Some Christmas books are famous because they helped shape the holiday itself. A poem from 1823 named Santa’s eight reindeer; a story from 1843 gave us Scrooge. Here are the classics we would read with every family, sorted by age. The free ones are part of the Pagine Christmas collection.
The famous Christmas picture books (ages 2–7)
- A Visit from St. Nicholas (“’Twas the Night Before Christmas”), first published in 1823 and usually credited to Clement Clarke Moore: the poem that named Santa’s reindeer. Free.
- The Little Gingerbread Man: the runaway cookie, perfect for a baking afternoon. Free.
- From the library: The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (1985, Caldecott Medal) and How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss (1957).
Classic Christmas stories for ages 7–11
- Is There a Santa Claus?: the famous 1897 newspaper reply to eight-year-old Virginia (“Yes, Virginia…”).
- The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum (1902), from the author of The Wizard of Oz.
- The Birds’ Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggin (1887): a warm, gently sad story about a girl born on Christmas Day.
- Andersen’s Fairy Tales: The Fir Tree, The Snow Queen and The Little Match Girl.
Grab the free reading log đź“š
A clean, print-ready log to track books, minutes, and little wins — plus the occasional reading tip. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
The great Christmas classics for ages 10 and up
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (1843): Scrooge and the three spirits. The most famous Christmas story ever written, and short enough to read in five evenings, one “stave” a night.
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1868), which opens with the March sisters’ Christmas.
- Also famous: “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry (1905) and The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E. T. A. Hoffmann (1816), the story behind the ballet.
New Christmas stories for every grade
Pagine Originals add 650 free Christmas books, 50 per grade from K to 12, mixing the holiday with maths, science and history: Ten Little Ornaments (K), Why Does It Snow? (Grade 1), The Journey to Bethlehem (Grade 3), Why Is Christmas on December 25? (Grade 4) and Why 25 December? (Grade 12).
Make the classics a December tradition
- Read A Visit from St. Nicholas on Christmas Eve, every year.
- Read one stave of A Christmas Carol each evening from 20 to 24 December.
- Try a book advent calendar: one story a day from 1 December.
- Track it with the free Christmas reading tracker.
Read the famous Christmas classics free in Pagine, and count every book your child finishes.