One of the best parts of the Christmas season? Pulling out the themed picture books, of course! Like so many things about the holidays, these beloved books are made even more special by the fact that their time in the bookshelf rotation is limited – and that we return to them year after year. I can remember the coziness of my whole family sitting around and flipping through Christmas books the day we brought the holiday boxes down from the attic each year, and I know my children feel the same way.
Today, I thought I’d share some of our favorite Christmas picture books, and a few winter-themed books, as well. A pro tip: go ahead and request Christmas books from your library now. Borrowing is an excellent way to fill out your collection and try new titles, but if your library is anything like ours, the holiday shelves will be bare by the time December rolls around.
Favorite Christmas picture books:
First, here are some of the Christmas picture books in our permanent collection – the ones we own and lovingly pull from the attic year after year! Most of these are favorites from my childhood.
— Christmas in the Manger| A simple board book for the littlest ones that introduces different characters (including animals!) in the Christmas story.
— Dasherby Matt Tavares | A quiet, gentle story of how reindeer came to pull Santa’s sleigh.
— How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss | This might be my children’s very favorite Christmas book. Dr. Seuss is unmatched!
— The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet & Allan Ahlberg | A truly delightful book with envelopes, letters, riddles, and games folded in. Good for slightly-older kids because of the delicate construction!
— The Legend of St. Nicholas | The origin story of St. Nicholas and a reminder of the true joy of giving at Christmas.
— Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert Barry | One of my very favorites from childhood! It traces the journey of a Christmas tree from the original home to smaller and smaller animals with delightful rhyme.
— The Nutcracker, illustrated by Valeria Docampo | This story is based on the NYCB/Balanchine version, so it’s Marie, not Clara, but it’s a great introduction if you’re going to see the show! The illustrations are memorable and a bit surreal.
— The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg | A magical, dreamlike story (with illustrations to match) of the first gift of Christmas. This one chokes me up at the end, no matter how many times I read it.
— Silent Night by Lara Hawthorne | This is literally the lyrics to the beloved Christmas carol, which makes it interesting to read aloud, but I love having it in our collection for its beautiful, diverse, and unique illustrations.
I add one Christmas picture book to our permanent collection each year – this year, it’s this one! Here are some others we’ve already snagged from the library and tucked away until we get home from Florida.
— Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck | The sweetest story of a boy,his Dad and the true joy of giving. Love this one.
— The Christmas Pine by Julia Donaldson | Based on the true story of the people of Norway gifting a Christmas tree to the British people in thanks for their support during World War II. Julia Donaldson is a gem (The Gruffalo is a favorite in our house!) and this one is no different.
— The Christmas Wish by Lori Evert | Magical! A husband-and-wife team reimagined a classic Nordic tale with photos starring their daughter on her journey to the North Pole. This is a new one to us and I think my children are going to love it.
— Decorate the Tree! by Amanda Jane Jones | This is a brand-new book from someone who’s career I’ve watched for a long time. Our kids will love the interactive elements!
— Red & Green by Lois Ehlert | With cut-out pages and a story based on ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, this one is fun for little readers.
— Red & Lulu by Matt Tavares | The sweetest story of two cardinals who get separated and find each other again in an unexpected place. Perfect for city lovers!
Our favorite winter picture books:
Finally, here are a few winter-themed picture books you might love.
— Brave Irene by William Steig | Another favorite from my childhood, with a plucky heroine, a bitter snowstorm, and a brave mission.
— The Mitten by Jan Brett | Full of classic Jan Brett magic, with borders that lead you through the story.
— Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner | We have the original, but this winter version looks just as good!
— Snow Horses by Patricia MacLachlan | A cozy, loving book about the last night of the year starring two horses. Beautiful collage illustrations!
— The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats | A classic! It’s apparently the number one most checked out book of all time in the New York Public Library, and I can see why.
Of course, I’d love to hear: did I miss any of your Christmas favorites? If you celebrate another winter holiday, I’d love to hear your favorites, too!
Okay – with this gift guide, we’re venturing into slightly more traditional territory: and by that I mean there are things on here that we don’t already own, ha! That being said, everything I’ve rounded up looks like a truly excellent gift option to me – and in many cases, the gift ideas are things we own, or have gifted to others. Lots of great gift ideas for parents in here (the ones who have everything!) as well as siblings – and maybe even teachers! Let’s do it.
Accessories:
— Original Bogg Bag | We use ours at the pool, the beach, and the soccer field, but I think they’re particularly helpful for road trip packing.
— Snap tote | They fold up flat and snap open to fit a ton – I use mine at least weekly, and have had it for years!
— Boat & Tote bags | Incredibly sturdy and incredibly classic. I like mine open top, in navy, with sans serif embroidery. I find this to be a versatile gift at a great price point that’s easy to personalize – you could embroider her initials, nickname, or something funny or practical!
— Hope Heals sweatshirt | A bold message with profits going toward an incredible organization. (Hope Heals is a camp thatinvites entire families affected by disabilities—regardless of age, diagnosis, or location—to enjoy respite, relationships, and resources, completely free of charge.) I would love one of these! Probably should have put it in the gifts for Em guide :)
— For the men in your life, don’t forget this post on some of John’s favorites – lots of good ideas in there! One to highlight: the Legends sweater shirt, which is probably John’s favorite thing to wear. Looks like a flannel, is as incredibly soft and stretchy as the best sweatshirt.
Home:
— Something meaningful, framed | We recently gifted John’s parents a house portrait as a housewarming gift and framed it with Framebridge – a favorite I’ve used for many projects over the years. There are lots of house portrait options on Etsy, too!
— Round serving tray | I have the blue design, but the strawberry fields pattern is also absolutely gorgeous. They’re a good size and perfect for corralling things on a dresser or coffee table!
— Solo stove | Yes, this gift was all the rage a few years ago, but it’s still worth a mention! Produces a near-smokeless fire in a compact, good-looking package. Pair with extendable sticks and the absolute best thing to sandwich a marshmallow between.
— Tea kettle | An elegant countertop tea kettle for the tea, coffee, or hot chocolate drinker in your life! We’ve gifted these twice and they’re always a hit. Lots of fun options for this one – pair it with some gourmet or meaningful tea or coffee, a pretty tea towel, and/or a mug that will make them smile!
— Something from White Flower Farm | This is my father-in-law’s favorite plant source, and we have ordered many things from them over the years! Bulbs, wreaths, flowering houseplants – or a gift card for them to choose something for their yard.
— A photo gift | Don’t sleep on the photo mug, friends! Are they a little cheesy? Yes. Do lots of grandparents legitimately want one? Absolutely yes, but they’re not, you know, something you’re going to buy for yourself. A personalized calendar with photos from the year is another sure bet!
— A live wreath | This has been our preschool teacher gift for several years running – we buy simple wreaths from a local fundraiser and dress them up with bows. I have also done the same for hostess gifts! L.L. Bean has beautiful options if you need to ship.
— Weather station | Even if your gift recipient isn’t as into weather as John is (that is to say, very), they’ll probably still appreciate this weather station. We look at ours multiple times a day to decide what layers to wear!
Hobbies:
— PowerSheets | My beloved goal planner and monthly calendar rolled into one. Can’t do life without it.
— A gorgeous embroidery kit | This is the company that makes my adored Advent calendar kit, but they have a number of other embroidery projects, too! Perfect for the gal who wants to keep her hands busy and make something beautiful.
— A media subscription | Whether physical or digital, this is one of my favorite things to give. In recent years, I’ve given an Our State subscription to a friend, an Atlantic subscription to my Dad, and a So Many Thoughts subscription to my Mom.
— A digital picture frame | The siblings went in on this for John’s parents a few years ago, and it’s so easy to upload new photos by email!
— A record player | I think this would be a really fun gift for a teen or family – I’ve considered getting one when our kids are a bit older! There’s something about the physical, interactive nature of a record player that appeals… it’s more than just listening to music, it’s an activity!
— An Instant photo printer | Again, I think this would be popular with teens to use more independently, but it could also be a fun gift for a family. June is into journaling and crafting and she’d love to be able to easily print out photos we take on trips and adventures.
— A stick-on bird feeder | Is it just me, or are people really into bird watching these days? This would make a fun gift for anyone from grandparents to your brother with toddlers. I’d love one for our back door!
— A beautiful Scrabble board | Listen, I know this board is, like, stupid expensive. But it is SO lovely, and it has remained on my gift board for years. Could be a good gift to go in on with siblings for parents, or a splurge for yourself! If you have the right spot to set it out in your home, it could be treasured for years.
Whew!! I sincerely hope you found an idea in there for the ones you love, or that something I listed sparked an even better idea. More to come later this week!
When I hosted my first book swap in 2019, it was such fun that we vowed to make it an annual thing, or at most an every-other-year affair. Well… you know what happened next. But here we are, four years later, living our best readerly lives at a book swap once again, and it was a delight. In case it might inspire some of you to host a swap of your own, I’d love to share some photos and details from this weekend. (And if you’re just here to vicariously enjoy our readerly shenanigans, that’s a-ok, too.)
This time around, my beautiful friend Bethany agreed to be my co-host. She’s an avid reader, a wonderful cook, and an even better friend – plus, she has an inviting home with many large surfaces on which to display books (so you can see why she was a slam-dunk pick).
One Paperless Post invitation later, our guests were a mixture of Articles Club gals, preschool mom pals, and neighborhood buddies, plus a smattering of book-loving friends from other corners of our respective lives. It can feel a little nerve-wracking to bring together different groups of friends, but books are the great uniter, aren’t they? We invited 24 guests and had about 16 attend with summer travel and a few last-minute sick kiddos.
Food for a book swap brunch
We opted to host this year’s book swap in the morning – 10am – and so we kicked off the party by piling plates high with brunch food: two kinds of quiche; mini white chocolate baguettes from a local bakery; a mini pancake platter with nutella, soft butter, and syrup; smoked salmon sliders; and a monochromatic fruit salad inspired by a long-ago Cup of Jo post. (I’ve been holding on to that inspiration for 8 years! It finally had its day in the sun!)
We also served sparkling water, mimosas and bellinis, and coffee.
Book swap activities
Most guests brought their plates out to the sun porch and patio where we had scattered two literary quizzes for a little fun. The first listed groupings of characters and challenged guests to supply the book titles; the second required matching literary quotes to their books. Turns out both were quite challenging, ha! You can download them here for your own book swap, if you’d like: Literary Quote Quiz and Literary Character Quiz.
We also had little stickers with “ask me about…” written on them at the door. In lieu of their name, guests could write in the name of a book they love to discuss. We were hoping this might spark conversation, and it did!
How our book swap worked
While some people style their book swap like a Yankee Swap, my goal in hosting was to clear out my shelves, pass on well-loved books, and get several new books in return. Because of this, we allowed gals to bring up to 10 books to swap that they already owned. (One book was totally fine, too! I’d say most people brought about 3-5.)
Any kind of book was welcome – fiction, nonfiction, memoir, cookbook, coffee table book, and even kids’ books this time around. The only requirement was that they had to be GOOD! We asked guests to write a little sticky note with what they loved about each book and stick it on the cover.
Upon arrival, we asked each gal to “shelve” her selections – we had designated areas for fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, and “everything else.” This was a great way to break the ice, give people something to do right away, and get everyone moving around the room.
The actual swap happened at the very end – after much browsing, guests took home as many books as they contributed. If there were any leftover (which there were!) after the initial round of picks, they were open to all.
Bookish decor and favors
Bethany’s home is very lovely, and just a few bookish details made it shine for our book swap: a watercolor book garland cut from a calendar and teeny little watercolor books scattered as confetti throughout the downstairs. Bethany also supplied flowers from her garden – what a treat!
As a last fun detail, we gifted everyone an illustrated bookmark as they headed out. I considered making our own design, but what a delight it is to support other creative women doing what they do best.
And there you have it! Book Swap 2.0 was just as good as the first time around, and I intend for it not to be the last.
Remember in December when we talked about my two marvelous friends and their done-for-you holiday magic? Persnickety Gifts sources stocking stuffers, Easter baskets, birthday gifts, and more so that you can celebrate as a family with ease. If you love the idea of shopping small, curating thoughtful gifts, and creating everyday magic for your littles, but don’t have the patience, know-how, bandwidth, and/or desire to make it happen, this is for you!
Just like their stockings, their done-for-you Easter baskets couldn’t be easier: you choose your child’s age and gender on their website, and they send you a neatly-packaged bundle of goodies ready to tuck into their basket. No paying shipping from 15 retailers or breaking down 15 boxes – just handpicked delights from small and lovable businesses. (And no weird surprises, either – you can see everything that will be included right in the listing!)
So fun, yes? And lucky for us, Persnickety was kind enough to let me give away one done-for-you basket bundle! Just leave a comment here with which basket bundle you’d choose (age + gender – though of course they’re just suggestions – you know your kids best!). Consider following Persnickety on Instagram or signing up for their newsletter for a little holiday magic throughout the year, if you’d like.
I’ll choose a winner on Wednesday! (Updated to add: Congratulations to our winner, Carolyn!)
In addition to inviting me to host a giveaway, my pals were kind enough to send me a few items from their add-on collection. And friends, don’t sleep on this under-the-radar part of their business! It’s perfect for someone like me – who enjoys collecting things throughout the year and likes to include basics like shoes and pajamas, but loves the opportunity to round out what I’ve collected with fun items from small businesses (again without paying shipping multiple times or breaking down boxes).
Here’s what each of our kids will be getting in their Easter baskets this year, including goodies from Persnickety Gifts:
