Christmas Book Advent

[HollyGolightly4]

I'm looking to put together a book advent for my 6 month old. The idea is, I'll put it together this year and we'll be able to reuse it for hopefully the next 3/4 years and then beyond as family traditions (i can make tweaks if there are sone wonderful baby books for example!) We will hopefully read one book per night.

Do you have any firm family favourites that your children love(d)? Or ones that you think are must include.

Do you think this is a good idea, or would it be better to intersperse with decorations, clothes etc?

I'm a bit overexcited! But would also be nice if I could source good quality second hand books to keep it eco friendly!

when my children were small right through to being teenagers, every night in Advent we lit a candle and drank hot chocolate whilst reading a christmas story.
Lots of the ones we had are mentioned above but I loved these ones too (although all a bit old for a 6month old).
But I loved My Penguin Oscar My Penguin Osbert By Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Farmyard Tales lift the flap book Farmyard Tales Lift the Flap Christmas: Amazon.co.uk: Heather Amery, Stephen Cartwright: 9781409585824: Books
On Angel wings On Angel Wings: Amazon.co.uk: Michael Morpurgo: 8601200489217: Books

Bizzy bear Christmas helper
listen to the Christmas songs
Pick a pine tree
we’re going on an elf hunt
christmasaurus picture book
sammy claus
the night before the night before Christmas
the night after Christmas (for Boxing Day!)

These are amazing, thank you!

Ahhh I do this every year!! It’s my favourite bit of Christmas!!

My little girl is 3 and I’ve done it since she was one! I reuse some books but will get rid of some of the baby books this year!

I found a gorgeous night before Christmas book that will remain the Xmas Eve book forever (until I find a nicer one 😂)

World of books are good and often have kids book big 3 get one free and vinted have lots of new or very good kids book….. lots of ex usborne sellers shifting their stock!!

Oh and I wrap them and then number them a few days later except the Xmas eve night before Christmas one so it’s surprise to me when I book it is!!

Also buy number stickers!

That is such good advice!!

I love it. Oh thank you, you've got me excited again.

Very interesting point about the usbourne sellers 👀

This is very sweet...

I didn't plan on making one, but over the years of buying a few each year, and being given a few, last year I realized I have enough Christmas books for 1 a day until Christmas.

So for us, it isn't an advent calendar as such, but just something to read, a different festive book each day before Christmas.

For your list - look at the Shirley Hughes Christmas books, they are very sweet and traditional. Very suitable for this age.

Appreciate that this is an oldish thread, but how are you getting on?

I’m also doing the same, don’t care if it’s OTT, I love Christmas, and I love choosing books for my little one, so I’m in my element choosing Christmas ones to wrap up for this!

I’d recommend looking in the works, they’ve got Christmas books out now in their 10 for £10 offer. Flick through as some aren’t great but some are very funny and sweet. I bought “Bunnies in a sleigh” for our advent calendar and love the illustration.

Same goes for if you have any local charity shops that specialise in books, we’re lucky to have a great one near us where all the books are like new and are £1 - £2.

Sure you’ve already started, but I would get the board book versions of the snowman and stickman as an investment for the next couple of years, and then one each of the sensory board books like “that’s not my” “where’s Mr/Mrs”, “Peekaboo”, “Never touch a” etc, plus a couple of lift the flap books like “Dear Santa” or “Spot’s First Christmas”. Maybe a hungry caterpillar one (there’s a few Christmas ones). Then paperback picture books for the rest.

I have already started! It's been great so far and I've got the grandparents on it, so we've ended up with some of our vintage Raymond Briggs, Spot and Shirley Hughes books 🥰.

We've had some adorable charity shop finds- Peter Rabbit and Apple Tree Farm are highlights.

She loves the nosy crow 'where's' books, so I've brought her a buggy book of Where's Mr Snowman, because she'll be moving into the pram. (Is it controversial to say I prefer them to 'that's not my... books 🤣)

Need to find a beautiful version of the night before christmas. I hadn't thought of stickman either, that's a good one.

I'm so excited 😊

ahhh I’ve finished already oooops!! Found loads of lovely books recently!!

just counted up and I’m at 25 already…… I will definitely have to age out some of the Christmas books after this year as they’re a little young now! I’m normally do a mixture of Christmas and just books I like but this year is very very Christmas heavy!!

Oh and I’m still looking for a perfect night before Christmas edition that I’ll love for years mine is lovely but it’s not great great- my husband despairs at me 😂

I have done this past few years too, we unwrap a book every night in December. There are so many Christmas versions of stories that come out closer to the time. Also the works do 10 paperback picture books for £10 and I managed to pick up the snowman, polar express, the night before Christmas and others. “That’s not my…” etc are ideal.

Haha he needs to get with the programme 🤣

I have this very sweet board book version of the Nutcracker It’s so pretty…I bought it for my DD aged 2 and she’s 8 now and still loves it! The Story Orchestra also do a beautiful Nutcracker book that plays the music.

Other favourite winter/Christmas books of ours are:
You Choose Christmas
The jolly Christmas postman
Stickman
The Snowman
The Snowman and the Snowdog
The night before the night before Christmas
One snowy night
Snow Bears
The Christmas Pine
The Christmas Eve tree
The Polar Express
The Gruffalo’s Child
The Snowbear

I did this, I had plenty of books from my Early Years teaching days and topped up via the charity shops, just bought a couple of special ones new.

We did it for 2 years, it didn’t really land with DD that well after all that! But we keep the books and bring them out 1st December anyway, slowly passing on the younger ones to younger relatives and swapping in older ones.

The Jolly Christmas Postman is a firm favourite, and the Night Before Christmas is always Christmas Eve. I can’t remember all of them but here’s some we have/ had (mix of ages)

One Snowy Night (both the Percy the Park keeper one and there’s another book called this about a hedgehog)

Winter - Gerda Muller

The Christmas Bear - Julia Donaldson

Dear Santa - Rod Campbell

Dasher - bought this last year remember it being lovely, can’t remember author sorry!

Spots First Christmas

Squirrel’s Snowman - one of the Julia Donaldson Acorn Wood ones

Kipper’s Christmas Eve

Pop up peekaboo Christmas

Popping back on to say that The Works currently has an offer of 12 books for £10 atm, rather than the usual 10. I got a few more Christmas books today, God knows how many that is now 😳.

Found a beautifully illustrated version of the night before Christmas, by Mr Boddington.

Also saw an idea on instagram; to keep the same book for every Christmas Eve, and write a couple of sentences about what you up to on the day each year, thought it was very sweet!

Frog in Winter - Max Velthuijs.

That‘s a lovely idea, maybe hit the charity shops, I already saw plenty of Christmas toddler books.
I think the baby market may not be big enough so add some books for toddlers as well even if you just look at the pages.

My DD loved stories at bedtime at 6 months and got a bedtime stories book from my mum for Christmas, the book fell apart so often did we read it.

I went for that version too!

Thank you for all the suggestions! I'm loving buying it.

Just bought a nativity push/pull to keep it traditional!

Not a book a day but there’s these lovely books ‘How Winston delivered Christmas’, ‘how Winston came home for Christmas’ and I see there is another one ‘how Winston delivered a Christmas wish’. They are 24.5 chapters each, and designed to be advent books, they are really really sweet. I’d heartily recommend. Not a book a day but I think there’s longevity in them. The stories are lovely but they are nicely illustrated enough for younger ones too.

Also I’d add Christmas street, it’s an alphabet lift the flap book that opens out to make a street and looks really nice. I’m sure all the others I’d think of have been covered at this point

We've done a 12 books of Christmas thing since DS was 3ish, mostly second hand. It's the Christmas tomtes who bring them, along with a tomte decoration on the 12th. He's 11 now and a great reader. We also loved the Winston books - an idea for when your baby gets older.

Great minds!