a christmas book advent | minimal, timeless, and low waste
every year we do a Christmas book advent together as a family.
this advent tradition is low cost and low waste, while also requiring minimal preparation.
what i really love about it though, is the storytelling that happens outside of the storybooks themselves.
memories of when we first read a book together, details from the handwritten note inside, tattered edges from little hands + years of love.
we reuse the same books each year and without fail, the girls exclaim, “that’s my FAVOURITE”, with each and every book they unwrap.
this year i printed off some of our most loved family photos to attach to the outside of the twenty four books. a simple little addition that we have truly adored so far.
a few titles included in our christmas book advent:
pick a pine tree | patricia toht
bear stays up for Christmas | karma wilson
the spirit of Christmas | nancy tillman
the tree that’s meant to be | yuval zummer
finding Christmas | lezlie evans
steps + supplies:
supplies:
twenty-four Christmas books
kraft wrapping paper
tape
scissors
twine
printed black and white family photos
steps:
one |
choose twenty-four Christmas books that have meaning for your family. this step can feel daunting at first, but it doesn’t have to. there is no need to purchase all twenty-four books new. we started by thrifting books from a local thrift store and incorporating books that had been gifted to our children over the years.
another idea is to include some titles from your local library. just be mindful of the amount of time you have these books at home and how many you use. Many folks from your community may be seeking similar books to enjoy this time of year.
two |
wrap the books your have selected.
we opt to use brown kraft wrapping paper that we have saved from parcels throughout the year. this type of paper is simple to reuse, recycle, and also nicely compliments a more minimal decor.
be sure to number any books you want to open on a specific day. for example, i usually write a small twenty-four on the back of The Night Before Christmas and I draw a tiny tree on the back of Pick a Pine Tree. just as a small reminder to open these two titles on Christmas Eve and on the day we bring our Christmas tree home.
three |
add some simple decorations to the top of each book.
this year i used some simple twine along with black and white family photos that i printed off and affixed to the outside of each book. the photos i chose were from Christmases past, and they have been a beautiful way to reminisce each night with the girls.