It’s my favorite time of year getting ready for Christmas school BUT this year might surprise you!
I’m not sure what it is about this school year so far but it has really got my head spinning and a little bit overwhelmed. It might be my kids all getting older with higher grades or it might be that I’m teaching 4 different grades at once, but I feel pulled in so many ways each day and am trying to keep my head above water. This December I’m feeling a strong pull to take a break and, although I love it, let Christmas school go.
As many of you know, all of my kids also perform in the Nutcracker every year with our local ballet company and this year we got the exciting news that my daughter was cast as Clara and my oldest son as Fritz! It is such an honor to get these big roles and we can hardly wait for the performance! Along with these roles there is a lot more rehearsal time. Once December comes we are at the theater for long hours for 12 days!
So with all that being said, I’ve decided to not do very much Christmas school this year. We will be reading two books together and that’s all. And I’m ok with that! I think it will be best for all of us to have a relaxing season (in between the Nutcracker schedule) instead of adding more to our plate. Each day we will continue our core studies of math, language arts, and reading but put aside science and history until the new year.
Here is the little bit we are planning for Christmas school this year!
We love to read a fun Christmas read aloud every year and I’ve heard great things about The Christmas Pig by J.K. Rowling.
“Jack loves his childhood toy, Dur Pig. DP has always been there for him, through good and bad. Until one Christmas Eve something terrible happens — DP is lost. But Christmas Eve is a night for miracles and lost causes, a night when all things can come to life… even toys. And Jack’s newest toy — the Christmas Pig (DP’s replacement) — has a daring plan: Together they’ll embark on a magical journey to seek something lost, and to save the best friend Jack has ever known..Christmas Eve is a night for miracles and lost causes, a night when all things can come to life… even toys. And Jack’s newest toy — the Christmas Pig (DP’s replacement) — has a daring plan: Together they’ll embark on a magical journey to seek something lost, and to save the best friend Jack has ever known..”-Amazon Description
We will read through this book together, possibly on audio as well for our trips to the theater each day. I may come up with some sort of craft to go along with it, but no full novel study this year.
We are currently studying the Medieval Era for history this school year so thought we could read through this book: The Medieval Christmas by Sophie Jackson.
This book shares what Christmas looked like during the Medieval Era, showing how all classes of society celebrated the feast in their own way and in doing so evolved traditions we still use today. It shares recipes, carols, games, decorations and more that they used during that time. I think it will be so interesting to learn about and some fun recipes and games to try.
**If I were to do a full guide this year I probably would have chosen Christmas Through the Ages by Light Unto Light Press. This study looks so great and possibly one I’ll use in future years, so a good one to look into if you are interested!
*sale ends 11/20/26
This was one of our favorite, and super simple, activities I did with my older kids a few years ago. My youngest, age 6, loves arts and crafts and asks to do something daily. He never got to do this project with us so I thought he would love to make one this year!
This guide covers 12 different Christmas symbols (candy canes, wreaths, angels, lights, presents, etc.) and how these items we always see during the holidays, relate back to Christ. It uses ONE book and art supplies you probably already have on hand. You can complete one symbol each day for 12 days or do multiple in one day, however it works best for you.
For each symbol there is scripture, a read aloud video linked for you, and you’ll create one pentagon art project.
Once you have all 12 symbol projects completed, all the pieces will form together to create this really cool dodecahedron (12 sided shape) that you can hang in your home for all to see!
This will be great for my youngest and simple for him to do each day. He can listen to the read aloud book while he does each art project. ❤️
And that’s it! Not much this year!
We will just be reading from these two books and leaving lots of extra time to do any crafts, puzzles, painting, reading that we want or have time for.
I hope this post wasn’t disappointing to you with me not sharing all the fun Christmas school ideas, but I hope it is encouraging you to be ok with not doing it all. You don’t have to do Christmas school and you don’t have to use a full curriculum. You can simply take a break from some of your other studies to slow down and enjoy the season. Start some things you feel you never have time for…a new book, a puzzle, a craft kit, etc. My hope is to bring back joy and peace in the little things this holiday season. ❤️
Favorite Simple Activities
Here are some of our favorite things to keep my kids hands busy while I read to them.
Advent puzzle! Each day you get one small box and complete that section of the puzzle.
Favorite Christmas Books
For all our favorite Christmas picture books and chapter books, check them out HERE!
If you are looking for some fun Christmas resources and curriculums, check out this blog post of all our favorites we have used over the years:
I also updated all my gift guides for kids!
I pray you all have a peaceful and meaningful Christmas season together. These are the days we cherish the most!
– Lindsay
We love to read Christmas stories, too. Have you read any of the books by Arnold Ytreeide? There is a short chapter to read each day during the advent season. The stories are exciting, and leave you on the edge of your seat . We bought the entire set after reading the first one. Blessings, Tami
Yes we read one last year and have all the other books! We really enjoyed it but being tied to a daily reading schedule is what feels overwhelming to me, so we are going to pass this year.