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A Family Holiday Tradition: Christmas Countdown Books

🎄 Fun Idea for Christmas (or Any Special Holiday)

By Sarah Hauge, Publisher of Macaroni Kid Englewood-Greenwood Village-Centennial November 25, 2020

Christmastime is filled with family traditions. From special meals to holiday games, there are many ways to make this time of year a memorable one!

A favorite tradition in our house is our Christmas book countdown, a non-traditional Advent calendar of sorts.

It's a simple concept, but one my kids love: Every night in December, my children take turns picking a book from our stack of wrapped holiday reads.

Then we grab a few blankets, snuggle up near the lights of the Christmas tree, and unwrap a book to read as a family. Our Christmas book countdown is a simple holiday tradition, but it's one my kids and I look forward to each year!

Want to bring this tradition to your house? Here's how to create a bit of holiday magic with your own Christmas book countdown!

What You Need:

  • 24 books
  • Wrapping paper
  • Ribbon
  • Labels
  • Tape
  • Scissors

What You Do:

Wrap each book and label 1-24. It's up to you whether you unwrap No. 1 on December 1st or start with book No. 24 and count backwards! Or don't even label them with numbers at all and let your kids choose one at random each night.

Remember, books don't have to be brand new! You can borrow them from the library, trade with a friend, purchase from a used book store, or even pull some favorites from your own family's bookshelves!