I find that there are lots of things we do over the festive season to make the most of it. We set up our Christmas tree, bake gingerbread men, drink mulled wine, eat lots of mince pie, cook a huge Christmas turkey (ok, it's clear I'm a foodie). Let's add some other things ;) We also go to Santa's grotto, winter wonderland, enjoy our advent calendars, visit family & friends, take family pyjamas photos, etc. You're welcome, I know I just gave you some ideas ;)
One thing we also do is read lots of festive books so I thought to share our top 7 this Christmas.
I've shared these in no particular order, I've also included the links to buy these if you'd like to check them out. Click on the images and you'll go straight to the amazon page for each book (these are not sponsored in any way).
Oh, I have also included my son's review, straight from him. As he is the original Curious Berry, I've called him CB1 in this :)
Dear Santa
This has been a firm favourite in our home. We love the flip-the-flap pages which makes it interactive. It builds up curiosity with each page as we anticipate what Santa’s gift would be. It brings out our acting voices every time. If you like ‘Dear Zoo’, you’ll like this too.
Straight from CB1’s mouth – "I like lifting the flaps & I like touching the cat at the end, it’s so soft".
Elf Chase
This is a new addition to our library and we’ve really been enjoying it. It's very much like ‘Hop little bunnies’ and it actually reminds us of ‘We’re going on a bear hunt’ (although this is from a different author). It has flaps that build excitement as we try to find the elves. It has the added bonus of teaching counting. It’s also Christmassy with candy canes, elves, Santa’s sleigh, etc.
Straight from CB1’s mouth – “I like the trail all the way back (on one of the last pages)”.
The First Christmas
This is about the nativity story. Every child who has or will take part in a nativity play will love it. My son took part in his first nativity performance this year and as you can imagine, this book has been a hit. We love to say the lines and learned lots of new words especially ‘manger’ which seemed to crack him up all the time.
Straight from CB1’s mouth – "I like this because of Mary & Joseph – they had a baby - Jesus".
Father Christmas Needs A Wee
From the title, you can probably guess that this is one hilarious book. Father Christmas had lots of treats (including drinks) at all the houses he visited; he even forgot to leave presents and had to go back to each house. He needs a wee by the end and needs to hurry back to the North Pole. This book also teaches numbers and counting.
Straight from CB1’s mouth – "It’s funny that Father Christmas needs to wee, he forgot about that hahaha".
A Christmas Wish
A gorgeous book that probably depicts how many children wait in curious anticipation of Christmas day and their Christmas presents. Lots of kids ask if and when they’ll see Father Christmas. They try to wait up for him, just like Peter Rabbit did. Lovers of Peter Rabbit will enjoy this beautiful board book.
Straight from CB1’s mouth – "I like the Christmas tree, It's just like the one we decorated; this one has a picture of it".
A Very Noisy Christmas
We really enjoy this one! It is the nativity story but not your usual one! It starts with a warning – ‘this book could seriously damage your ears…use responsibly’. We think this is apt because there is a lot of whispering as well a LOT of SHOUTING whilst reading this. We always have lots of fun reading this, everyone gets involved.
Straight from CB1’s mouth – "It starts with ‘sshhhhhh’, then we shout really really loud".
Of course, we've also loved reading our book "Do you know?" this season as well. Although it's not a Christmas book, it teaches us about God's love and many gifts to us. We think now is as good a time as any to enjoy this with your children :)
Hopefully, you've found this useful. Do you and your kids have any favourites this season, do share with us.
We hope you have the most wonderful Christmas this year.
xxx
