Unwrapping Books

If you know our family very well, you know that books exist. And we love them. A Lot. They are everywhere in our home. Lots of people have to get onto their kids about picking up their toys. Not so much us. We get onto the kids about picking up their books. When we go to the library, we limit the number they can pick. Not because we don’t want them reading that much but because even without limiting them, we come away without about 50 books.

So, when it is time for Christmas, we don’t have one book basket. We have two. We could do more but I try to keep it to two. It is hard to do that because these books are old friends to the giggly girls and they have missed them for the last 11 months. When we start getting the books out for December, I get to hear a lot of “Oh, I LOVE this one” or “I forgot about this story.” My heart leaps for joy because I feel the same way.

This is the first book basket I am going to tell you about. It starts the month, when I am on the ball, filled with 25 wrapped books. I do 25 because it is fun to unwrap one more on Christmas Day night after all the excitement is gone and it is time for normal one more time. This contains lots of our old favorites and special ones but also a couple of new ones I found at the Friends of the Library books sale last month. Here is what I have chosen for this year.

1. Din Dan Don It’s Christmas (a Polish carol) – illustrated by Janina Domanska
2. The Mole Family’s Christmas – Russell Hoban, illustrated by Lillian Hoban
3. Miracle on 34th Street – Valentine Davies, paintings by Tomie dePaola
4. The Twelve Days of Christmas – illustrated by Claire Counihan (the illustrations are cookies and candies)
5. Elmo Saves Christmas – Christine Ferraro, Tony Geiss, illustrated by Ellen Appleby
6. Berenstain Bears Meet Santa Bear – Stan and Jan Berenstain
7. Trouble at Christmas – Russell Johnson, illustrated by Bernadette Watts
8. Olive the  Other Reindeer – Vivian Walsh, J. Otto Seibold, illustrated by J. Otto Seibold
9. Santa Calls – William Joyce
10. The Night of Las Posadas – Tomie dePaola
11. Merry Christmas Strega Nona – Tomie dePaola
12. The Twelve Days of Christmas – Jan Brett
13. The Nutcracker Ballet – retold by Deborah Hartzig, illustrated by Carolyn Ewing
14. That’s Not Santa – Leonard Kessler
15. The Story of Christmas – Patricia A. Pingry, illustrated by Rebecca Thornburgh
16. The Donkey’s Christmas Song – Nancy Tafuri
17. It’s Christmas – Jack Prelutsky
18. The Night Before Christmas – Clement C. Moore, illustrated by Christian Birmingham
19. Frosty The Snowman – Steve Nelson, Jack Robbins, illustrated by Richard Cowdrey
20. The Littlest Angel – Cathy East Dubowski, illustrated by Nan Pollard
21. The Santa Claus Book – Eileen Daly, illustrated by Florence Sarah Winship
22. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Book – Eileen Daly, illustrated by Milli Jancor
23. The Tiny Star – Arthur Ginolfi, illustrated by Pat Schories
24. A Christmas Carol (Fun-To-Read Fairy Tales series) – illustrated by Paul Hernandez
25. Farolitos of Christmas – Rudolfo Anaya

I hope these bring back good memories for you or inspire you to create your own. Maybe you saw a title  you remember from long ago or something new to learn about. Whatever it may be, may you have many good memories with books at this holiday season with your loved ones. At Home.

Tagged: books, Christmas