My kids checked off their Christmas shopping lists in less than an hour of one-stop shopping, came home, wrapped their gifts, and DONE. Meanwhile, I’m still cobbling together lists, eyeing the calendar and wondering if I can get everything ordered and delivered before Christmas as our governor again tightens the reins on retail shopping.
In the waning days of 2020, let’s find a little joy, a little comfort, and a little peace by turning to a good Christmas book (or two, or twenty). I’ve assembled a list for the littlest family members on up. Eventually I’ll get my reviews completed and linked, but in the interest of sharing the list before Christmas, along with some reading and gift-giving links, here are my 2020 picks:
Wisdom Finds a Way by Cathy Gilmore
It’s his first time in a big caravan, and Amel the camel cannot see the wisdom of making such a long journey (by following a star, no less!) just to bring gifts to a baby in a tiny place like Bethlehem. After a discouraging detour in Herod’s Jerusalem, Amel learns all about love, prayer, and sacrifice as shown by Kings Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. Amel discovers that what is truly wise and noble can be hidden in very surprising places. Amel the camel is the not-so-tiny virtue hero of WISDOM. He invites readers to admire his hero, King Balthazar.
The Spider Who Saved Christmas by Raymond Arroyo
The Spider Who Saved Christmas spins the enchanting faith-filled tale of Nephila, a cave-dwelling spider who plays a pivotal role central to the Christmas story. This instant classic reveals the origin of Christmas tinsel and reminds us that hope can always be found even in dark places where we least expect it.
A Very Jurassic Christmas by Corinna Turner
IT’S CHRISTMAS…BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT!
Young hunter Joshua is looking forward to a Christmas of ice-skating and fun—until the plight of a starving mamma allosaur and her chicks upends his plans. Now he and his uncle must embark on a dangerous journey south, carrying deadly passengers.
Out in the wilderness, there’s no one to help them, they’re running out of tranquilizers—and a killer storm is gathering.
Meanwhile, Darryl and Harry risk their lives for a holiday guest in the perilous, raptor-infested mountains. Will they survive long enough to enjoy their carol service, let alone the rest of the holiday season?
“A Perfect Christmas” by Carolyn Astfalk
No tree, no cookies, no gifts. Not a single flake of snow. With sick siblings, Dad stranded, and Mom overwhelmed, will Christmas come at all to Marigold’s topsy-turvy home?
“Christmas Angel” by Leslea Wahl
Meg’s unforgettable Advent journey begins when four simple words challenge her idea of a perfect Christmas.
“A Perfect Christmas” and “Christmas Angel” first appeared in Gifts: Visible & Invisible, a collection of Christmas-themed short stories by eight CatholicTeenBooks.com authors.
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From Afar by Roger Thomas
The Magi, or Three Kings, of the Nativity story are among the best loved yet most mysterious figures in all history. The fleeting and sparse account in St. Matthew’s Gospel raises as many questions as it answers. It has been so embroidered over the centuries that the original historical context has been almost completely buried. Yet the world of the early first century was as dynamic and intriguing as any legend – and much more perilous.
In his compelling novelization of the journey of the Magi, Roger Thomas draws on Scripture, history, and modern research. This swift-moving tale brings these shadowed figures to vivid life. You meet them as men of their time and culture: learned and noble, yet experienced with a brutal world and even violent when necessary. Come with them as they search for a King they do not understand, and seek for answers to questions lying in the deepest parts of their souls – providing they survive the dangers of the journey.
A Match Made at Christmas by Courtney Walsh
Hayes McGuire never believed the stories about a famous Nantucket matchmaker until she ropes him into taking over her duties while she’s off the island for Christmas.
So he enlists the help of the one person he can trust with this crazy scheme—his best friend, Prudence. Armed with a series of rules, a book of success stories and the promise of Christmas magic, the pair of old friends sets out to make a Christmas match.
Little do they know that magic doesn’t discriminate, and they soon find their years of friendship deepening into something more. Will Pru and Hayes ignore the electricity in the air between them or will there be more than one match made at Christmas?
An Ivy Hill Christmas by Julie Klassen
Richard Brockwell, the younger son of Ivy Hill’s most prominent family, hasn’t been home for Christmas in years. He prefers to live in the London townhouse, far away from Brockwell Court, the old family secret that haunts him, and the shadows of his past mistakes. But then his mother threatens to stop funding his carefree life–unless he comes home for Christmas. Out of options, he sets out for Ivy Hill, planning to be back on a coach bound for London and his unencumbered bachelor life as soon as the festivities are over.
But Christmas in the country presents unforeseen surprises, including encounters with an orphaned apprentice, the first love he disappointed years ago, and Arabella Awdry, a young lady who is far more appealing than he recalled . . . and determined to have nothing to do with him.
Will Christmastime in Ivy Hill, with its village charm, kissing boughs, joyous songs, and divine hope, work its magic in his heart . . . and hers as well?
The Diaries of Joseph and Mary by Dennis McGeehan
The lives of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus as envisioned by the Early Church Fathers and by Mystics and Visionaries are presented here in the form of a diary that Joseph and Mary might have kept. Based on stories well-known and even preached upon during the Early Church, the events of the Nativity are illuminated and give a more intimate look into the events that changed history forever. Nothing contained in Scripture is changed, rather, the opinions reached by the ancient voices on matters where Scripture is silent are offered for prayerful consideration.
Christmas Around the Fire: Stories, Essays, and Poems for the Season of Christ’s Birth by Ryan N. S. Topping
Christmas is a time for celebrating the birth of Jesus with family and friends; to gather together in sacred and jovial celebration of the Incarnation. Yet in our fast-paced, hyper digitized lives, we are losing the sense of a good story, among good friends, around a good fire.
In Christmas Around the Fire, Ryan Topping invites the reader to turn off the television set, put down the device, quiet ourselves, and gather our loved ones to share some of the best writing, in a variety of forms, about Christmas. Whether or not, your family has an actual fireplace around which to gather is not so important, but it helps!
Included within are entries from legendary novelists and poets such as Leo Tolstoy, G.K. Chesterton, Charles Dickens, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Willa Cather, and more. As well as the profound thoughts of great religious figures such as Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Pope Saint John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI.
For those who love the true spirit of the “most wonderful time of the year”, and who love reading in almost equal measure, Christmas Around the Fire will quickly become a family tradition—the first piece excitedly pulled out of storage every year. This is one of those rarest of books: one around which family memories are made.
More Sources for Christmas Book Recommendations
Christmas Gift-Buying Resources
These links include a variety of gift-giving ideas for mainly Catholic products for Advent and Christmas, including some books.
- No Bah, Humbug (Things Visible & Invisible)
- Catholic Stocking Stuffers for All the People You Love (To Jesus, Sincerely)
- The ‘Buy Catholic’ Christmas Gift Guide 2020 (National Catholic Register)
- The Best Catholic Gifts to Give This Christmas (Prayer Wine Chocolate)
- CatholicMom.com 2020 Christmas Gift Guide (Catholic Mom)
- 37 Catholic Gifts That Actually Fit Inside a Stocking (Catholics Online)
- Christmas Gift Ideas for Everyone on Your List (Tom Perna)
- 2020 Christmas Gift Ideas and Stocking Stuffers (Shower of Roses)
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Thanks for including Christmas Angel! I’ve read some of the ones on your list – will have to check out the others – I always enjoy Christmas stories!