Christmas Around the World in 100 Books

Want to learn about Christmas around the world, but don’t know where to start? Good news: Christmas Around the World in 100 books will help you experience Christmas like never before.

Christmas Around the World in 100 Books

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You may be wondering why 100 books are necessary to learn about Christmas around the world. It turns out that you don’t actually need 100 books, you just need the list. Here’s why:

A good book list helps you know what to look for and often introduces you to books you wouldn’t encounter on your own. That’s where Christmas Around the World in 100 Books comes in.

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The great thing about this list is that many of these books — especially the older nonfiction options — can be found at your local library. Those that aren’t at your local library are available for purchase on Amazon. Either way, there are plenty of books available to help you learn about Christmas celebrations all over the world.

You’ll find all inhabited continents represented in this list and you’ll notice a bigger selection of Christmas books for countries that predominantly practice Christianity. Likewise, you’ll notice that there aren’t many Christmas Around the World books for areas where Christianity isn’t as common.

Christmas Around the World in 100 Books

You can use this booklist to help in a few ways.

  • Choose a continent or country with your child and use the books in that section to learn about Christmas celebrations.
  • Find the books that correspond with your geography studies and read those throughout the holiday season.
  • Use books from a continent or country to create your own unit study.

Christmas Around the World Books

Ready to get started learning about Christmas around the world? Here are a few general books to get you started. These are good choices if you’d rather tackle Christmas around the world in one book instead of piecing together your reading selections.

Christmas Around the World in 100 Books

1. Celebrate Christmas Around the World – Beth Stevens
2. Christmas Around the World – Mary D. Lankford
3. Christmas Crafts from Around the World – Judy Ann Sadler
4. Christmas Around the World – Lesley Sims
5. Joy to the World: Christmas Stories from Around the Globe – Saviour Pirotta
6. Disney It’s a Small World: Christmas Around the World – Calliope Glass
7. The Bear Family’s World Tour Christmas – Kestutis Kasparavicius
8. Walk This World at Christmastime – Big Picture Press

Christmas Around the World:
North American Books

This North American grouping of Christmas books covers Christmas in Canada and the United States. That said, I love these books because none are just alike. These Christmas books are just as varied as the cultures and points in history they reflect.

Christmas Around the World in 100 Books - Christmas in North America

9. (Canada) A Christmas Dress for Ellen – Thomas Monson
10. (Canada) A Ptarmigan in a Birch Tree: 12 Days of Christmas in Canada’s North – Amber Henry
11. (USA) The Spirit of Christmas – Nancy Tillman
12. (USA) The Gift of the Magi – O. Henry
13. (USA) A Little House Christmas Treasury – Laura Ingalls Wilder
14. (USA) Christmas in the Big Woods – Laura Ingalls Wilder
15. (USA) Christmas Tapestry – Patricia Polacco
16. (USA) An Orange for Frankie – Patricia Polacco
17. (USA) The Carpenter’s Gift: A Christmas Tale About the Rockefeller Center Tree – David Rubel
18. (USA) The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story – Gloria Houston
19. (USA) The Angel Tree – Daphne Benedis-Grab
20. (USA) The Night of Las Posadas – Tomie dePaola
21. (USA/Puerto Rico) A Doll for Navidades – Esmeralda Santiago
22. (USA/Puerto Rico) Grandma’s Gift – Eric Velasquez

Christmas Around the World:
Latin and Central American Books

Wondering why Christmas in Mexico wasn’t included in the North American booklist? While I found plenty of Christmas books for Mexico, I noticed that many of the Mexican holiday traditions extend all throughout Central America and South America. That’s why Mexico and all of Latin America is grouped together in this Christmas Around the World section.

Christmas Around the World in 100 Books - Christmas in Latin America

23. (Caribbean) Feliz Nochebuena, Feliz Navidad – Maricel Presilla
24. (Caribbean) O Christmas Tree – Vashanti Rahaman
25. (Caribbean) Junkanoo: Festival of the Bahamas – Clement E. Bethel
26. (Caribbean) Netty’s Junkanoo Christmas – Lynette M. Hepburn-Sinclair

27. (Latin America) A Pinata in a Pine Tree – Pat Mora
28. (Latin America) Celebrate Christmas and Three Kings’ Day with Pablo and Carlitos – Alma F. Ada and Isabel Campoy
29. (Latin America) Christmas Traditions in Latin America – Kerrie Logan Hollihan
30. (Latin America) Three Kings Day: A Celebration at Christmastime – Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith
31. (Mexico) The Legend of the Poinsettia – Tomie dePaola
32. (Mexico) N is for Navidad – Susan Middleton Elya
33. (Mexico) Nine Days to Christmas – Marie Hall Ets

Christmas Around the World:
African Books

I found these Christmas in Africa books to be some of my favorite books from this list of 100 books. Most of these are picture books that reflect Christmas in Africa as a whole instead of a specific country, but my kids loved them and found them to be incredibly interesting. It was good for them to see Christmas and how it’s celebrated in a completely different environment than they know.

Let’s take a look at these Christmas in Africa books:

Christmas Around the World in 100 Books - Christmas in Africa

34. An African Christmas – Ifeoma Onyefulu
35. A Stork in a Baobab Tree – Catherine House
36. Night Before Christmas in Africa – Jesse Foster, Hannah Foster, Carol Foster
37. The Night Before Christmas – Rachel Isadora
38. The Twelve Days of Christmas – Rachel Isadora
39. (Kenya) A Kenyan Christmas – Aunty Kiko
40. (South Africa) An African Christmas Cloth – Reviva Schermbrucker
41. (South Africa) What’s Cooking, Jamela? – Niki Daly

Christmas Around the World:
European Books

It turns out that Europe is a fantastic place to learn about Christmas in different countries. Would you believe I found 48 different books for Christmas in Europe?

Even so, there are some countries that are more heavily represented in these 48 books and some that aren’t listed at all. Also, some books are nonfiction and some are lovely Christmas storybooks that reflect the culture of the noted country.

42. (Austria) Christmas in Austria – World Book
43. (Denmark) Christmas in Denmark – World Book
44. (Finland) Christmas in Finland – World Book
45. (Finland) A Gnome’s Christmas – Rien Poortvliet
46. (France) Christmas in France – Jack Manning
47. (France) Little Noelle’s Christmas Wish – Meg McNamara
48. (France) Madeline’s Christmas – Ludwig Bemelmans

Christmas Around the World in 100 Books - Christmas in Germany

49. (Germany) Christmas in Germany – Jack Manning
50. (Germany) Christmas from Heaven: the True Story of the Berlin Candy Bomber – Tom Brokaw
51. (Germany) Cobweb Christmas: The Tradition of Tinsel – Shirley Climo
52. (Germany) Kristoph and the First Christmas Tree – Claudia Cangilla McAdam
53. (Greece) Christmas in Greece – World Book
54. (Greece) Christmas in Greece (Lucy Evans, InstaExplorer) – Millie Slavidou
55. (Ireland) Irish Night Before Christmas – Sarah Blazek
56. (Italy) Christmas in Italy – Jack Manning
57. (Italy) La Befana: An Italian Night After Christmas – Sunday Frey-Blanchard
58. (Italy) The Legend of Old Befana – Tomie dePaola
59. (Italy) Merry Christmas, Strega Nona – Tomie dePaola
60. (Italy) Bambinelli Sunday: A Christmas Blessing – Amy Welborn
61. (Nordic) The Christmas Wish – Lori Evert
62. (Nordic) The Reindeer Wish – Lori Evert
63. (Norway) Christmas in Norway – Jack Manning
64. (Norway) Who’s That Knocking on Christmas Eve? – Jan Brett
65. (Prague) Carl the Christmas Carp – Ian Krykorka
66. (Prague) Tom’s Christmas Fish – Rita Törnqvist-Verschuur
67. (Russia) Christmas in Russia – World Book
68. (Russia) The Miracle of St. Nicholas – Gloria Whelan
69. (Russia) Baboushka: A Christmas Folktale from Russia – Arthur Scholey
70. (Russia) Baboushka and the Three Kings – Ruth Robbins
71. (Russia) Uncle Vova’s Tree – Patricia Polacco
72. (Scandinavia) Home for Christmas – Jan Brett 

Christmas Around the World in 100 Books - Christmas in Sweden

73. (Spain) Christmas in Spain – World Book
74. (Sweden) Christmas in Sweden – Cheryl L. Enderlein
75. (Sweden) Christmas in Noisy Village – Astrid Lindgren
76. (Sweden) Lucia Morning in Sweden – Ewa Rydaker
77. (Sweden) Lucia: Saint of Light – Katherine Bolger Hyde
78. (Sweden) Peter and Lotta’s Christmas – Elsa Beskow
79. (Sweden) The Tomten – Astrid Lindgren
80. (Sweden) The Wild Christmas Reindeer – Jan Brett
81. (Sweden) The Yule Tomte and the Little Rabbits – Ulf Stark
82. (Ukraine) Christmas in Ukraine – World View
83. (Ukraine) A Christmas Spiders’ Miracle – Trinka Hakes Noble
84. (Ukraine) The Spider’s Gift: A Ukrainian Christmas Story – Eric A. Kimmel

Christmas Around the World in 100 Books - United Kingdom

85. (United Kingdom/England) Christmas in England – Cheryl L. Enderlein
86. (United Kingdom/England) The Friendly Beasts: an Old English Christmas Carol – Tomie dePaola
87. (United Kingdom/England) The Christmas Knight – Jane Louis Curry
88. (United Kingdom/England) Letters from Father Christmas – J.R.R. Tolkien
89. (United Kingdom/Scotland) Santa is Coming to Scotland – Steve Smallman
90. (United Kingdom/Wales) A Child’s Christmas in Wales – Dylan Thomas

Christmas Around the World:
Asian Books

I may have found an abundance of Christmas books for Europe, but that wasn’t the case for Asia. Asia was a challenge because Christianity isn’t common in most Asian countries.

Christmas Around the World - Christmas in Asia
That’s why most of these Christmas Around the World books for Asia take place in the United States, but reflect the culture of the noted country.

91. (China) Dream Soul – Laurence Yep
92. (Japan) Tree of Cranes – Allen Say
93. (Korea) Yoon and the Christmas Mitten – Helen Recorvits
94. (Middle East) The Stone: A Persian Legend of the Magi – Dianne Hofmeyr
95. (Philippines) Christmas in the Philippines – Cheryl L. Enderlein
96. (Taiwan) Peiling and the Chicken-Fried Christmas – Pauline Chen

Christmas Around the World:
Australian Books

I found several good Christmas Around the World book choices for Australia. Let’s take a look:

Christmas Around the World in 100 Books - Australia

97. (Australia) Christmas in Australia – World Book
98. (Australia) Christmas Wombat – Jackie French
99. (Australia) An Aussie Night Before Christmas – Yvonne Morrison
100. (Australia) John Williamson’s Christmas in Australia – John Williamson

 

Need more
Christmas inspiration?

Rock Your Homeschool has you covered with a huge list of ways to Celebrate Christmas in Your Homeschool.

24 thoughts on “Christmas Around the World in 100 Books”

  1. Sad the pacific region is represented by Australia and Asia but it is probably because those regions are still more spoken traditions than written books. Christmas is a warm celebration about spending time with each other most families do a picnic and go to the beach Santa wears shorts but we have a story call I think it is Santa in New Zealand and we have a twelve days of Christmas with New Zealand items. The pacific islands have beautiful traditions to may be worth looking into

    1. Hi Melissa, thanks for sharing your insight. If you come across any children’s books about these traditions, I would love to know. I’d be happy to add them to this book list! <3

  2. Lucy Ann Matz

    I am looking for a complete list of the Christmas Around the World books starting with Germany 1974 and going until nos 2028.. Is there such a list? I also was wondering just how many books are in the series. I think I have missed a couple and would like to know if I have and which ones and years. I would appreciate knowing.
    Thank you.

    Lucy Ann Matz

  3. Pingback: 5 Fun Ways To Learn About Christmas In Germany - Rock Your Homeschool

  4. What a great list! Thanks for putting this together. We are American but live in South Africa and I SO WANTED to find some good, Southern Hemisphere Christmas books! Now I’ve added a few to my list to order when next we’re in America!

  5. I never think about people celebrating Christmas in Africa, although I have friends there and I know they do…..lol – love the chance to learn more about this……great list – thanks!!!

  6. What a great list! Think you just helped me decide on a Christmas geography unit with my kindergartner for December.

  7. Thank you thank you for this amazing selection of books all in one place!! We are starting a tradition this year to start learning about a country and their Christmas traditions! You just helped me a TON!!!

    1. What I love the most about Europe is how there are so many different Christmas traditions, but they’re rich in meaning.

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