This week, I introduce my all-time favourite Santa-themed holiday titles, with plenty of time to read them to your small people and help build the excitement of the Christmas season. There’s a funny one, a story of quiet wonder, and an old Christmas standard to sing, so there should be something for everyone.
The Christmas Orange, by Don Gillmor, ill. Marie-Louise Gay
This fantastic Canadian team is responsible for a few of my favourite books, and this is right up there with the Christmas books I am most excited to share with kids and parents alike every year. In it, we meet Anton Stingley, who has a round head and more toys than anyone. His birthday being the same day as Christmas, he produces a pretty, er, ambitious wish list, to say the least, and when Santa doesn’t follow through, he takes him to court, where he and the rest of the townspeople learn a lesson or two about Santa. The sense of humour in this story is fantastic, and offers as much to the adults who read this aloud as it does to the kids, so it’s even good for an older, more sophisticated child. And as usual, Gay’s illustrations add a certain something to everything she touches.
The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg
This award-winning story of a midnight encounter of the North Pole kind has become a modern classic in every sense. It’s beautiful, as Van Allsburg’s work always is, in a vaguely haunting, dreamlike way. It employs that storybook standard of confusion over dreaming and waking. And most of all, he creates a magical world where a little bit of suspense gives way to boundless wonder, and where grownups no longer tread. (Bonus: this edition comes with a CD, so they can listen along while you trim the tree, wrap gifts, write cards, bake cookies...)
Plus! if you'd like to take a peek inside the covers, you can, here.
Here Comes Santa Claus, by Gene Autry & Oakley Haldeman, ill. Bruce Whatley
Another classic Christmas song, this old chestnut has a decidedly retro ring to it (and a tiny touch of religion, but not so much as to make it a religious book), and is filled with warmth. This gorgeous picture book treatment of the song brings a whole new level of warm, cozy detail to it, as much thanks to Whatley's rich, lifelike paintings as for the family scenes of Christmas Eve anticipation. Whatley has tucked a small side story about a boy getting a much-desired puppy into the illustrations, leading up to the moment when he wakes on Christmas morning with an expression of purest, radiant joy. That makes the whole thing for me, though I do love his kindly Santa. For the musician in your family, the music is printed on the endpapers.
Plus! if you want to take a look at a few of these really lovely images yourself, you can view part of the book here.
And one I am including even though it is out of print because I love it so:
Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town, by J. Fred Coots & Haven Gillespie, ill. Steven Kellogg
One of the most classic kids’ Christmas tunes around is given Kellogg’s signature touch in this book filled with lively colour and great little details. The book gives us the entire song, not just the parts we normally hear (listen to Ella Fitzgerald’s version to hear the whole thing sung through), making for more of a story to add to the familiar chorus, where most children love to join in. This makes for a really fun family-time take on a Christmas song that kids love, so even though it might be a bit rousing for bedtime, I think it’s worth it for one short month to get the spirit flowing!
I know it’s out of print, but don’t despair! You can still order a used copy through Indigo here.
Coming up next:
Dec. 15th: Lots of picture book series include a Christmas book. Here are some good ones!
Dec. 22nd: Christmas classics so good, it won’t even feel like a last-minute gift idea.
For more festive holiday content, don't miss our Stress-Free Holiday Guide, with gift and decorating ideas, recipes and more from SweetLife, SweetHome and SweetMama -- all in one place!