The Christmas season is a time we enjoy the retelling of many of our favorite stories. Who hasn’t heard of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation after visits from the three Spirits of Christmas?  And young and old alike love the story of the Grinch and how his tiny heart grew three sizes bigger after the residents of Whoville showed him that Christmas was about much more than gifts under a tree.

We began collecting Christmas story books as soon as our children were old enough to listen to a story being read to them. Our oldest son is now in his 30’s, so that’s quite a few years of Christmas stories! There is something special about sitting down together under a warm blanket on the couch near the Christmas tree or snuggling up with our children before bedtime, reading a story together. Over the next several days leading up to Christmas, I want to share with you our family’s Five Favorite Read-aloud Christmas Stories, a simple way to add meaning to this holiday season.

Do you have a child who is curious? Or perhaps one who is creative and loves to work with their hands? Then you will especially enjoy this first story, The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, written by Susan Wojciechowski, with beautiful illustrations by P.J. Lynch. When a heirloom nativity set goes missing, a quiet and somewhat grumpy woodcarver agrees to make a replacement set. Soon the young boy wants to help, much to the woodcarver’s dismay. “Pish posh!”, the woodcarver would say, whenever the talkative little boy wanted to give his own suggestions to the woodcarver. Would the nativity set be done in time for Christmas?  Would the woodcarver always be grumpy when the little boy came over to watch? You will be surprised by the touching conclusion of this Christmas story, one that will resonate with children and adults alike.

Reading a favorite story to a child can take place in the simplest of ways. It doesn’t have to cost anything and nothing more is required than taking time to create the opportunity. While this book is available from Amazon and other online sellers, you can also support your local library by checking out available copies there. From a practical standpoint, research provides overwhelming evidence of the benefits of reading aloud to children. So even if you are still recovering from an unplanned homeschool environment this fall and need a break, don’t give up on reading. Christmas is the perfect time to read to your children just for fun. Happy holiday reading!