'Tis the season for celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ! May we always keep this in our hearts as the reason for the season.
But I'm sure there's always room in your heart to do a little book celebrating as well! Here's a list of December bookish holidays that will only add to the fun of Christmas!
National Read a New Book Month
It's almost like they knew we would need a moment to treat ourselves during the hustle and bustle of Christmas. Take this holiday seriously and make sure you take a few evenings to just relax and enjoy the moment. Schedule a family reading night. Make some hot chocolate, unplug the electronics, put on fuzzy socks and warm PJs, turn on the Christmas tree lights, and cuddle up on the couch together with good books begging to be read. This may just be the most memorable night of your Christmas holiday (and hopefully a new tradition).
12/1: Sherlock Holmes Day
Full disclosure: I've never read Sherlock Holmes, but on occasion, I do enjoy a good mystery. My favorite mystery of the year (and was recommended by one of my middle school students) was The Inheritance Games. The puzzles and adventure give it The DaVinci Code vibes.
Here's a little synopsis if you're interested: Avery Grambs has gone from rags to riches when she inherits billions (with a B) from a stranger. The catch? To receive her inheritance, she must live in his mansion for a year which is filled with riddles, secret passageways, and four angry brothers that were left nothing. Her new life as heiress is a dangerous game Avery has to win.
12/7: Letter Writing Day
Today might be a good day to send out those Christmas cards and letters to Santa! Or you could:
a. Write a letter to your family each year describing the memories of this year's Christmas.
b. Write a letter from Santa to your kids to leave by the cookie plate.
c. Write a letter to each of your children to leave under the tree Christmas Eve.
d. Write a love letter to your spouse and leave it in his stocking.
And if you just can't muster the strength to write that letter & the thought of adding one more thing to your to-do list stresses you out, send a text! The point is to reach out to someone you love this Christmas season and let them know how much they mean to you.
12/10: Dewey Decimal System Day
Let's see, what should we do on Dewey Decimal System Day? Visit the library of course! While you're there check out how books are organized and marvel at the classification system Melvil Dewey developed way back in 1876 at the mere age of 21!
While you're there, you may want to check out a few of these Christmas book favorites to share with your children!
12/16: Jane Austen's Birthday
Jane Austen's works have not only endured but have prospered over the past 200 years. Movie adaptations, book re-tellings of her stories, websites devoted to her life and works, fan art, Jane merch- you name it, Jane's got it!
With millions of devoted fans, there must be something to this Jane Austen gal. This may be the excuse you need to finally read a classic!
12/21: National Crossword Puzzle Day
Sometimes you have to embrace the older lady living inside you and confidently put that crossword puzzle book on the grocery conveyor belt! Be the proud book-hoarding, crossword puzzle-solving, coffee/tea-sipping cat mom that you are!
Or, order your crossword puzzle books online so you can keep up the facade of a well-dressed professional woman for your grocery clerk.
The choice is yours & neither is wrong- as long as you got a crossword puzzle book in your cart!
12/21: Short Fiction Day
I love the winter solstice! Even though today is the shortest day of the year, it means that every day forward will be a little longer! And what better way to celebrate the longest night of the year than with a story you can enjoy in one sitting!
Short stories are shorter than novels (duh) and usually under 10,000 words. Although I haven't dabbled in short stories much, here are two I thought sounded interesting:
12/24: Jolabokaflod Day
This is an Icelandic holiday I'm ready to endorse! On Christmas Eve, Icelanders give books as presents, and then here's the kicker- they spend the rest of the evening reading their new books! They load up a dish of snacks, stir up a hot drink, and retire to their favorite, cozy book nook- where they spend a blissful evening buried in a book! Ho! Ho! Ho! Bye-bye Santa, hello Jolabokaflod!
12/25: No L Day or Pun Day!
Not sure if Pun Day is ever going to outshine Christmas, but here it is for you to enjoy! Try to sneak some good ones into the conversation today:
"I'm s-mitten with you."
"I sleigh during the holidays!"
"I have resting Grinch face."
"Rebel without a Santa Claus."
"That's a wrap!"
May the warmth and joy of Christmas fill your heart this season!
If you're looking for awesome bookish gifts to give this Christmas, check out 35 Gift Ideas for Book Lovers. Or if you would like to share amazing Christmas stories with the kids in your life, take a look at 25 Books of Christmas. Books will live in the hearts of the reader long after the holidays are over! And that's why books will always be the best gift ever!
Happy Reading & Merry Christmas!
Stacey Faubion