Before we get started talking about my favorite Christmas Books and Traditions, I wanted to give you an early present. I have worked with my partners at Smashword to give you guys a 50% off deal on all four of my ebooks. To take advantage of this deal go to my Smashwords site and use the Coupon Code: HL53G
Now that you have had a chance to check that out, let's talk about traditions and my favorite holiday books. My friends and I have adopted a tradition over the last few years that I love. The tradition is an Icelandic Christmas Tradition called Jolabokaflod. This tradition has many different variations but in short, you give your friends. a book as a gift instead of any other gifts. It has made it fun to spend the year reading and trying to find books that my friends will like. We usually draw a single name just to keep this tradition from getting too expensive and no, I don't gift my own books for this.
Now for the part of the blog that I mentioned earlier this month! Below is the list of my favorite Christmas books for you to check out and get in the holiday spirit. Please also feel free to comment on any recommendations that you might have, I always love finding new books. I have included the Amazon links to each book in the titles so that you can find them.
Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien
This is a series of letters that Tolkien wrote to his children pretending to be Father Christmas. They tell several stories of life in the North Pole and in true Tolkien fashion, the story includes a fight with some troublesome goblins that lived in the caves below the North Pole. These are amazing short stories that make a great nightly read that will keep you and your family in the Christmas spirit.
2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss.
Yes, I know this isn't the most adult book, but I still love it. It might be childhood nostalgia, but the depth of this book is amazing the more I read it. It helps teach kids that people who are different should still be included and the power the holidays have to bring people together despite their differences. After the last few years we have had, this message is very much needed.
3. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
If you know me, you know that I love traditional literature and this is one of my favorites. If you haven't read this or seen some version of this story I will be surprised, but similar to the Grinch, Scrooge is a person that has grown cold to the world, but he is forced to see reality and change his life. This redemption arch has always been one of my favorites and I hope to someday find a story that will let me tell a story with a redeemed character. If you haven't read this yet, please do and let me know what you think.
4. Sherlock Holmes and the Christmas Demon by James Lovegrove.
Unlike my last three recommendations, this is a recent discovery. James Lovegrove wrote this series in 2019 and it is a perfect addition to the Sherlock Holmes world. Yes, this is basically what it sounds like. Sherlock must save Christmas from the demon that is trying to destroy Christmas and make people's lives miserable.
This book is filled with murder and intrigue, while including just enough Christmas spirit to make it a good change up when you get sick of the normal holiday stories.
5. Silent Night by Stanely Weintraub
In history, this is one of my favorite stories of humanity rising above its own horrors. This book is the definitive story of the Christmas truce at the Bella Wood in France when both armies refused to fight and instead went so far as to meet with each other and host a few soccer matches and exchange gifts. If you haven't heard this story, please read this. It is incredibly heartwarming and is one of the books that are perfect for the holiday season.
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