7 Best Picture Books for Christmas Read Alouds

The holiday season is one of the most magical times of the year in the classroom – the lights, the classroom décor, the sense of excitement… and of course, the read-alouds! If you’re looking to add a little joy and wonder to your winter lessons, these seven Christmas read alouds offer heartwarming storytelling, rich vocabulary, and meaningful SEL tie-ins.

Whether you’re planning a one-day mini-lesson or building a multi-day holiday unit, these Christmas read alouds bring connection, conversation, and creativity to your classroom during the busiest season of the year.

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1. Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht

Pick a Pine Tree is the perfect feel-good read to kick off the holiday season. It follows all the best parts of getting a Christmas tree – bundling up, searching for “the one,” hauling it home, and digging through boxes packed with lights, ornaments, tinsel, and all the little treasures students love talking about. The rhythmic text paired with bright, cheerful illustrations captures that magical moment when the whole family comes together to decorate and finally plug in those twinkling lights. It’s sweet, nostalgic, and such a fun way to talk about traditions and the excitement that comes with making something ordinary feel a little bit magical.

Teaching Ideas for this Christmas Read Aloud:

• Tradition Discussion: Have students share a winter or holiday tradition from their home or culture
• Sequencing Activity: List the steps of finding and decorating a Christmas tree and then have students create a flowchart or picture sequence.
• Descriptive Writing Prompt: “Describe your ideal Christmas tree – what does it look like, smell like, and represent?”
• Art Connection: Students design their own illustrated Christmas tree, including ornaments that reflect their personality, interests, or cultural background.
• Compare & Contrast: Compare the tree-decorating traditions in the book with traditions mentioned by students.

2. Have Yourself a Cheesy Little Christmas by Jory John

Have Yourself a Cheesy Little Christmas is a funny, festive, totally over-the-top holiday read that your students will LOVE. The Big Cheese is back – bigger, bolder, and cheesier than ever – and he’s gearing up for his annual holiday jamboree, complete with wild decorations, glittery outfits, booming music, and gifts that sparkle almost as much as his ego. But just hours before the party kicks off… everything falls apart. With no backup plan, the Big Cheese has to rethink what really makes a celebration special. Even with all the silliness and humor, the story leaves students with a sweet message about expectations, gratitude, and how the heart of Christmas isn’t about grand gestures – it’s about the people you share it with.

Teaching Ideas for this Christmas Read Aloud:

• Point of View: Retell the story from the perspective of one of the other Food Group characters.
• Problem & Solution: Use a simple organizer to identify the conflict and how the Big Cheese resolves it.
• Character Reflection: Discuss what the Big Cheese learns by the end of the story.
• Holiday Writing Prompt: Write about a time when something didn’t go as planned during a celebration – and how it turned out anyway.
• Class Discussion: “What makes a celebration meaningful? Is it the ‘stuff’ or the people?”

3. Dasher by Matt Tavares

Dasher is one of those magical Christmas read-alouds that feels like an instant classic. It tells the story of a brave young reindeer who dreams of something more than life in a hot, traveling circus. Dasher longs for snow, starlight, and freedom – and when the perfect moment arrives, she follows her heart and runs toward the life she’s always imagined. Along the way, she meets a kind man in a red suit with a horse-drawn sleigh, and their chance encounter changes Christmas forever. With gorgeous illustrations and a heart-tugging message about courage, hope, and trusting your dreams, this story completely pulls students in. It’s cozy, magical, and full of that feel-good Christmas wonder we all love.

Teaching Ideas for this Christmas Read Aloud:

• Theme Discussion: Explore themes of courage, hope, and listening to your heart.
• Character Journey Map: Track Dasher’s personal and physical journey from the circus to the North Pole.
• Compare & Contrast: Compare Dasher’s origin story with other reindeer stories students know.
• Visualization: Have students sketch what they picture during key scenes, such as the circus, the starry sky, meeting Santa.
• Writing Prompt: Write about a time you took a risk or followed a dream, just like Dasher.

4. Everybody’s Tree by Barbara Joosse

Everybody’s Tree is such a sweet, meaningful holiday read-aloud that really slows the season down in the best way. It follows one little spruce tree from the moment it’s chosen by a young boy at a tree farm all the way through eighty years of growth. As the tree gets taller and stronger, the boy grows up too – becoming a dad, then a grandpa – which gives the story this beautiful, full-circle feeling. Eventually, the now-magnificent evergreen is selected to be the showstopping holiday tree in a big city center, bringing the whole community together to celebrate. It’s warm, nostalgic, and the perfect way to talk about growth, traditions, and how something simple – like a tree – can belong to everyone.

Teaching Ideas for this Christmas Read Aloud:

• Life Cycle Sequencing: Have students map out the tree’s journey from sprout to city tree.
• Text-to-Self Connection: Talk about how your students have changed or grown over the past few years just like the tree.
• Community Conversation: “What things bring our community together?”
• Science Link: Review what trees need to grow and why older trees are important.
• Reflective Writing: Write about something that makes your community feel connected or special.

5. How Does Sant Go Down the Chimney? by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? is one of those hilarious, imagination-sparking Christmas read aloud books that students cannot stop talking about. Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen take on the age-old question every kid wonders: How does Santa actually get inside the house on Christmas Eve? And their answers? Absolutely ridiculous in the best possible way. Maybe Santa goes feet first … or head first. Maybe he flattens himself like a piece of paper and slips under the door. Maybe he pours himself through the faucet (yes, really!). With Klassen’s perfectly deadpan illustrations and Barnett’s signature humor, this book invites kids to wonder, giggle, and come up with even wilder theories. It’s quirky, clever, and just plain fun – a great pick for encouraging creative thinking during the busy pre-break classroom buzz.

Teaching Ideas for this Christmas Read Aloud:

• Prediction Fun: Pause throughout the story and have students guess the next silly possibility.
• STEM Mini-Challenge: Design a “Santa Entry System” for a house without a chimney.
• Creative Writing: Write your own imaginative explanation for how Santa gets inside.
• Cause & Effect: Identify each “method” and what might happen if Santa tried it.
• Class Book: Compile all student theories into a funny illustrated class holiday book.

6. Little Red Sleigh by Erin Guendelsberger 

Little Red Sleigh is one of those cozy, feel-good Christmas stories that students fall in love with right away. It follows a small, determined sleigh with one big dream: to someday become Santa’s sleigh. But throughout her life, Little Red Sleigh has been told she’s too young, too small, too slow, and definitely not magical enough. Instead of giving up, she decides this is the year she’ll prove everyone wrong. With the help of a few unexpected friends, she sets off on a snowy adventure filled with heart, courage, and holiday magic. The story is sweet, inspiring, and full of growth-mindset moments – perfect for reminding students (and adults!) that no dream is too big when you believe in yourself.

Teaching Ideas for this Christmas Read Aloud:

• Growth Mindset Discussion: Talk about what Little Red Sleigh does when others doubt her.
• Character Traits: Have students identify traits that helped her keep going, such as being brave, hopeful, and determined.
• Connection Prompt: “What is a dream you have that feels big or challenging?”
• Sequence Writing: Map out the sleigh’s journey and the friends who helped along the way.
• Creative Extension: Students can design a sleigh of their own with magical features or abilities.

7. Tough Cookie by Edward Hemingway

Tough Cookie is a hilarious and unexpectedly heartwarming twist on the classic gingerbread story. When a freshly baked sugar cookie dashes out into the Land of Holiday Treats, he’s convinced he’s sweet, irresistible, and ready to be gobbled up. But when Fox finally catches him and takes a bite… surprise! Cookie tastes absolutely terrible. Not sweet. Not delicious. Not even close. What follows is a fun, feel-good adventure as Cookie tries to figure out who he really is if he’s not meant to be eaten. With humor, charm, and a big dose of self-discovery, this story reminds students that they don’t have to fit a certain mold to be valued – there’s joy in being exactly who you are.

Teaching Ideas for this Christmas Read Aloud:

• Identity & Acceptance: Discuss how Cookie learns to appreciate himself even when things don’t go as expected.
• Character Change: Track how Cookie’s feelings about himself shift from the beginning to the end.
• Problem–Solution: Identify the main problem (he’s not sweet!) and how he finds a new purpose.
• Creative Writing: Students write their own holiday treat character with a unique personality.
• SEL Connection: “What makes YOU special, even if it’s different from what others expect?”

Bringing the Magic of Christmas Into Your Classroom with Christmas Read Alouds

The holiday season is such a special time in the classroom – full of excitement, traditions, and those little moments of joy that students remember for years. Whether you lean into the heartwarming messages of Pick a Pine Tree and Everybody’s Tree, the imaginative silliness of How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney?, or the inspiring, feel-good journeys in Dasher, Little Red Sleigh, Have Yourself a Cheesy Little Christmas, and Tough Cookie, each of these Christmas read-alouds brings something unique to your December plans.

What I love most about these Christmas read alouds is how easily they spark conversation, creativity, and connection. They’re quick to prep, fun to share, and perfect for those cozy, wiggly, pre-winter-break days when students need something engaging but meaningful. Whether you use these Christmas read alouds for mini-lessons, morning meetings, writing prompts, or just to slow down and enjoy a story together, these titles help bring a little extra magic to the season.