Countdown to Christmas with this collection of picture books that the whole family will love. From beloved classics to new favorites, our list celebrates the best of the holiday season.
Holiday books have been a part of my holiday celebration since I was a little girl. Our annual tradition was to read The Night Before Christmas. Every Christmas Eve, my family would settle in around the tree each year to hear the classic poem by Clement C. Moore. Our copy was a small Tell a Tale Book that my mom probably picked up at the grocery store. By the time I was 10 I had the whole story memorized, which was a good thing because the book was starting to show its age. Nonetheless, it didn’t matter how old we were, we still pulled out the same book every year for our traditional retelling.
Now that I have children of my own, I’ve kept the tradition of reading during the holidays alive and well. While we have added more stories to our yearly repertoire, you can be sure that The Night Before Christmas always makes an appearance each Christmas Eve.
This year we’re taking the tradition one step further. In my opinion, the holidays are the perfect occasion for spending time together as a family. As we countdown to Christmas, we plan on reading one picture book a day as a family. It will be a fun way to get into the holiday spirit while spending time together. You’re invited to join us too! Below is the list of 24 Holiday Picture Books we plan on reading. Whether you choose to read all of them or some of them, including reading into your holiday traditions is something that can last for years to come.
Each picture is a clickable link for purchasing each book.
Holiday Picture Book Countdown
24. The Elf on the Shelf
Read more about our Elf on the Shelf tradition here.

23. How to Catch an Elf
22. The Sweet Smell of Christmas
21. The Snowman
20. Humphrey’s First Christmas
19. Snowmen at Christmas
18. The Legend of the Candy Cane
17. Mickey’s Christmas Carol
16. Nutcracker
15. The Christmas Wish
14. The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree
13. The Joy of Giving
12. Bear Stays Up for Christmas
11. Dream Snow
There is also a Dream Snow pop-up advent calendar
10. Olive the Other Reindeer
9. Welcome Comfort
8. Silver Packages
7. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
6. A Charlie Brown Christmas
5. Gingerbread Baby
4. The Polar Express
3. How Santa Got His Job
2. Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale
1. The Night Before Christmas
Did we miss any books? What’s your favorite Christmas book? Let us know in the comments.