Last year I read a post on Meredith’s blog about a Christmas Book Advent Calendar. I’m sure you’re all familiar with the Advent calendar and the countdown to December 25th, Christmas Day. I know you can pick up those calendars just about anywhere when the Christmas decor starts hitting the shelves. But the book idea? That was something I had never thought about doing for Braylen. It seemed fun and meaningful so I thought we would give it a try.
Last year I started a little late and ended up running around at the last minute getting the rest of the books I needed so they could be wrapped and placed under the tree on December 1st. And when I blogged about it I had several different responses. Most people loved it but worried about the cost. That’s an extremely reasonable worry when I’m talking about purchasing 25 different books.
This year I started earlier and I thought I’d give you guys a little reminder too. I pulled a few of BK’s favorite Christmas books from last year to share with you too.
Starting at the top: Twas The Night Before Christmas, How The Grinch Stole Christmas!, Treasury of Christmas Tales, Let It Snow, Jingle All The Way, Spot’s Magical Christmas, My First Bible, Winnie The Pooh, Dora’s Counting Christmas, Spot’s First Christmas, Snowman’s Snow Day and All I Want For Christmas.
A few helpful tips:
- Buy early, buy often.
- Mix in some classics. You probably won’t be able to find nice, classics in hardback at bargain bin prices but you can mix those in with cheaper books to offset the budget.
- Hallmark interactive storybooks are such a fun addition. They provide so much entertainment around here.
- The My First Bible book is one of my favorites. We bookmarked the story of Jesus’ birth so we could read that story as soon as she opened the book.
- Mix in some character books. I know I don’t go crazy when I see Dora or Toot and Puddle but BK loves them and it’s a provides an added element of excitement.
- Shop the dollar section at Target. They often have Christmas books when it gets closer to the holidays.
- Check out the book store at the outlet mall.
- Check websites like Amazon and eBay for great deals.
- Book stores like Books-A-Million and Barnes and Noble have holiday books on their clearance tables throughout the year.
I just love this!
I was just thinking about this the other day! We didn’t do it last year because I was HUGELY pregnant and didn’t want to wrap anything I didn’t have to, but we will this year. I think our Elf on the Shelf is going to bring them with him. 🙂 We have PLENTY so I don’t need to buy any, but another idea is just to start it later so you don’t HAVE to have 25 books. Your kids will never know and you can add as the years go on!
Thanks for posting this today. I remember you doing it last year and I so want to do it with E this year. This is a reminder to start looking for books!
I’m already starting my Christmas shopping, too. I try to get finished by Thanksgiving so I can relax and enjoy Christmas. Love this post!
I have pinned this & have plan on doing it this year. I do have a great book for you to add if you do not have it : God’s Christmas Gift by Nell Navillus. I happened upon this book in Books a Million while I was pregnant. One of my best impulse buys!
We did this last year too, and loved it. I probably enjoyed it more than my son, since he was only 8 months at the time. One suggestion is to always check the flash sale sites – they have some great deals on Christmas books! Zulily, Totsy and HauteLook is where I found most of mine. Looking forward to continuing this tradition again!