Christmas Stories

This year, we didn't have a Christmas tree. Well, not an official one. Come to think of it, we didn't have one last year, either. I won't go into detail no as to why that is, but I do want to share a fun little Christmas activity that Ruby & I enjoyed this year that I would like to continue every year (especially when she's older & thinks it's awkward but still secretly loves it).

Here's our little mock Christmas tree (dried willow branches with some ornaments) & the first gift under the tree belongs to Miss Ruby, which was a sweet book on wild animales I found at the Goodwill

Our new tradition is focused on reading, which just so happens to be one of Ruby's favorite pass times. Every day, we probably read 20+ books because she LOVES books. She loves going to the library to get new ones & I love that so I don't go crazy reading the same dang elmo book hundreds of times each week. Because I know Ruby loves to read, I figured she would easily catch on to this new tradition...

For a few months before Christmas, I started collecting Christmasy books. It was actually harder than I would have imagined because, unfortunately, there are a lot of terrible books about Christmas out there, but I managed to find 12 books, which was my goal. Next year, I might try to be super ambitious & get 25... we'll see.

I wrapped up all the books & every night before bed, Ruby got to unwrap one & we would read it together. She really caught on to the unwrapping (& might have even unwrapped a few before naptime... I had a hard time resisting her when she ran up to me with a wrapped book, saying "story? ni-night?") & it was an all-around precious moment for us to share together.

Our little tree with the 12 books

Next year, I plan to use some of the same books (there's no way we're going to collect 12+ different books every year!) but I realized that I may need to hunt sooner & harder because I wasn't really satisfied with the content of a lot of the books. These books are just reserved for Christmas, though, so they are now put away in a special red & green bin in the basement with all of the rest of our soon-to-be-hibernating Christmas items.

The rocking chair with the books (please ignore the "happy birthday" gift wrap)

For next year, I want to collect even more Christmas books that really tell an accurate Christmas story. What are your (& your children's) favorite Christmas stories?