Every year on the run up to Christmas I read 'Winter Soltice' by Rosamund Pilcher, what books do you read that get you in the festive mood?

[Swifey]

It is a tradition now, especially in front of the fire with a small (or large) sloe vodka in hand!

[queenrollo]

Always read A Christmas Carol by Dickens.
More recently have added Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M Boston to my December reading pile.

Haven't read Winter Solstice - going to order a copy of that now.

[ConstantlyCooking]

I read A Christmas Carol and How Far to Bethlehem (by Norah Lofts) every year and have done since I was a teen. More recent books to be added to my December reading include A Season to Remember by Sheila o'flanagan and Joanna Trollope's Spanish Lover for the description of Christmas Day at the beginning. I am sure there are more but am not by my bookshelf!

[hairylittlegoblin]

Lovely thread. Just marking my place for ideas.

[toddlerwrangling]

The Dark is Rising, The Children of Green Knowe and Box of Delights. So Christmassy!! Have the BBC DVD of Box of Delights too. Really wish they would release the 80s children's BBC version of The Children of Green Knowe on DVD, wonderful Christmassy scenes.

[caker]

Little Women as it starts at Christmas.

[scarlets]

Murder for Christmas (there are two volumes).

Round the Chritsmas Fire - an anthology of short stories.

Hercule Poirot's Christmas and The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding.

A Child's Christmas in Wales read by Dylan Thomas (YouTube).

I'll follow this thread with interest.

[JasperDamerel]

Exactly the same as Toddlerwrangling: The Children of Green Knowe, The Box of Delights and The Dark is Rising. I read Green Knowe to my children last Christmas. This year, I think they are old enough for The Box of Delights.

[Gatekeeper]

Box of Delights (and watch it on dvd)
Twelve Days of Christmas by Trisha Ashley- fluffy hokum

[dementedma]

A Child's Christmas in Wales is lovely. I listen to the audio version on my iPod. Will have to read Winter Solstice

[JemimaMuddledUp]

Chritmas Books by Charles Dickens and The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaardner.

[Partybugs]

Lovely thread OP!
I watch the Winter Solstice DVD in the kitchen whilst preparing Christmassy goodies. Sinead Cusack is wonderfu in it.

[Gatekeeper]

'Coming home' is on the telly tomorrow

[duckbilled]

I always read surviving Christmas aka Christmas with the kranks.

[PerspicaciaTick]

The Hogfather

And I always reread the passage from Wind in the Willows when Mole goes home on Christmas Eve and the carol singers visit.

[Kacie123]

A Winter Book by Tove Jansson. Gorgeous.

[shash1982]

Winter wonderland by Belinda Jones.

[shash1982]

I have halloween emojis but no christmas ones!

[Bakeoffcake]

Lovely thread.

Christmas At Cold Comfort Farm, it's a book of short stories, starting with a Christmas one. I always enjoy reading it during December.

[TheStripyGruffalo]

Jostein Gaarder, The Christmas Mystery, I read a page a day through advent. I'm buying a copy for my DD this year as she is now old enough.

[ThinkAboutItTomorrow]

Box of delights. DP reads it to me. We start early enough so we are reading the ending on Christmas Eve.

[Chottie]

I love this thread too

[ChristmasZombie]

A Christmas Carol, The Bible, and The Oxford Book of Christmas Stories.
I'll have to check out some of the suggestions on here!

[ChristmasZombie]

Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars by Gervais Phinn is lovely, too. It's a collection of tidbits about Primary school Nativity plays.

[ChristmasZombie]

Actually, I'm telling fibs! Twinkle Twinkle isn't the Christmas one. The Christmas one is called A Wayne in a Manger.

[Littlemousewithcloggson]

Gatekeeper what channel is it on?