Children's Story Book Advent Calendar

Children’s Story Book Advent Calendar: Count down from Dec. 1st until Christmas by reading a different Christmas Story Book to your children each night.

I wanted to share this sweet little Advent calendar idea with you before Dec. 1st. It’s a Story Book Advent Calendar -where we read a Christmas bedtime story to our kids each night from Dec. 1st until Christmas.

When I was a little girl, I loved it when my Grandma came and babysit us at night. It was a very rare occurrence. But when she did come, she’d make us homemade custard with a maraschino cherry on top, and she’d read to us. She’d read to us and read to us, every book we brought to her until bedtime.

All too often my parents were too busy to read us a bedtime story, and since my girls have been reading chapter books for years, we very rarely read to them anymore. At 9 and 12, they’re getting so big, that nights with us all snuggled together for a bedtime story almost never happen anymore…except at Christmas. We did this with them last year and they loved it, so I know it will be a special treat again this year.

Story Book Advent Materials:

24 Christmas Story Books
Wrapping Paper
Storage box or basket
Numbers (optional)

How To Make A Story Book Advent Calendar:

1. To make your own, start with all your favourite Christmas story books. If you don’t quite have 24 of them, second hand stories are a great place to pick them up -I’ve picked up a few new ones at books stores and second hand stores over the last month.

My sister visited a thrift store to make one for a sweet family she knows and found 23 at her first stop.

I like using a mix of our favourite Christmas stories that we read every year, and a few new -or new to us ones mixed in.

2. Once you have your 24 books, wrap them individually in gift wrap.

You can number them if you wish, but I like the fun of not knowing if it’s a new one or an old favourite each night. So I just wrap them up and let my girls take turns picking one each night.

3. Put them all in a basket, or box like this antique tool box, and place them under the Christmas tree all ready for Dec. 1st.