Saturday, November 25, 2017

Vacation Bag TBR #2: December Book Stack

I usually am not an early person when it comes to Christmas -- getting a tree, decorating, cards, gifts, baking -- none of these things usually happen immediately after Thanksgiving around here like they do for many. They definitely don't happen before Thanksgiving (if that's your thing though, it's all good) and usually I'm lucky if they happen at all! Last year when my son was 1 1/2 years old, I ended up with a tiny table-top tree and called it a day. I'm hoping to do a real tree this year, but that remains to be seen. I usually like to do things bit by bit over the weeks leading up to Christmas, though I can certainly see the appeal of getting it all done early. But since becoming a mom, it feels like a whole new ball game! Even if I wanted to get the ball rolling earlier, I'm not sure I could realistically manage it -- and I'm OK with that.

The one thing I can dive right into though is seasonal books! I love reading Christmas-y books in December, but usually don't get around to as many as I would like. So as I did for the fall, I thought I'd pull them all out so I can see what I have when it's time to choose my next book. A curated stack or shelf of options seems to work for me as long as I don't look at this stack like a to-do list. My intention is not to turn my Christmas reading into a homework-like obligation, but rather to narrow my focus and avoid the decision paralysis that happens when staring down my entire collection.


From the bottom of the stack up you'll see:

* 3 Christmas anthologies
* a Christmas cookbook with accompanying stories from famous chefs/authors
* a Dickens collection
* a vintage children's magazine anthology (which isn't all holiday stories)
* 7 middle grade books that are about Christmas, take place around Christmas-time, or have some sort of Christmas element in them
* the classic A Miracle on 34th Street illustrated by Tomie dePaola
* a slim collection of children's poetry by Jack Prelutsky
* a collection of 12 short stories (with recipes)
* two illustrated children's story/poem collections

Too many to list! Leave a comment if you have any questions about titles :)

I also pulled out all the Christmas picture books and the stack is bigger than I thought! We may not get to every single one this year, but I'm sure we will read plenty of them over the next four weeks. A few of these have already been read recently -- and I will admit that a couple get read year round! I also have submitted my library requests from the running list of Christmas books I kept as I went through various author or illustrator backlists earlier in the year. We will not run out of things to read, that's for sure! I fully expect little man to latch onto a handful of favorites though, so some of these I may end up reading on my own if they are ones I really want to revisit during the season.


And let's not forget audiobooks! The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is an annual re-listen for me. And I'm already listening to My True Love Gave to Me for book club. I have more than enough to choose after those two -- some new, some re-reads -- if I have any additional listening time :)

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I know I have more here than I can possibly read in a month, but that's alright :) What are you reading this time of year? Do you have any good winter reads or books for other holidays? I'd love to hear about them!

7 comments:

  1. What a great selection. I love reading Christmas books.

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  2. We get a real Christmas tree every year. It was doable last year, because my little guy was just starting to crawl. This year is going to be a very different story!

    Those three big middle grade novels in your stack are calling my name. I don't know what it is about middle grade novels that look so appealing, but they're so hard to pass by!

    We got Little Blue Truck's Christmas from the library last week, and we're reading it multiple times a day. My little guy has figured out the sensor on the last page, and he'll sit still for a solid minute playing with it. :)

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    1. We do a real tree too -- I skipped a few years we were in an apartment and last year when little man was 1 1/2. We did one his first Christmas and just got a tree yesterday -- so we will see how it goes with a 2 1/2 year old! The years we skipped we did still do a tiny tabletop tree, but I do really love having the real thing :) :) :) Good luck with yours this year -- that was last year for us and I was not feeling brave LOL

      The middle grade books are definitely the most likely to actually make it out of that stack and onto my nightstand. I'm 100 pages into the Vanderbeekers one and really loving it. Greenglass House and the Wonderling are calling my name for sure too :)

      Little Blue Truck Christmas is great! We borrowed it one year and ended up getting our own copy. Those lights are just so fun for a toddler :)

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  3. Seeing the holiday books makes me smile. We have begun reading them with the Royals. The Princess will be three in January, so she is very aware of Santa. My house is decorated all but the tree, which is usually up the day after THanksgiving. I had hoped to do it today, but find I am coming down with something. It will happen when it happens.

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    1. :) :) :) It will happen when it happens is a very good philosophy! Enjoy your Christmas reading with your little cuties!

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  4. Omg I LOVE The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!! I used to read that all the time as a kid and now I'm struck with the need to reread for sure! 😂 I hope my family still has it. haha. I hope Christmas is treating you well and you've managed to get the tree up. :D

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I'd love to hear what you think :)