I love the month of December…it’s like it was made for reading. We take the entire month of December OFF of school. GASP! I know…it’s radical. I try to focus my December reads on a few regular books and maybe a new one if something specific is calling to me. Let’s be honest, when is there not several books calling to me! Let’s dive into my December reads books list!
What’s On My Night Stand…
Some Favorite Christmas December Reads
- Hallelujah by Cindy Rollins
This book. This will be my third year reading through this little treasure of a book. I love it more each time. Initially, I bought it thinking we would go through the advent process with Handel’s Messiah as a family, and use this book as a spine. I have mostly dropped the idea of a busy Christmas season full of “all the things” with my kids because we all need rest by December. Life is busy. Tiring. Demanding. And I love a long and slow season of rest offered by this time of year. Thus, I read this book tucked up in bed or by the fire. I soak up the hymns and scripture and soul wrenching verses of Handels Messiah, just for myself. It feels indulgent and delicious…like a rich chocolate cake made just for you to enjoy. Without guilt. Just because. Don’t miss this one.
2. Letters from Father Christmas by JRR Tolkien
I bought this delightful book for my daughter last year and am having a chance to actually read through it this year. It is just fantastic! Not that I expected anything less from JRR Tolkien but…can you just imagine being JRR Tolkien’s child? He went to tremendous lengths to create a believable story through letter correspondence with his children each Christmas and these letters are so entertaining! He had a wonderful sense of humor and a very special way of connecting with children through vivid imagery, fanciful stories, and imagination. All caught beautifully and recorded in this extraordinary book. Because it reads more like a personal diary of letters collected over a span of more than 20 years, it is not just for children. This book has me laughing out loud as each letter grows more outrageous by the year. A pure seasonal delight.
3. A Pioneer Christmas by Barbara Greenwood
A classic I read with my kids every year which has also become one of my favorite Christmas story traditions. Barbara Greenwood weaves a beautiful story of Christmas for the early American pioneers. The account is written mostly from a child’s perspective. These stories truly make you grateful for all we have been blessed with in modern day America. But it’s difficult not to pine slightly for a more simple and rugged time in our history. Not only will you read about the origins of some of our current traditions such as clove apples and oranges but this book is rich in the historical origins of some not so well-known traditions, such as “The Kissing Ball”, with detailed instructions about how to make your own! You could easily fill an entire Christmas season with the stories and step by step “how to’s” from this beloved and charming book.
Non-Christmas but Worthy of the Season
3. Daily NKJ Bible by John McArthur
Of course, I am still working my way through my daily Bible readings which, ironically, do NOT happen daily. BUT I am on track to finish around April of 2022. The readings were started in August, so I am happy with that progression, even if not done daily. Of course, I am still in the Word daily and I don’t beat myself up about it. I don’t follow or try to “keep up” with the dates of each day’s reading. Just faithfully pick up where I left off and keep reading.
4. God’s Devil by Erwin W. Lutzer
Never have I been more in awe of God and his awesome power than I am as I read through this incredible scripture-based book. Lutzer does a phenomenal job taking the reader through the entirety of the Bible. He shows you how to look at the Devil through God’s eyes. The only way anyone ever should look at him. This book details why believers should never be afraid of a devil whom is subject to God as creator and master. Truly an astonishing and eye-opening read.
Noteworthy Mention
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – Is it even Christmas without this story? We typically read this book but this year we have opted to watch the movie instead. I have avoided it in the past because I think it can be scary with the different ghosts and such. However, I have an almost teenager now, and so the compromising has begun. Sigh.
How about you? What are you reading this December?
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