Advent & Christmas Read-Aloud Books + Mother Culture
Disclosure: Joyfully Domestic may earn a commission for purchases made after clicking links on this page. View our disclosure policy for details.
In this post, I’m sharing our favorite classical read aloud books for the Advent and Christmas season.
These books have been beloved for many years and are true classics. And a couple are new to us this year, but they are just as beautiful.
Favorite Advent & Christmas Read-Aloud Books
We don’t break from school during advent, but pause our formal lessons during the Twelve Days of Christmas.
During this season of joy, we gather around and read together, sing hymns & Christmas carols, and enjoy good food. It is truly a joyous time in the home.
And our reading lives also turn a little to marvel and wonder at the season. I’m excited to share our favorite read-aloud books in our home during this season and hope that you find a new favorite.
Advent & Christmas Devotionals
Every year we follow along with the liturgical season in a variety of ways – the Advent Wreath, St. Andrew’s Novena, O Antiphons, and more!
In addition, we change our daily Bible readings to follow along with our Jesse Tree devotional reading.
This year, we are also reading along with two new devotional books in our morning time.
- Spiritual Steps to Christmas by Msgr. Aloysius Coogan — mom’s spiritual reading for this Advent season. The readings aren’t super long and so I can easily squeeze this in after my morning prayer time.
- The Road to Bethlehem by St. Alphonsus Liguori — family morning time devotional that starts with Advent and goes all the way to January 13. I really love that this devotional has sections for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany!
And they’re both beautiful too — such an important quality in a good book, don’t you think? ☺️
Related post: Advent Traditions in the Catholic Home
Classical Christmas Read-Aloud Books
Charles Dickens & Louisa May Alcott are both beloved in our home. The children always enjoy the stories we read aloud from these classic authors. So we especially love these Christmas stories.
We also enjoy reading Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien during Advent as part of our read-aloud time. There is also a fun audio addition available on Spotify premium.
I especially like this fun edition because the photos are really beautiful.
This books will replace the usual read alouds that we enjoy together during the day.
Christmas Read-aloud Books:
- A Christmas Carol & Other Stories by Charles Dickens
- Christmas Treasury by Louisa May Alcott
- Letters From Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Christmas Book by Fr. Francis X. Weiser — my intentions are to read this book aloud as part of our family’s Sunday readings during this season. Or even a little bit during our evenings throughout the weeks to come.
Christmas Season Reads for Mother Culture
These are the books that I will enjoy as part of my mother culture time this season.
The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffman — the book that inspired the ballet. This is a first time read for me, but I’ve heard that it may be too dark and scary for children. I’ll screen it this year and see if we will include in read aloud time in the future.
However, I have also recently purchased this version of The Nutcracker which includes both the original story and a more whimsical edition by Alexandre Dumas. So, depending on which one I find more appropriate for my children, I will move one of those to our read-aloud time as we finish the other stories.
Celebrating a Merry Catholic Christmas: A Guide to the Customs and Feast Days of Advent and Christmas by Fr. William Saunders — This book will be a nice read for me to get a deeper understanding of the historical roots of the traditions that we celebrate as Catholics. This book also includes spiritual reflections and suggestions for practices to enrich the family’s traditions.
Christmas Around the Fire by Ryan N.S. Topping – I’m really excited about this book! It is a new release that I have pre ordered and is filled with many wonderful seasonal stories, essays, & poems.
From the website: “Included within are entries from legendary novelists and poets such as Leo Tolstoy, G. K. Chesterton, Charles Dickens, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Willa Cather, and more.”
It also includes sermons and writings from some of my favorites like, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Augustine, and Hilaire Belloc.
The Incarnation, Birth, Infancy of Jesus Christ by St. Alphonsus Liguori – this book will serve as my personal spiritual reading during this season.
For convenience, I’ve put together this list with all of the books mentioned in this post. With the exception of those found at TAN Books — but they are all linked above.
Discount Code
If you’re ordering from TAN Books, use code: JoyfullyDomestic15 for 15% OFF!
♡ ♡ What are some of your family’s favorite read-aloud books for the Advent & Christmas season? What about for mother culture time? Share with us in the comments section below.
If you’ve enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy our favorite Christmas picture books.
