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You are here: Home / Blog / Countdown to Christmas

Countdown to Christmas

November 25, 2015 By Shann 59 Comments

This is a sponsored post, which means I was given a free product and/or compensated for it. It contains a review of a book called The Gift Giver, and the opinions are all my own.  I also have included my affiliate links, so if you choose to make a purchase, a little money, at no additional cost to you, will help me keep up my blog.

countdown to christmas

Countdown to Savings

I know. I know. It’s not even Thanksgiving. Well, actually, it’s Thanksgiving tomorrow! And do you know what that means? The biggest shopping days of the year are coming up!

With all the sales and great deals happening, I wanted to share an idea for your countdown to Christmas now. That way, if you decide you want to participate, you can get all your supplies at a discount.

Your own Advent Activity

I love advent calendars and ways to countdown to special days. I found this idea 2 years ago, and we’ve been doing it ever since. It’s a way to get the kids excited about Christmas, plus it combines reading and learning. Win. Win. Win!

The Idea

Every day, starting December 1st, we unwrap and read a book right before bedtime. They don’t all have to be Christmas-themed books, or even new books, but I like to stick to a giving and sharing message. The first year, I bought quite a few new books (or new to us books from a used book store.) Then, after Christmas was over, I put them away. So, the next year, it was like having new books again!

You certainly don’t have to wrap each book, and could use gift bags or tissue paper instead. It just adds an extra fun element for the kids, and gets them excited about books. Which is a good thing , right?

countdown to christmas
All the supplies you need for your Countdown to Christmas

 

We have different religions in our household, so I like to do a wide variety of books, but I want to make sure they have a good meaning behind them.

A book that has a great meaning behind it is called The Gift Giver by Jacob Haslem.

Not only does it discuss the origins of Santa Claus, but it also talks about the true meaning behind Christmas. It explains the meaning behind gift giving in a way children can understand, while also talking about God and Jesus. I really liked the way it combined Christian beliefs and still included Santa. You don’t really find many books that talk about both. It was educational, entertaining, and taught a great lesson. My boys were intrigued by the pictures, as well as the story. They are really beautiful illustrations.

 

The Gift Giver Book
Reading The Gift Giver

You can purchase The Gift Giver through my affiliate link on Amazon by clicking on the picture or title, or directly from the Author’s website, which is http://thegiftgiver.net

Other Favorites for our Countdown

                                                                                                                                             
                     

And to finish the Countdown, I like to read this one on Christmas Eve:

 

Remember, if you are interested in purchasing any of the books above, including The Gift Giver, you can just click on the picture.

So, what do you think? What’s your favorite way to countdown to Christmas?
If you like what you just read please click to send a quick vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs- The best mommy blog directory featuring top mom bloggers

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: advent, amazon, books, calendar, countdown, countdown to christmas, Sponsored, The gift giver

Comments

  1. Jennifer Dodrill @ All-In-One-Mom says

    November 25, 2015 at 8:38 am

    Looks like such a sweet book! My “baby” is 13 now, so our traditions are changing, but we do have our first grandbaby! Can’t wait to read books like these with her and start new traditions!

    Reply
  2. Greta says

    November 25, 2015 at 8:39 am

    Love the book suggestions! I always read a book to me niece and nephews on Christmas Eve and was looking for a new one.

    Reply
  3. Stephanie says

    November 25, 2015 at 8:47 am

    Great list! We have a toddler who loves to read, so I’ll be adding some of these to our list. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  4. anniesnomsblog says

    November 25, 2015 at 9:05 am

    This is such a great idea rather than just the normal chocolate advent calendars. It feels a lot more special if you put the effort in and make one yourself! 🙂

    Reply
  5. Brandyn says

    November 25, 2015 at 9:16 am

    Such a great idea!! I’ll have to do this!

    Reply
  6. pickettfamily says

    November 25, 2015 at 9:21 am

    Great ideas! I love those books.

    Reply
  7. Inspiration Indulgence says

    November 25, 2015 at 9:29 am

    When I was a little girl my aunt gave me Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas stories. She told me to read one story every night before bed and I did. They were full of stories about gratitude, thankfullness, and family. I loved that book. I love your idea of reading before bed!

    Reply
  8. Fashionable Librarian says

    November 25, 2015 at 9:47 am

    I cannot believe that it is Christmas already…for persons with kids this is a great way to get them all pumped and provide information at the same time

    Reply
  9. yonca says

    November 25, 2015 at 9:52 am

    Great ideas! The Gift Giver sounds like a great book choice for kids! Happy holidays!

    Reply
  10. yonca says

    November 25, 2015 at 9:55 am

    Great ideas! The Gift Giver sounds like a geeat choice for kids! Happy holidays!

    Reply
  11. Sara Strand says

    November 25, 2015 at 9:57 am

    Look for the book, “The Bird in Santa’s Beard”- it’s a GREAT book written by a guy who went to Santa School (that’s a real thing) and it answers the question why every Santa looks different (like your mall Santa,store Santa, etc). Its one of our favorites. Another one that Jackson LOVES is called “Are You Grumpy, Santa?” and it is pretty darn fun to read! It’s one I read to the first grade classrooms every year. 🙂

    Reply
    • Shann says

      November 25, 2015 at 2:07 pm

      Thank you Sara! I will definitely look for both of those 🙂

      Reply
  12. Mistle says

    November 25, 2015 at 10:31 am

    I love this idea!! The Gift Giver sounds like a perfect book for kids to read for the holidays. I’d love to do this when I have kids one day. I loved reading so much when I was younger, I wish I had more time for it now. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

    Reply
    • Shann says

      November 25, 2015 at 2:06 pm

      Thank you Mistle. You too!

      Reply
  13. Chel says

    November 25, 2015 at 11:09 am

    Very cute idea! I’d love to do a book a day countdown with my kids – if I have one. Very cute. I’ll pass this idea along to my friends who would totally adore it.

    Reply
  14. Mandie says

    November 25, 2015 at 11:42 am

    We love to read! This is a great idea. We usually do it for the 12 days of Christmas

    Reply
  15. Becky @ Disney in your Day says

    November 25, 2015 at 11:43 am

    I LOVE this idea for an advent calendar! I wish my parents had thought of this growing up – I would have much preferred it to the chocolates! (I don’t even like milk chocolate so the fun was only in seeing what the shape would be. My dad was the one that lucked out and got my chocolate haha)

    Reply
  16. Chrissy Z. @ The Brave Wanderer says

    November 25, 2015 at 11:51 am

    Great books! I love The Mitten the The Polar Express – I guess they are all time favorites!

    Reply
  17. My Urban Family says

    November 25, 2015 at 11:56 am

    This is such a cute idea – I love everything about it. I’m definitely doing this once I have kids. And Barenstain Bears is where it’s at! 🙂

    Reply
  18. Ashley says

    November 25, 2015 at 12:07 pm

    I’ll have to check out The Gift Giver. I live Christmas books and they are even better if they show the true meaning of Christmas. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  19. twitchetts.com says

    November 25, 2015 at 1:02 pm

    So many cute books on your list! I have quite a few of them, but I will have to look for a couple more so we can do a book a day!

    Reply
    • Shann says

      November 25, 2015 at 2:01 pm

      Awesome! Thank you! Have a great Thanksgiving!

      Reply
  20. shelahmoss says

    November 25, 2015 at 2:44 pm

    I love the idea of having some special holiday books that are hidden away the rest of the year. It’s a great idea for an Advent calendar and you have some awesome book choices!

    Reply
  21. sflak says

    November 25, 2015 at 3:02 pm

    What a great list of Christmas books! I need to go get some more!

    Reply
  22. Caroline @ In Due Time says

    November 25, 2015 at 3:46 pm

    What a fun list of books! Thanks for sharing these!!!!!

    Reply
  23. katie says

    November 25, 2015 at 4:15 pm

    Looks like such a fun holiday tradition! Have a great Thanksgiving.

    xx katie // a touch of teal

    Reply
  24. platypus6 says

    November 25, 2015 at 4:22 pm

    We have a stock of holiday books. We read one per day leading up to Christmas.

    Reply
    • Shann says

      November 25, 2015 at 5:37 pm

      Awesome!

      Reply
  25. Anamika Ojha says

    November 25, 2015 at 4:34 pm

    I was looking for a gift ideas for my little nephew. I will check this out. I loved the picture of your kids when you are reading to them. They looked so engrossed in it. 🙂

    Reply
  26. Cooking Maniac says

    November 25, 2015 at 4:54 pm

    I love including book as gifts for kids and i always get a gift card for adults. This is so awesome. love the lists:-)

    Reply
  27. Katechka says

    November 25, 2015 at 7:25 pm

    I did not know that it is not a tradition in the US to do advent calendars. Here it is just a chocolate, tea or pet treats. I really like the book idea and also the fact that the kids have a set of books that will be precious.

    Reply
    • Shann says

      November 25, 2015 at 7:46 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  28. Stephanie Cox says

    November 25, 2015 at 8:42 pm

    We do this every year but I use books off all season, not just Christmas. My son loves bed time stories so we have him unwrap one a night for 24 days and it’s such a special gift each evening.

    Reply
  29. Elizabeth O. says

    November 25, 2015 at 9:11 pm

    I love it! Unwrapping a book a day would definitely make the countdown to Christmas more fun! I love that you’re teaching your kids the value of reading at the same time, that’s really awesome!

    Reply
  30. Robin {Masshole Mommy} says

    November 25, 2015 at 9:53 pm

    I think it’s great that you are focusing your countdown on books. It’s so much fun to sit around and read with or to each other.

    Reply
  31. Sarah (@mustardseedmom) says

    November 25, 2015 at 10:00 pm

    We do this! My kids LOVE it. I see a few of our favorites on your list 😉

    Reply
  32. Angie@chasingmyhalo says

    November 25, 2015 at 10:22 pm

    Pete the Cat has a Christmas book? Cool! I think an advent with books is a great idea!!

    Reply
  33. michelle says

    November 26, 2015 at 12:08 am

    i love the polar express!!!!

    Reply
  34. Polen says

    November 26, 2015 at 1:03 am

    This is the first time I heard of an Advent Calendar Activity. Looks fun. Happy thanksgiving! 🙂

    Reply
  35. diyjahn says

    November 26, 2015 at 1:12 am

    This is such a fantastic idea! When I have kids (hopefully in the next few years when we pay off some debt) I’m definitely using this idea! 🙂 I love the book suggestions you give. Fabulous! Thanks for sharing

    http://www.diyjahn.com

    Reply
  36. thedealmatchmaker says

    November 26, 2015 at 2:06 am

    Such a great idea.. I love Advent Calendars. So excited for Christmas

    Reply
  37. Ana De Jesus says

    November 26, 2015 at 3:05 am

    Coundown calendars are a tradition here too although sadly I have not had one for many years!

    Reply
  38. victoria says

    November 26, 2015 at 3:30 am

    This absolutely great ideas and i love the books.

    Reply
  39. Kam Kay says

    November 26, 2015 at 5:59 am

    My 3 yr old is going to love these. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  40. Jessica says

    November 26, 2015 at 7:44 am

    I really want to do this this year!

    Reply
  41. Nicole Escat says

    November 26, 2015 at 8:55 am

    These is such a great and fun Idea, I’m going to try it very soon.

    Reply
  42. MyTeenGuide says

    November 26, 2015 at 10:42 am

    This is a nice list. We have little ones at home who would love these books.

    Reply
  43. Shaylee Field says

    November 26, 2015 at 1:25 pm

    This is a truly WONDERFUL idea for an advent calendar! Educational, fun and family time all in one 🙂

    Reply
  44. hilkayaker says

    November 26, 2015 at 2:21 pm

    We have Merry Christmas Mouse and Quite like it, I just ordered Llama llama Holiday Drama though from my daughters Scholastic and can’t wait!

    Reply
  45. Liz Mays says

    November 26, 2015 at 11:17 pm

    Reading is so important in my family, and I can’t even tell you how much I love your tradition. It’s perfect!

    Reply
  46. Neely (@Neelykins) says

    November 27, 2015 at 12:38 pm

    Several of my friends have done this and it’s such a precious idea. I pinned it for the future 😉

    Reply
  47. Onica {Mommy Factor} says

    November 27, 2015 at 7:02 pm

    Such an awesome idea. My kids would surely love this.

    Reply
  48. angie says

    November 28, 2015 at 8:31 pm

    so love the idea of a book a night. This is something I believe we will look into as well. yes we truly do enjoy reading in our house and you are right there are so many great books that we can read together

    Reply
  49. serenityyou says

    November 29, 2015 at 9:32 am

    I have seen this idea all over Pinterest and still can’t believe I have never done it. On the list for next year

    Reply
  50. tonygreene113 says

    November 29, 2015 at 6:30 pm

    These would have been great ideas for me to use when my children were smaller.

    Reply
  51. Jessica Beal Harlow says

    November 30, 2015 at 9:57 pm

    My 5 year old has just started reading on her own and this is exactly what we’ll be doing starting December 1st! She’s so excited about books right now, it’s a great way to keep her that way!

    Reply
    • Shann says

      December 1, 2015 at 9:18 am

      Awesome!

      Reply
  52. Stephanie Pass says

    November 30, 2015 at 11:22 pm

    Oh what a great idea! I was just thinking of what kind of advent calendar we could do, and a book a night sounds perfect!

    Reply
  53. Jason Young says

    December 2, 2015 at 3:47 am

    What a great idea and really cool books.

    Reply

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Shann Hi! I'm a mom, writer, and dancer. I love sharing my parenting experiences, my healthy living tips, my money saving ideas, and our travel plans. My passion to help other women inspired this blog. I hope you'll stay a while and come back often.

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