Can you recommend some beautiful Christmas books?

[ShowOfHands]

Particularly vintage or children's books. I collect Christmas books and have just ordered the new Shirley Hughes. I think it's the illustrations I like the most. Shirley Hughes is a favourite because of the evocative illustrations.

I am idly browsing online and wondered if anybody had recommendations for much loved, beautiful Christmas books that I haven't stumbled across before?

Do you have Dick Bruna - Christmas?
It’s the nativity story illustrated in the style of Miffy.

Thank you for starting this thread OP, although not sure my DH or my bank account would say the same...

For older children, Jenny Overton's 13 Days of Christmas is great fun.

For adults who like Golden Age whodunits, I like Ngaio Marsh's Tied Up In Tinsel and Off with his Head.

And Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm is hilarious.

What about The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Anderson.
I read it to a class of a year 6’s the other year. A couple of them actually cried.

The Tomten and The Tomten and the Fox by Astrid Lindgren are my favourites. I also love our copy of The Night Before Christmas by Robert Salbuda and The Other Goose by Judith Kerr.

Shirley Hughes ones are my favourite too. I will admit that the illustrations in the newer ones haven't been anywhere near as impressive as the older ones, but given Shirley is 92, it is completely understandable and I'm happy to keep buying them. I have Alfie's Christmas and Lucy and Tom's Christmas (both the original and new release) what is the new one? Just had a quick look on Amazon, is it My Naughty Little Sister and father Christmas one? I will definitely get that this year.

Other books I like are Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht, Walking in a Winter Wonderland by Tim Hopgood.

Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs.

Oops, missed it was Angel on the roof! Doesn't look that appealing to me tbh. Do you have Snow in the Garden? I'm tempted with it but looks like it's all stories and poems we have from other books.

'Another Night Before Christmas' by Carol Ann Duffy, a little hardback illustrated by Rob Ryan. "The best gift of all is to truly believe..."

@AdultHumanFemale I had a look on Google Images at Jan Brett Christmas books, and the covers and style didn't appeal to me at all, though I appreciated the detail. But I watched a YouTube reading of the Christmas Trolls and then promptly ordered one from eBay. I can see from that it is one of those books that has all the charm in person.

Always live Rumer Godden's The Holly and Ivy. My mum found a copy for me my daughter last year. I must say, I teared up a little when reading it again.

Oh this thread is my favourite 😊

My online baskets are groaning. I am trying to resist buying them all. Thank you so much. I've looked at every single suggestion and although many of them I have, it's so lovely to see that other people get all snivelly over them too.

Definitely adult books as well as children's books BTW. I collect both.

Shirley Hughes is my absolute favourite. Snow In The Garden is a collection of stuff found elsewhere @user1573334 (I still have it though!). You can't beat Lucy and Tom's Christmas IMHO but I do love The Snow Lady and The Christmas Eve Ghost too which are more recent.

Have you all seen the Peter Rabbit one that Emma Thompson did a couple of years ago?

@AdultHumanFemale I am falling a bit in love with Jan Brett you clever thing you. Can I recommend The Tomtes Christmas Porridge by Sven Nordqvist if you haven't seen it. I suspect you would rather like it.

Another one for Tolkien’s Father Christmas letters. I don’t think you have to be a mythology/Tolkien fan to enjoy them- I adored them as a child, and the hand drawn illustrations are beautiful. My favourite is the one about the polar bear who accidentally set off all the Northern Lights fireworks one day

Not the usual British books but Christmas in Noisy Village and Christmas in the Stable by Astrid Lindgren are beautiful ones and books my DD will read in December over and over again.

@ShowOfHands as children (now in our late 30's) we used to be read Lucy and Toms Christmas and also the Teddy Robinson Christmas short story, that and mogs Christmas story were rad every year and I did the same for my son!

What a lovely thread!
Ive just bought the Peter Spier Christmas book, now out of print but available second hand. We have his Noah’s Ark and the detailed, wordless illustrations are DS’s and my favourite.

Melrose and Croc by Emma Chichester Clark is lovely. For small children, but well worth having in the collection.

I will check in DS’ room in the morning, as I can’t remember the title. But we have a lovely book about a spare, discarded piece of red material being used again and again and again to make presents at Christmas. It is a lovely story.

This thread has inspired me for gifts for my young nieces and nephews. I’ve already sorted them for this Christmas, but I think I may get a large selection for them for next Christmas and give the bundle as a joint present. And then they can bring them out every Christmas.

Found it without waking him! It’s called Just Right for Christmas by Birdie Black.

The series of Christmas releases by Carol Ann Duffy are all lovely, a few have been mentioned, but here (I think) is the full collection thus far...
She also releases Christmas poetry pamphlets I think, which are also well reviewed.

Also LOVE the Robert Sabuda Christmas pop ups.

Can I also recommend The Mousehole Cat by Antonia Barber, particularly if you have a connection to Cornwall, its beautiful.

Oops - Carol Ann Duffy christmas poems here

And I see there is a new one this year, Frost Fayre (I'll bow out with my Carol Ann Duffy love now) 😂

Jessica78 I didn't realise she'd done so many! It's going to get expensive...

‘Christmas Poems’ by UA Fanthorpe. I absolutely recommend them.

Also I’m really grateful to the pp who suggested The Children of Green Knowe, I’m so sad I’ve never realised what it was about before, I would have loved that when I was young.

I read The Dark is Rising last Christmas, a good tale for dark nights!

Our twins got sent Farmer Christmas books last year and they are really lovely and beautifully illustrated. May not be the sort of thing you’re after though.