Deck the Halls: A Christmas Book List New and Old

Decorating the Christmas tree is the perfect way to bring the family together. How about sharing a few Christmas stories with the kids while they get creative with the baubles? We’ve listed a few very popular new Christmas stories and some old favourites just in case you need inspiration.

Exciting New Releases

The First Christmas by Jess Racklyeft

A long time ago, in a country far away, a star shone in the night sky and a baby boy was born . . . The First Christmas perfectly captures the wonder of the nativity and celebrates the Christmas spirit of giving and togetherness. Full of hope for the future and the joy of family, this is a classic picture book to share, year after year.

We’re going on an Elf Chase by Martha Mumford, illustrated by Laura Hughes

Four bunnies set off on a jolly Christmas lift-the-flap adventure to find ten little elves hidden under the flaps. You ‘ll have to run, run, run if you’re going to catch them all! And there are lots of obstacles along the way, from clippy-cloppy reindeer to roaring polar bears and flippy-flappy penguins. Stuffed with festive frolics, this is the perfect Christmas gift.From the bestselling Laura Hughes, illustrator of We ‘re Going on an Egg Hunt and The Birthday Invitation

Macca’s Christmas Crackers by Matt Cosgrove

 Christmas is here! Christmas is Macca’s favourite time of year.He loves thinking up amazing presents for his friends. But when he looks in his piggy bank, he finds he has no money!Macca and his best friend Al have to come up with a plan to make the best Christmas surprise for all their friends, and in doing so, discover the true spirit of giving.

Pig the Elf by Aaron Blabey

Santa was coming! ‘Twas bigger than big!No one loves Christmas more than Pig. And the worlds greediest Pug will stay up all night to get his presents!Another laugh-out-loud book filled with holiday cheer, from the award-winning creator of Pig the Pug.

Grug and His First Christmas by Ted Prior

Jingle all the way to Christmas with the very first Grug hardback – the perfect gift for younger readers Grug’s first Christmas means lots of lovely surprises for Grug’s bush friends. Everyone is learning that giving and receiving on this special day is what Christmas is all about … … and waking up on Christmas morning is the most wondrous moment of all!

Old Favourites

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

“I have always thought of Christmas time . . . as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely.”

So wrote Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol, his tale of miserable miser Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation into a kind and caring benefactor after visits on one Christmas Eve from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Dickens’s short novel is one of the most-loved works in the English language and the best-known celebration of the Yuletide season.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr Seuss

“The Grinch has been foiled
“The Grinch “hates “Christmas and wants to stop it from coming. So he forms a devious plan: to impersonate Santy Claus and to steal the Whos’ Christmas presents. But come Christmas morning, the Grinch is in for a shocking surprise. He did not stop Christmas from coming And the Grinch realizes something new. That maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. That maybe Christmas . . . perhaps . . . means a little bit more

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Moore

“Twas the night before Christmas,
when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring,
not even a mouse…”

The Night Before Christmas was first published in 1823 and is considered as being largely responsible for the conception of Santa Claus from the mid-19th century through to today. The enchanting poem tells the story of a man who, while his wife and children are fast asleep, awakens on Christmas Eve to curious noises coming from outside his house. As he looks out of the window, he witnesses a sleigh, pulled by eight reindeer, flying high across the sky before landing, to the man’s great surprise, on the roof of his very own house. The events that follow mark the beginning of the tradition of Santa Claus and the joy that he brings to children on Christmas night. This new gift edition brings together the traditional poem with stunning new illustrations by the award-winning Australian artist Robert Ingpen, each one a delightful evocation of this eternally popular work.

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

Late on Christmas Eve, after the town has gone to sleep, a boy boards a mysterious train that waits for him: The Polar Express bound for the North Pole. When he arrives there, Santa offers him any gift he desires. The boy modestly asks for one bell from the reindeer’s harness. It turns out to be a very special gift, for only believers in Santa can hear it ring.