Since having children, I have accumulated many beautiful Christmas stories. Most of them are books, but some are stories from my childhood. Most are Christ-centered, some are about Giving, and some are about Santa and the Magic of Christmas.
Several years ago I began wrapping these stories and placing them under the tree. Beginning the first day in December and ending Christmas Eve, we unwrap a story each evening. I number them in the order that I would like them to be read. This tradition prepares our hearts for Christmas and my children love the anticipation of each story as they remember them from the previous year. Once they are unwrapped, I leave them out to be enjoyed throughout the month.
This has become one of our favorite family traditions.
My list is not set in stone and I am sure it will evolve over time as my children grow, but I would love to share the 24 stories that we read each Christmastime.
1- When the Prince of Peace Was Born by Alice W. Johnson and Allison Warner
2- This is the Star by Joyce Dunbar
3- Is There a Santa Claus?
4- Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner
5- The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
6- The Joy of Giving and Trim the Tree by The Berenstein Bears
8- The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucada
9- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
10- Pattern of Love
11- Room For a Little One by Martin Waddell
12- Beyond Bethlehem by David Bowmen
13- He Took My Lickin' For Me by Timothy Robinson
14- The Nutcracker by Susan Jeffers
15- The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Anderson
16- How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess
18- The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
19- Because I Love You by Max Lucado
20- Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer by Rick Bunson
21- The Tale of Three Trees by Angela Elwell Hunt
22- The Littlest Angel by Charles Tagewell
23- The Sweet Smell of Christmas by Patricia Scary
24- The Night Before Christmas by Mary Engelbreit
I included four of my favorite childhood stories, printed them on this brown packaging paper, then turned them into an envelope. They are beautiful Christmas stories from my childhood that I want my children to hear and remember.
Tomorrow we begin our Christmas Story Advent and I am giddy about it!
1 comment:
What a wonderful idea!
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