It's that time of year again! A little pre-Advent planning for this booklist helps get the season off to a terrific start. I am revisiting last year's booklist for this year's tweaking. I am also hoping to purchase a few of these books, especially the Tomie dePaola books, for our collection. I have been blessed to find books used; so, I am hoping that will be the case this year, too!
Sunday, December 1st is the first day of Advent this year. I will need 24 books, 1 Bible for the 25th, and possibly 12 books leading up to Epiphany on January 6th. I have no leftover wrapping paper that will really work for this project, but I will just purchase some inexpensive paper for the 24 books, wrap the Bible in some pretty gold paper I still have and tie it with a gold ribbon (also already have), and maybe have enough for the final 12 books.
I will also split the content of the books up into Advent and Christmas, with the 24 books being focused on feast days and preparation for Christ's birth and the final 12 books being about celebrating Christmas and Epiphany (lots of books on the 3 wise men we haven't not read yet, not to mention St. Wencelas and St. Stephen). Books will be scheduled for the night before a feast. So, I will begin reading about St. Nicholas the night before St. Nicholas's Feast Day (December 6th). Though, St. Nicholas is so fun that we will read about him more than one night. Last year, we read the books right before bed.
Here's the list:
Sun, Dec 1: The Story of Christmas - Pingry & Thornburgh
Mon, Dec 2: An Early American Christmas - dePaola
Tues, Dec 3: St. Joseph's Story - Guadagno & Lo Cascio
Wed, Dec 4: Saint Nicholas: The Story of the Real Santa Claus - Joslin & Cann
Thurs, Dec 5: Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend - Stiegmeyer & Ellison
Fri, Dec 6: The Legend of St. Nicholas: A Story of Christmas Giving - Mackall & Porfirio
Sat, Dec 7: Immaculate Conception (booklet) - Winkler
Sun, Dec 8: Our Lady of Guadalupe (pop up) - Serrano, Davano, & Guzman
Mon, Dec 9: Tony's Bread - dePaola
Tues, Dec 10: The Candle in the Window - Johnson & Elliott
Wed, Dec 11: Our Lady of Guadalupe - Bernier-Grand & Engel
Thurs, Dec 12: The Birds of Bethlehem - dePaola
Fri, Dec 13: Tomie's Little Christmas Pageant - dePaola
Sat, Dec 14: The Little Fir Tree - Brown & LaMarche
Sun, Dec 15: Bambinelli Sunday - Welborn & Engelhart
Mon, Dec 16: The Night of Las Posadas - dePaola
Tues, Dec 17: Bear Stays Up for Christmas - Wilson & Chapman
Wed, Dec 18: The Gift of the Christmas Cookie - Mackall & Chabrian
Thurs, Dec 19: The Very First Christmas (a Hallmark book recorded by hubby's parents in 2010)
Fri, Dec 20: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell! - Colandro & Lee
Sat, Dec 21: A Gift from Saint Francis: The First Creche - Cole & Lemieux
Sun, Dec 22: Room for a Little One - Waddell & Cockcroft
Mon, Dec 23: The Legend of the Poinsettia - dePaola
Tues, Dec 24: Gospel of Luke 2:1-14 Family Bible, NAB - (can find online at USCCB)
Wed, Dec 25: Stephen's Feast - Richardson
Thurs, Dec 26: Good King Wenceslas - Henterly
Fri, Dec 27: The Twelve Days of Christmas - Long
Sat, Dec 28: An Angel Came to Nazareth - Knott & Kneen
Sun, Dec 29: The Nativity - Sanderson
Mon, Dec 30: The Friendly Beasts - dePaola
Tues, Dec 31: The Clown of God - dePaola
Wed, Jan 1: Mary, the Mother of Jesus - dePaola
Thurs, Jan 2: O Holy Night - Christmas with the Boys Choir of Harlem - Ringgold
Fri, Jan 3: The Last Straw - Thury & van Kampen
Sat, Jan 4: Humphrey's First Christmas - Heyer
Sun, Jan 5: We Three Kings - Spirin
Mon, Jan 6: Baboushka and The Three Kings - Robbins
A blessed Advent to you! What's on your reading list this Advent?
