Literature Threads

Favorite Christmas Reads from 2020

Another lovely booklist curated by Tina. Merry Christmas reading! ~ Stephanie

It’s that time of year again: I’m at a Christmas party and a friend asks for a few good reads for the Christmas season. And, suddenly I can’t remember anything I read last year. Which is why it’s a good thing that after Christmas 2020 I wrote down a few of my favorites. So, without further ado, here are the holiday reads I enjoyed most last Christmas.

Advent Devotional //  I used the book Shadow and Light by Tsh Oxenreider last year and loved it. The book itself is gorgeous, with the loveliest cover and simple but beautiful illustrations. The readings are short but thoughtful and connect with Scripture (there is a portion of a Psalm for each day but Oxenreider also lists readings from the New Testament for those who prefer that option). I particularly enjoyed that there was also a song or a piece of art listed daily which connected with the reading for the day. I put together a playlist from Tsh’s recommendations and enjoyed playing it throughout the Advent season. 

P.S. 2021 Update – I’m using this devotional again this year and am listening to my Advent playlist every day. Wonderful! 

Family Humor // I read The Shepherd, the Angel and Walter, the Christmas Miracle Dog by Dave Barry out loud to my husband and kids (daughter 15, son 10). The book can be read in one long sitting or broken up into a few shorter ones.  We read it in one sitting and my boy laughed so hard he fell off the couch after asking: “What’s a bra?” 

Note: The bra was on Mary in one of the local church’s outdoor Nativity scene. If that sounds irreverent to you this probably isn’t your book. If it sounds fun, you’ll love this. Appropriate for middle school and up.

  • The Shepherd, the Angel and Walter, the Christmas Miracle Dog by Dave Barry (Hardcover & Kindle)

Mysteries // This is a genre I typically read a lot of right after Christmas, in the dark days of January, but not during the holiday season. However, I love the feel of Anne Perry’s Christmas novellas — Victorian period, snow and copious references to tea and plum pudding. Plus, the novellas are much shorter than Perry’s usual work and last year Audible had them all for free for Prime plus members. I worked my way through almost all of them over the holiday season. A Christmas Visitor was my favorite, as it gave readers a glimpse into the backstory of Grandmama, a minor character in the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series.  Grandmama comes alive in this one and watching that, while she solves a mystery, is quite lovely.

Note: I recommend all the Christmas novellas except for A Christmas Odyssey. It was way too dark for a holiday read.

I also enjoyed The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig.  This is another British holiday mystery written in the time of Jane Austen (who shows up as a friend of the main character – yay!) This one also includes puddings, with secret notes written inside, spies, balls, and a bit of romance. I thought it was quite clever and enjoyed the characters. 

Hope one of these holiday reads will hit the spot for you this Christmas season!

~Tina

Extra Threads

  • Interested in hosting a Christmas/Wintry Literary Evening? The Finding Father Christmas Literary Evening hosting guide is on sale in the Shop for the month of December. We love the stories of Robin Jones Gunn and this one is no exception, along with the sequel, Engaging Father Christmas.

Anne Perry’s Novellas in Order

{Amazon links are affiliate links. Thanks for perusing our recommendations! If you purchase any, it supports our small business at no cost to you. Thank you!}

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