By Katelyn Fry

While many of us may strive to be up-to-date on the latest thing our nieces and nephews are into, it doesn’t hurt to look back on the things that always bring us joy. With Christmas right around the corner, we’re sharing our favorite classic Christmas books for ideas that can double as both a gift and some QualAuntieTime over the holiday!


1.  Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore



While this poem is widely known and has been republished by many different authors and illustrators, this edition is a New York Times #1 Bestseller.  It’s the perfect story to read on Christmas Eve night and is bound to get kids even more excited for Santa’s visit.


2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by. Dr. Seuss



Your nieces and nephews may be familiar with the cartoon version, or the film version starring Jim Carrey, but nothing beats the original book. Introduce them to Whoville and Dr. Seuss’s fantastic illustrations, and let them see how the power of Christmas spirit can overcome even the grumpiest of people. As GoodReads.com says, it’s “perfect for reading aloud to your favorite little Whos.” (Or nieces and nephWhos as the case may be!)


3. Madeline’s Christmas by Ludwig Bemelmans



A part of the renown Madeline series, this story takes place on Christmas Eve night. Madeline belongs to a boarding school, and all of the girls are sick in bed except her. She encounters a magical salesman selling flying carpets door-to-door and offers Madeline and the girls a Christmas adventure that lifts them out of bed, and lifts their spirits.


4. The Mitten by Jan Brett



This cute winter tale opens with a boy named Nicki who is walking through the snowy woods and drops his white mitten. One by one, animals of the forest both big and small discover the mitten and crawl inside of it, magically continuing to fit. We see Nicki out and about searching for the lost mitten and right when he is about to give up, a bear that had crawled inside sneezes and all of the animals fly out, and Nicki gets his mitten back.


5. The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy by Jane Thayer



One of my personal favorites, in this book we meet Petey the puppy, a stray dog whose only Christmas wish is to find a boy to take him in. He goes on a hunt to find one and is about to give up when he sees a boy sitting alone on a front stoop. Petey runs up to the boy who takes him inside where there are fifty more boys, all of whom belong to an orphanage and needed Petey just as much as he needed them.


6.  Auntie Claus by Elise Primavera



I’ve saved the best for last! This beautifully illustrated Auntie adaptation! Little Sophie Kringle has always been curious about her Auntie Claus; she bakes Christmas cookies year-round, her tree is always the best in the whole city, she always has the best gifts and she seems to always have a “business trip” to leave for right around the holidays. This Christmas, Sophie is determined to discover the truth.



Published: December 14, 2016