Get the best books with Christmas in the title for adults, kids, toddlers, babies, and families to indulge in the most famous Christmas stories of all time this holiday season.
METHODOLOGY
I created this post in an effort to narrow down the dozens of bestselling classic holiday books you can choose from to read the most beautiful, vintage, and heartfelt Christmas literature. As a book blogger who’s read so many good books with Christmas in the title, I focused this list on the books I believe are the most classic, as well as the best modern novels about Christmas.
Top 3
TOP PICKS
A Christmas Carol: Everyone knows the plot, but the original is well worth the read.
A Christmas Memory: My personal favorite is a nostalgic short story as memorable as the title.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas: For kids and kids and heart, this festive Dr. Seuss tale is a holiday staple.
Quick List
First, if you’re extra curious or in a rush, below is a quick, shoppable list of all the books that made the list.
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
- A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote
- The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman
- Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
- A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
- Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie
- Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien
- Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
- Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore
Details on All the Best Books With Christmas in the Title
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A list of the best Christmas stories would not be complete without A Christmas Carol, a festive short story about how the bitter old Ebenezer Scrooge is transformed by the spirit of Christmas after a visit from the ghost of his former business partner and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come, including Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim of course.
Indulge even further in the festive literature with these A Christmas Carol quotes that have become classics in their own right.
A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote
The short story A Christmas Memory is one of my all-time favorite Christmas books, written by classic author Truman Capote. It’s a short and beautiful tale about a young boy in rural Alabama, looking back with nostalgia about his elderly friend.
They save their pennies throughout the year to make 30 fruitcakes as soon as fruitcake weather arrives. They share them with only the most deserving persons, including the one they send to the White House each year, wondering if the President serves it thereafter.
Together, they share more holiday cheer as the old friend comes to find their time together to have a deeper meaning.
The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman
The Christmas Orphans Club has quickly become one of my absolute favorite Christmas-themed books. It’s the debut novel of one of my favorite podcast hosts (Bad on Paper), and it TOTALLY delivered.
The premise is that Hannah and Finn became college friends over one Christmas they spent together on campus because, for different reasons, they weren’t with family that day. This began a holiday tradition and, along the way, they picked up two more Christmas orphans, Theo and Priya.
Over the course of a decade, they spend Christmas in New York together as friends, but impending major life changes are threatening the continuation of their annual festivities.
Alternating between the perspectives of Hannah and Finn, it’s mostly about friendship and found family, but it’s also a very layered story that’s also about love (including LGBTQIA+ romance), biological family drama, and growing up.
It incorporates oodles of pop culture references and utterly unique and comical details into a novel that’s already unlike any other holiday novel I’ve read. As an elder millennial and long-time fan of quirky, turn-of-the-millennium New York friendship shows like Friends and Will & Grace, this book felt like the best Christmas “episode” ever.
Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
In Christmas Shopaholic, a light modern read, Becky returns from the States to live in the charming village of Letherby and work with her best friend.
Becky adores the traditions of Christmas in her parents’ home, but this year they ask Becky to host Christmas. Becky becomes overwhelmed by the holiday frenzy and the chaos of pleasing everyone, and she wonders if she can bring the spirit of Christmas to all.
Christmas Shopaholic is a quick and delightful book! It reminded me of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, as it’s all about preparation for Christmas, and how everything goes humorously wrong in the process.
A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd
A Christmas Story is the book behind one of the most popular Christmas movies AND one of the best books with Christmas in the title. It’s a nostalgic tale in which young Ralphie’s family represents the average American family having a disastrous, but memorable, Christmas season, in which, most notably, he yearns for a rifle gun.
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie
In Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, the bestselling mystery author Agatha Christie’s famed fictional investigator is tasked with a Christmas Eve murder at a family reunion in which everyone seems to have a reason to hate the deceased man.
(This timeline also makes it a great book to read on Christmas Eve for your Jolabokaflod reading tradition.)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
Undoubtedly, you have at least heard of the modern classic Christmas book How the Grinch Stole Christmas, about spreading Christmas cheer, even to the meanest curmudgeon of all. With the furry and cartoonish green Grinch at its core, it’s definitely one of the best Christmas books for families to read aloud together each year with toddlers and young children.
Related Post: How to Make a Grinch Christmas Tree
Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien
Fans of the legendary author will love this colorful, nostalgic edition of his Letters from Father Christmas. Along with special “extras,” it contains the letters he wrote to his kids each holiday season from the North Pole, including whimsical tales about the reindeer, polar bear, and so much more.
It reads as very quaint, traditional, and charming — like a relic of a bygone era — and it is a delight for all ages. It’s the most festive coffee table book for Christmas reading.
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
Skipping Christmas is the modern classic John Grisham book upon which the cute Christmas movie Christmas With the Kranks is based.
Luther and Nora Krank decide to skip everything Christmas one year. Come December 25, they’re setting sail on a Caribbean cruise. But, skipping Christmas isn’t easy in their town or their family … and their plan comes to a head with some humor on the side.
Grisham truly delivered a well-written comedic holiday classic that celebrates the chaos and community that are so characteristic of the holidays.
Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore
Filled with memorable Christmas book quotes, the #1 bestseller Twas the Night Before Christmas has been read as one of the best bedtime stories on Christmas Eve, particularly by generations of families to feel the magic of Santa’s work while awaiting his arrival.
Conclusion
These best books with Christmas in the title offer everything from heartwarming classics that put you in the holiday mood to festive modern stories that keep you curled up by the fire reading until Santa arrives. Whether you’ve journeyed through the snowy landscapes of a Dickensian winter, found romance under the mistletoe, or unraveled a holiday who-done-it, each page turned is a step deeper into the heart of the yuletide spirit.
To recap and help you decide what to read, my top 3 picks are:
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