Julia's Favorites:
Christmas is my favorite time of the year and I start to taper my book habits from the dystopia that usually permeates Fall into super sappy and lovey-dovey romances. I don't have one that I read yearly or anything, but I seek out ones with "Christmas" or other seasonal word in the title. I haven't yet read any this season, but my favorite from last year was A Kiss for Midwinter by Courtney Milan.
In a more traditional sense, I love children's Christmas stories. Some favorites that I remember from my childhood that I can't wait to pass on are, The Littlest Angel by Charles Tazewell, a series of popup books that were about Christmas carols, and of course 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.
Tahleen's Favorites:
I have a couple of books I try to read at some point during the holiday season, though maybe not every year. The first is Jostein Gaarder's The Christmas Mystery, which after reading about it years and years ago, I finally found at a used book store in Wales when I was studying abroad. It works perfectly as an Advent calendar, since each chapter is actually part of a story found in an Advent calendar. It is about the true meaning of Christmas, dealing specifically with the birth of Christ.
On a lighter note, the best book to read at Christmas IMHO is Dave Barry's The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog. It's funny, nostalgic, and has a dog. Plus it's a super fast read and has pictures from the 1960s sprinkled in there.
Jamie's Favorites:
Two recent YA holiday themed books that I liked are Dash & Lily's Book of Dares and Let It Snow. Dash & Lily was a really fun book that I could see myself reading every couple of years. Let It Snow is 3 novellas and it's been a few years since I've read it so I'm definitely going to again. I remember them being cute and fun!
Some classic favorites are Little Women and How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Little Women is just the perfect book to cozy up with during the season and How the Grinch Stole Christmas was my favorite as a child -- I plan to read it to my kids if I have them some day!
If you are wanting a laugh and feeling a little snarky, pick up David Sedaris' Holidays on Ice. I didn't love all of the stories but some of them were hilarious!
Jana's Favorites:
I really love Snowed Over by Angie Stanton. It's a new adult romance all about two people getting stranded in an abandoned cabin during a blizzard. It's very sweet, and quite a cozy, sexy story.
I'm seconding Jamie's Let it Snow, because it is my all-time favorite. I'm trying to get to it again this year, but we'll see.
I also love The Unlikely romance of Kate Bjorkman by Louise Plummer. It is an adorable YA, and you really need to check it out.
Lori's Favorites:
I don't do a whole lot of themed reading around the holidays, but there are a few books from childhood that I just can't help going back to! The first is Trinka Hakes Noble's Apple Tree Christmas. These two girls love this tree in their yard and then there is a horrible winter storm and the tree is damaged, then there is a happy ending.
Next up is A Little House Christmas: Holiday Stories from the Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I love these short little quaint stories about Christmas. They make me want to live in a cabin. And then I remember that I am most definitely a warm-weather person.
My mom and I also love The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado. It gives a good message about how you aren't perfect, but you should offer what you can and it might just turn out to be the perfect thing.
My last favorite is A Wish for Wings that Work by Berkeley Breathed. It's just a quirky, fun, happy story about Opus, a penguin who wishes he could fly.
