This post is written by Sarah Hualde of Late Night Coffee Moms for our Christmas on the Ranch Blog Party. Sarah is an author and is giving away a signed copy of her book Another Cliche Christmas. Simply enter at the bottom of the post to win it.
The Christmas season hosts many offerings for homeschooling families. Kids may get time off from their studies. Moms may get a moment to put up their feet and breathe.
Many times, with outings and traditions overtaking December, families can forget to intentionally connect and thinking caps can become dust bunny havens.
Christmas readings are a wonderful way to defeat both the doldrums and the duh’s of winter break. But how does one choose which books to share?
Make it Heartwarming
Be easy on the hard-hitting literature during break time. You don’t want snuggle time to feel like school work for you or your children. If you’re going to introduce your children to Dickens, make sure you cushion other days with relaxing reads.
One of my family’s favorite Christmas Time reads is The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson. Jampacked with learning moments and discussion points, it’s just long enough to fill a lazy afternoon. A Christmas snuggle must.
Give Yourself a Break
When you feel like you’ve been jingling your bells all day and you’re about to burn out, you need a simple read. You long for a book that will guide your children closer to Jesus. Your kids want a book that will make them laugh. Let me introduce you to The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson.
Is your family on the road or too busy to sit on the couch with mugs of hot cocoa? You can listen to this book by one of my family’s favorite narrators; KayRay. Click on her name to check out her audio version of this hilarious and surprisingly Christ-centered chapter book.
Create a Memory
Sometimes, just pulling out the same book each season bonds our family all the closer. A gentle picture book, found on clearance, read with wacky expression and funny voices can speak to the heart of a busy family. I’ve read this book for YEARS to my children. No longer little, they still enjoy opening its hardcover and sharing the memory of its simple story.
When they were tiny, my children verbalized the repeating lines. Older, they pretended to read them until they could actually decipher the letters and words. Now, many Christmases later, they like to read it to our younger Christmas visitors.
Whatever you chose to read this Christmas, resist the urge to turn every read into a Unit Study or every memory into a learning opportunity. Snuggle up, turn the pages, and allow the story to do its work. Have a Happy Christmas.
What Christmas books inspire your family?
Ps: I love Christmas books so much, I just had to write one. (with homeschooling moms as the main characters) Check it out.
You can enter to win a signed copy of Another Cliche Christmas by Sarah Hualde! Simply enter below!
(This post does contain affiliate links. Just thought you’d like to know.)
Sarah Hualde lives in a home that brings her happiness and hay fever. Her husband is an award-winning chef, much to the chagrin of her waistline. She is the homeschooling mama to two amazing kids with loud personalities. Writing is her passion. She’s published two books in the last twelve months by the grace of God. Her family is wildly supportive, her dog is extremely loyal and her turtle is deeply condescending. She adores Jesus and loves coffee with a side of pastry. You can connect with Sarah on social media, and on her blog latenightcoffeemoms.com.