A Classics Christmas

Since it is my son's first Christmas this year, I have been wanting more than ever to continue with some holiday traditions. Of course, he's not quite 8 months old yet and won't remember any of it, but still, there are certain things I like to do to get in the Christmas spirit. It's more challenging this year to actually do those things while also taking care of a baby, but I keep reminding myself that there is no such thing as "perfect" and that there is also no need for "perfect."

While I do believe that Christmas is really about the intangibles -- love and family and hope and joy -- it has been so much fun doing some of the other stuff too. And you're mostly here for the books, right? So while I don't read any specific Christmas story every year, I like to read something Christmas-related during December. This year, with the help of this list, I decided to dive into some classic Christmas stories. I mostly chose ones I had hidden in my home "library", but there are some other great suggestions on that list as well. A lot of these are in the public domain and available as free or inexpensive ebooks if you're looking for a last minute holiday read.


Charles Dickens

• A Christmas Carol & A Christmas Tree
• Stories for Christmas (I won't be reading this whole collection, but I do hope to read a few more of the stories over the next week or so. Of course, this also contains the above two stories, but I'm reading those from an illustrated edition.)

O. Henry

• The Gift of the Magi

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

• The Blue Carbuncle (from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes)

Grimm's Fairy Tales

• The Elves and the Shoemaker

Hans Christian Anderson Fairy Tales & Stories

• The Steadfast Tin Soldier
• The Little Match Girl (This one is super sad.)
• The Fir Tree (Also kind of sad -- it really is true that fairy tales are pretty dark!)
• The Snow Queen

Picture Books

• The Night Before Christmas
• Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Of course, we have also read a lot of newer Christmas picture books, but I thought I'd stick to the "classics" for this list. Do you have any favorite holiday reads? Please share in the comments. And don't forget to enter my Christmas giveaway! (Ends midnight on Sunday)