “The Christmas Tree” is about the chief gardener from Rockefellar Center and his quest to find the perfect Christmas tree. He stumbles upon that tree on the grounds of a convent. The story is so warm and touching and we read it every year. It is a short read, only 118 pages. The “House Without a Christmas Tree” is based on the old tv specials of Addy and her stubborn father. That is a children’s book…maybe a middle schooler age book, but I still love to read it every Christmas!</p>
<p>Miracle: And other Christmas stories by Connie Willis. Willis is mostly a sci-fi writer, and some of these stories are sci-fi, but others just a bit magically as befitting the season.</p>
<p>My favorite picture book is [The</a> Nativity: Julie Vivas: 9780152060855: Amazon.com: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Nativity-Julie-Vivas/dp/0152060855]The”>http://www.amazon.com/Nativity-Julie-Vivas/dp/0152060855) . It’s the King James text with whimsical charming watercolors. Mary hangs laundry and wears houseslippers. The angels have beautiful gossamer wings and wear oversized hiking boots. It sounds crazy, but it works beautifully.</p>
<p>Yes, yes, yes, mathmom. One of my favorite picture books of all time! Beautiful illustrations and not at all like your typical, dare I say, saccharine holiday offerings. As an example, this book has a realistic illustration of the challenge of getting a woman who is eight months pregnant onto a donkey. ;)</p>
<p>I also love the Chris Van Allsburg books. My mother was a fellow RISD grad so we have them all.</p>
<p>“Cajun Night Before Christmas” illustrated by James Rice is our family’s favorite.</p>
<p>We love “The Christmas Mystery” by Jostein Gaarder. It is a chapter book that is sort of like an Advent calendar. It is about a boy who starts to follow a girl and a lamb in an apartment store the first week of Christmas, and they go back through time and across geography to Jersuselem for the birth of Christ. The story weaves back and forth between the journey and a current day story about a boy with an advent calendar (each time he opens a window, a piece of the journey story comes out). We are a secular family, and we still love reading this. 
There is a chapter a day starting on December 1. We don’t do it every single year, but have probably read it aloud 5 or 6 times over the years during the month of December.</p>
<p>My mom also has an ancient set of tiny Nutshell Christmas books I have loved since I was small. Here is a link to a picture of the set with some pictures for inside.</p>
<p>[Vintage</a> Kids’ Books My Kid Loves: Christmas Nutshell Library](<a href=“http://www.vintagechildrensbooksmykidloves.com/2010/12/christmas-nutshell-library.html]Vintage”>Vintage Kids' Books My Kid Loves: Christmas Nutshell Library)</p>
<p>Hands down, Santa Calls by William Joyce. It’s a children’s picture book, very art-deco and longish. Santa takes three children (one an unwanted younger sister) on an adventure and the little sister turns out to be more valuable to her brother than either of them expected. And the reveal at the end is that this adventure is what the little sister wished for, for Christmas “I wish my brother would be my friend”. I gave both my brothers copies many years ago, when we were all in our 20’s. Awesome without being sappy.</p>
<p>Orrrrrr, if you’d like a sacred tale, try Tomie DePaola’s The Clown of God. Also with a surprise-but-saddish ending. Or Mikolaycak’s " Babushka", based on the Russian folktale about a woman who sends the Wise Men away because she’s busy cleaning, and spends the rest of eternity voluntarily leaving Christmas Eve presents for children to make up for it. S1 and S2 read it every Christmas Eve, and they are in their 20’s.</p>