Many families enjoy the Twelve Books of Christmas Challenge, a delightful tradition that encourages reading during the holiday season. This fun activity involves gifting twelve books to unwrap and read each day before Christmas. Like an advent calendar, it helps count Santa’s arrival and fosters family discussions.
People also spread the love of reading by wrapping gifts for friends and coworkers and exchanging books with family members. The goal is to encourage everyone to read while sharing the holiday spirit.
To keep things interesting, there are several variations of the challenge. For example, you could choose books with Christmas, horror, or mystery themes or explore twelve “holiday” themes.
Remember, the books don’t have to be about Christmas at all. My favourite is giving books with a number in the title, such as “The Two Towers” by J.R.R. Tolkien or “Slaughterhouse-Five” by Kurt Vonnegut. You can present the books in the order of the days leading up to Christmas or mix them up for an added twist.
If you prefer using a digital reader for the challenge, you can send e-books instead. Receiving a new e-book on your device can be just as exciting, and it’s often more cost-effective if you find free e-books.
Searching for books in second-hand stores or garage sales adds another exciting element to the challenge. It engages you in the physical act of searching for books and helps reduce waste by recycling.
You can add a social aspect by organizing a book exchange or borrowing books from the library. Remember to be responsible for returning the books and explaining to the recipient that the gift is borrowed.
This is one of the best activities for entertaining children during the holiday break. It focuses on reading and learning while they are out of school and can extend to other activities, such as visiting a library or museum after reading about it.
Here are some variations of the challenge that you might want to consider:
Ideal for food enthusiasts, this variation introduces new recipes for the holiday feast and will surely impress dinner guests.
This challenge is more elaborate, requiring 78 books or short stories (which is quite feasible). Inspired by the famous poem, the idea is to gift one book on the first day of Christmas, two on the second day, and continue this pattern until you present twelve books on Christmas Day. It is the perfect gift for book lovers who can enjoy new reads well into the new year. You can also create a theme, such as “The Twelve Days of Christmas Romance,” which helps you stay focused while searching for 78 stories to share.
- Twelve Blind Dates with a Book
To add some excitement, wrap the books in packaging that allows the reader to guess the book’s content before opening it. “Blind Date with a Book” is a popular reading trend discussed in an earlier blog. Supporting local or indie authors by purchasing books you haven’t considered before is a great way to encourage creativity and individuality.
No matter how you participate in the Twelve Books Challenge, you will create a lasting family holiday tradition that fosters a love of reading. If you can’t commit to twelve days, shorten the challenge or modify it to give all twelve books on Christmas Day. Remember, anything is possible with a bit of imagination and the magic of the holidays. If you need inspiration, follow our book recommendations to discover some beautiful finds for the holiday season.
Writing has always been her passion and a voice for those who cannot speak. She considers herself fortunate to write every day and says her mantra is, “I drink coffee, write, and I know about people and technology.” Her writing is diverse and can be found online on websites like LifeHack, You Have a Calling, Medium, TechCrunch and, She Knows.
