Are you eager to talk about the magic of Christmas that’s in the air? The best Christmas books for club books capture the spirit of the season, from timeless classics to contemporary gems, and foster festive discussions in a group. Here, you’ll discover the perfect Christmas suggestions for book club reading in December, and get a printable Christmas book club bingo game to take with you. Let’s get literary!
List of the Best Christmas Books for Clubs
TOP 3 PICKS
A Christmas Memory is a brief novella that’s great for books club members who are busy in December, and it’s so utterly nostalgic. Readers can discuss the meaning of Christmas and their Christmases past. It pairs perfectly with fruitcake baking and/or eating, which are part of the story.
The Christmas Orphans Club is about friends who spend Christmas together, and many book clubs are filled with friends who share the book’s themes. It pairs well with the movies and foods mentioned in the book!
A modern bestseller, One Day in December is for book club members to check a popular title off their holiday reading lists and/or feel the holiday romance. The love triangles offers a lot to talk about! Pair it with the holiday movies Serendipity or Love Actually, which it’s very much like.
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
- A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote
- The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman
- A Christmas Story by Jean Shepard
- Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
- In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
- Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
- One Day in December by Josie Silver
- Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley
- Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand
My Reviews of Festive Christmas Book Club Books for the Holiday Season
METHODOLOGY
This post narrow down the dozens of great holiday reads you can choose from for your December book club. I focused this list on the books from my reading experience that offer the most to talk about with others during the holiday season, from books that are nostalgic to humorous, and even those you can pair with or compare to their famous film adaptations.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
We all know the Christmas short story A Christmas Carol, and how the bitter old Ebenezer Scrooge is transformed in the spirit of Christmas after a visit from the ghost of his former business partner and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come, including Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim of course.
Its brevity, readability, and beautiful prose make it a classic that’s well worth the read.
Related Post: A Christmas Carol Quotes
A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote
The short story A Christmas Memory is about a young boy in rural Alabama, looking back with nostalgia about his elderly friend.
They save their pennies to make 30 fruitcakes when “fruitcake weather” arrives. They share them with only the most deserving persons, including the one they send to the White House each year, wondering if the President serves it.
Together, they share more holiday cheer as the old friend comes to find their time together to have a deeper meaning. It’s one of the most beautifully written stories I’ve ever read.
The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman
In The Christmas Orphans Club, Hannah and Finn became college friends over one Christmas they spent together on campus. This began a holiday tradition, and along the way, they picked up two more Christmas orphans, Theo and Priya.
Over a decade, they spend Christmas in New York together as friends, but impending major life changes threaten the continuation of their annual festivities.
Alternating between the perspectives of Hannah and Finn, it’s mostly about friendship and found family. Still, it’s a very layered story about love (including LGBTQIA+ romance), biological family drama, and growing up.
It’s exceptionally refreshing, incorporating oodles of pop culture references and utterly unique and comical details into a novel, unlike any other holiday novel I’ve read. It reminded me of a Christmas episode of Friends or Will & Grace.
A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd
The inspiration behind the famous Christmas movie is the book, A Christmas Story. It’s the nostalgic tale in which young Ralphie’s family represents the average American family having a disastrous but memorable Christmas season, in which, most notably, he yearns for a rifle gun.
Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
Holidays on Ice is a festive collection of tales featuring the irreverent style of humor that is the trademark of Sedaris, including the diaries of a Macy’s elf (my favorite), being a child locked out in a snowstorm, the nonsensical Christmas traditions around the world, and more!
It’s easy, breezy, and funny.
In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
In a Holidaze is a holiday romance book that starts after a Christmas in which a lot goes wrong for Maelyn at her family’s usual “Christmas with friends” at a snowy Utah cabin. She leaves wishing to find happiness, and it seems like things can’t get worse until a car crash occurs.
Maelyn then relives her Christmas vacation as if it were Groundhog Day. As Maelyn navigates Christmas all over again in her “dazed” state, she tries to fix everything that went wrong the first time she experienced Christmas.
There’s a love triangle and some holiday steaminess in store for her, which so many book clubs love to read about.
Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
As the Great War begins, Evie hopes it will end by Christmas. Her brother and his friend leave for battle. The group plans to meet for a holiday in Paris, but the War drags on.
Last Christmas in Paris is told almost entirely through letters and telegrams, with sprinkles of Christmas throughout. It also evokes themes of family, love, belief, and hope, which are the spirit of Christmas. It’s a great catalyst for talking about Christmas in other generations.
One Day in December by Josie Silver
One Day in December has been described as a mix of Love Actually, Bridget Jones, and Serendipity— and I wholeheartedly agree.
It’s about a British woman who sees her dream man outside a bus she’s riding in and later finds out he’s her best friend’s new boyfriend. The story follows their lives for the next ten years, and a lot happens in that time (although I won’t spoil any storylines).
It’s a long-time reader favorite. You can’t go wrong with picking for a group.
Three Weddings and a Holiday by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley
Three Holidays and a Wedding tackles two additional holidays and, you guessed it, a wedding.
Maryam is flying to Toronto for her sister’s last-minute holiday wedding, and her seatmate Anna is headed to meet and spend the holiday season with her boyfriend’s rich family. An emergency landing leaves them snowbound in the very festive small town of Snow Falls.
There, Maryam, who celebrates Ramadan, re-connects with her crush and re-evaluates her place in the world and in her family. Meanwhile, Anna, who celebrates both Christmas and Hannukah, questions her relationship after she meets her celebrity crush, who’s there filming a holiday movie.
This book is a light and scrumptious treat for those who love closed-door romances, Hallmark movies, and a diverse holiday season.
Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand
Winter Street offers everything readers could want in a Christmas novel by author Elin Hilderbrand — family drama, a Nantucket setting, and holiday spirit.
Kelley Quinn owns the Nantucket Winter Street Inn and is the proud father of four grown children, all of whose personal lives are a mess. The oldest, Patrick, is a hedge fund manager dealing with a white-collar crime. Bartender Kevin has a secret relationship with the Inn’s housekeeper. Teacher Ava can’t get her dream boyfriend to commit. Lastly, Bart, the youngest and the only child of Kelley’s second marriage to Mitzi, is fighting overseas in the Marines.
Christmas approaches, and Kelley walks in on Mitzi kissing the Inn’s Santa Claus, bringing all the families’ drama to a head. It becomes up to Kelley’s first wife, famous news anchor Margaret Quinn, to attempt to save Christmas.
Related Posts: Best Elin Hilderbrand Books | Elin Hilderbrand Books in Order
Christmas Book Club Bingo Game Activity
Use the Christmas book club bingo game below as a group activity. There’s one card, so I recommend you have participants cross the word off when they speak it to foster discussion.
(Use these stocking stuffer ideas for women as prizes.)
Recap
BEST CHRISTMAS BOOKS FOR BOOK CLUBS
Get started with my top 3 picks:
Related Christmas Book Posts
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
