Our Favorite Christmas Tales
Christmas is the time to cuddle up next to the fire and read all your favorite Christmas stories. Some are of Santa and Trees and Ballet, others are of snow and playing outside while others are of a manger and child.
Christmas is also a time to learn Spanish and the tales of Navidad.
Remember some of the classic tales of Christmas and leave suggestions of those lost or forgotten tales. Are there any new ones destined to become classics? Come explore Christmas Tales...
Christmas Stories for Beginning Readers
One of the very first stories that I remember my dad reading to my sister and I was The Night Before Christmas
. In fact we loved that story so much that we pleaded with our mom to read it throughout the year; even on the hottest days of summer.
My parents taught us to give gifts of love and presents made by hand, the essence of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
! As time goes by the true meaning of Christmas, of believing in the good of others and the goodness in the hears of others tends to fade. The Polar Express
may help to bring that feeling back.
Jack Prelutsky will have you laughing till you cry with hilarious poems of the Christmas season in It's Christmas
.As they wait on the bench for Christmas, what stories are the children reading?
Twas the Night Before Christmas
Even in Summer
One of the very first stories that I remember my dad reading to my sister and I was Twas the Night Before Christmas. In fact we loved that story so much that we pleaded with our mom to read it throughout the year, even on the hottest days of summer.
The Night Before Christmas: A Classic Illustrated Edition
Amazon Price: $7.95 (as of 12/26/2009) 
'Twas the Night Before Christmas
'Twas the Night Before Christmas illustrated by Jessie Wilcox Smith
Photo Credit: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
on Flickr, Creative Commons.
While his wife and children sleep, a man awakens to noises outside his house. Looking out the window, he spies landing on his roof St. Nicholas in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer.
Wikipedia
I love looking for older versions of Twas the Night Before Christmas. It's wonderful to compare illustration styles and discuss how cultural norms change over time.
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
Tales from a Bilingual Holiday
Christmas Feast in a Baronial Hall
Buy at AllPosters.com
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'Twas the Night Before Navidad or Christmas?
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'Twas the night before Christmas and all through la casa Not a creature was stirring, Caramba! Que pasa?... My cousins were Costa Rican so learning Spanish was always important to my family. While looking for activities to teach my children Span...
Feliz Navidad
Bilingual version of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
My cousins were Costa Rican so learning Spanish was always important to my family. I work hard at teaching my children Spanish and one Christmas discovered this Chicano version of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.
Since then I have used this poem to teach Spanish classes. It's fun to turn it into a rebus story by having the children look up words they don't yet know, illustrating them, and pasting them above those words.
Pancho Claus (The Night before Christmas)
'Twas the night before Christmas and all through la casa Not a creature was stirring, Caramba! Que pasa?...
Navidad Y Pancho Claus - Vol. 7
Amazon Price: $15.98 (as of 12/26/2009)
Tales of Christmas Trees
Buy at AllPosters.com
The trees that we always bring in from our woods may not be as full as the ones you buy at the Christmas Tree lots but it's easier to see the ornaments and thinning the number of trees allows the sunlight in for the surrounding trees to grow better.-
A Christmas Tree in the White House by Gary Hines
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This book for children is based on true facts about one Christmas in the White House with President Theodore Roosevelt and his children. The children wanted a cut tree for the White House but President Roosevelt insisted that they set an example for...
Tales of Christmas Trees
O Tannenbaum
Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas TreeHow evergreen your branches.
Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree
How evergreen your branches.
You never change, the whole year 'round.
You brighten up the snowy ground.
Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree
How evergreen your branches.
O Christmas Tree (Sing-It!)
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 12/26/2009)
" Statistics show that children who are read to often become better learners."
Tales of Christmas Ballets
This is a Christmas Tale to watch all year round, just ask my daughters.
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Sugar Plum Ballerinas
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Plum Fantastic is the first book in a new series by Whoopi Goldberg about a young ballerina whose mother moves her to Harlem in order for her to have a chance at dancing in the Nutcracker. As a new dancer at the studio, Alexandrea Petrakova Johnson...
The Tale of the Nutcracker: A Christmas Ballet
We love to watch or read the story of the Nutcracker any time of the year.
Nutcracker Ballet
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 12/26/2009)
(Christmas is December 25, 2009)
Making the Biggest Snowman
Tales of Snowmen
Making a Snowman
Buy at AllPosters.com
I went to a very small two room school and one winter we decided to make the biggest snowball ever. All the kids from first through eighth grade worked together. We pushed and rolled and packed more snow around until we had a snowball nearly 5 feet high.
We then made another ball nearly as big for the middle of the snowman but even the biggest boys couldn't get it to roll up on top or the first one.
We learned a lot about snow that day but we also learned a lot about cooperation. No teachers were ever out with us nor could they see us from inside the school. We were expected to know how to behave and knew how to care for eachother.
Tales of Snow and Snowmen
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Wintertime Activities for Kids
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Winter is the time to snuggle up and with a good book, make a winter table and watch the snowflakes falling down. It's a time when the days are short, the nights are cold and the smell of woodsmoke is in the air. Get ready for the cold with The Ja...
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Pigloo: Penguins Sing in French
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These happy French-singing penguins will get your kids singing along and they won't even realize that they are learning French. We all know that learning a second language is very important but who knew it could be so much fun. Pop a Pigloo CD into...
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Lemmings: Falling into the Sea of Knowledge
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When the winds start to howl and the snow begins to blow you can capture your student's attention with this innovative Arctic Unit Study focusing on lemmings. Your little lemmings will be excited to learn with a theme that includes little furry crea...
Frosty the Snowman: A Tale at Christmas Time
Frosty the Snowman
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 12/26/2009)
Favorite MobiStories for The Christmas Season
With the sound of New Orleans jazz, and the rhythm and power of the American work song.
Tall tale is right! Big Annie is a larger-than-life heroine - a Creole flatboat captain who uses her amazing strength, and the help of some animal friends, to pull a boatload of toys through a terrible storm one Christmas Eve long ago.
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Big Annie: Mississippi Flatboat Captain
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Activities related to the story of Big Annie, a flatboat captain who, despite all odds, brings Christmas toys from New Orleans up the river to the children of Natchez. Learn about the cultures, historical times and wildlife along the Mississippi Riv...
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Choo! Choo! A Train Unit Study
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Have you ever stood near a railroad track and watched a train? Trains are fascinating. They seem to be going so slowly at first and then faster and faster as they get closer. No matter what age you are, everyone loves trains. As your child chugs alo...
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Wintertime Activities for Kids
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Winter is the time to snuggle up and with a good book, make a winter table and watch the snowflakes falling down. It's a time when the days are short, the nights are cold and the smell of woodsmoke is in the air. Get ready for the cold with The Ja...
Who's Interested in Christmas Tales?
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- HainCelestial
- "SNOW SNOW and more SNOW!Last Christmas was a white Christmas here and there was... read the rest: http://bit.ly/hcc-stories
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- marthawood
- Christmas, lies, and Santa stories: I apparently hit some nerves with my recent post about changing my mind.. http://bit.ly/8g18nh
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- shaniqua43
- After hearing many stories I decided I should have gotten my sister aka @Ruskie diapers for Christmas. I didn't know she pees herself
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- davidonthefloor
- i looove day after christmas sales. heading over to urban outfittaz soon. i hope it's like 98723225 stories :DD
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- juiceology
- did anybody hear about any sad christmas stories?? those are always interesting.
What are your favorite Christmas Tales?
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- KimGiancaterino KimGiancaterino Dec 23, 2009 @ 5:21 pm
- I always love reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas." Blessed by a Squid Angel.
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- rockycha rockycha Dec 23, 2009 @ 11:04 am
- Thank you so much for stopping by my Strongwater land :) Great to hear from you! Merry Christmas! My absolute favorite christmas tale is "The Snowman" by Raymond Briggs - gotta check it! We watch the vid every year while drinking hot chocolate in "the snowman" themed royal doulton mugs - it's glorious. Yay! ***** Lensrolled to my thanksgiving horror land :)
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- debraanne debraanne Dec 11, 2009 @ 9:19 pm
- Evelyn, I always love your lenses - they're so thorough they include everything a person could want on the topic! One of my very favorite Christmas Tales is The Polar Express. I have the book with a tape (I got it in the '80's!) of William Hurt reading the story. It never fails to make me teary and is a million times better than the movie!
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- Evelyn_Saenz Evelyn_Saenz Dec 11, 2009 @ 10:47 pm
- I also bought my copy of the Polar Express in the 1980's and have treasured it ever since. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your favorite.
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- Pukeko Pukeko Dec 9, 2009 @ 10:07 pm
- Well done. This looks great.
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- Evelyn_Saenz Evelyn_Saenz Dec 10, 2009 @ 7:41 am
- Thank you so much. Have a Merry Christmas!
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- lasertek lasertek Dec 9, 2009 @ 6:57 pm
- I like the Christmas Tales you've mentioned and tackled on this lens. I must say that I have heard and read all of the tales but my all-time favorite is The Night Before Christmas. My holiday celebration wouldn't be complete without hearing this tale.
Rated 5*. Hope you could visit my lenses and become a fan of my fb page . Thanks
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- Evelyn_Saenz Evelyn_Saenz Dec 10, 2009 @ 7:40 am
- Twas the Night Before Christmas is one of our family's very favorites as well.
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- sandyspider sandyspider Dec 9, 2009 @ 2:07 pm
- Very nice Christmas Tales lens!
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- Evelyn_Saenz Evelyn_Saenz Dec 10, 2009 @ 7:38 am
- Thank you, SandySpider. I'm so glad you enjoyed the Christmas Tales.
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- Heather426 Heather426 Dec 9, 2009 @ 1:01 pm
- wonderful Christmas lens! Merry Christmas, Evelyn. 5* and blessed.
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- Evelyn_Saenz Evelyn_Saenz Dec 9, 2009 @ 1:19 pm
- Thank you, SquidAngel.
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- Pastiche Pastiche Dec 8, 2009 @ 11:50 am
- The Night Before Christmas and Little Christmas are family favorites. The Day the Grinch Stole Christmas is also a big hit at our house. We like to combine the books with a video of the story each year. Feliz Navidad!
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- Evelyn_Saenz Evelyn_Saenz Dec 8, 2009 @ 3:14 pm
- We also like the Grinch and especially Little Sally Lou Who. Feliz Navidad to you too!
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- ftuley ftuley Dec 3, 2009 @ 4:33 am
- This is just the right time to read this lens, really nice I enjoyed reading it. I must thank you for visiting and comment my ?Is Not Just An Old House? lens, I really appreciate that. 5*
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- Evelyn_Saenz Evelyn_Saenz Dec 3, 2009 @ 4:57 am
- Thank you for virtually curling up by the fire and listening to the Tales of Christmas.
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- almawad almawad Nov 22, 2009 @ 5:36 am
- The Fir Tree and The LIttle Match - Seller are my favorite Xmas tales .Both of them are sad stories-but true ones . They make you stop and think about life around you .I got the book Tales of Andersen at the age of 10 for Xmas .After more than thirty years I still have it and read it from time to time .
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- boutiqueshops boutiqueshops Nov 8, 2009 @ 8:09 am
- oh so beautifully done and a sweet reminder of so many favorites!
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- Evelyn_Saenz Evelyn_Saenz Apr 13, 2009 @ 10:02 am | in reply to spirituality
- Thank you, Squid Angel!
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- spirituality spirituality Apr 12, 2009 @ 10:10 am
- Great lens - you've been blessed by a squidoo angel :)
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- alteredkat alteredkat Mar 15, 2009 @ 2:21 pm
- Yes, it is hard keeping our Christmas lenses ranked this time of year...thanks for visiting mine, I quite enjoyed yours! :o)
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- monarch13 monarch13 Dec 21, 2008 @ 3:29 pm
- I have read "Twas The Night Before Christmas" to my kids every Christmas Eve for 19 years, this year I get to read it to my new Grandson! Great lens 5 stars and rolled to "The Symbols of Christmas".
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- groovyoldlady groovyoldlady Dec 18, 2008 @ 1:36 pm
- Nice...(as usual!)
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- RinchenChodron RinchenChodron Dec 15, 2008 @ 12:47 pm
- What a nice collection of stories. Well done *****
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- JJNW JJNW Dec 7, 2008 @ 2:33 am
- I'm just visiting some of my favorite Squidoo folks to say MERRY CHRISTMAS! Have a lovely one!
This is a charming lens, per your usual!
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- Mortira Mortira Nov 26, 2008 @ 12:00 am
- Great lens! I've rolled this over to Kid Lit! and of course added it to the Family Time holiday plexo!
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- OhMe OhMe Nov 14, 2008 @ 10:05 am
- Beautiful lens of some of my favorites. Lensrolling to A Christmas Tree in The White House - a great childrens book.
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- M_S_Beltran M_S_Beltran Nov 12, 2008 @ 11:08 am
- I am lensrolling this over to my "Holidays on a Shoestring" lens. Great job, as usualy. 5 stars!
Meet the Author of this Lens
Evelyn's Hands-On Learning Blog.
Find out what I'm up to when I'm not reading Christmas Tales:
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Evelyn Saenz: Lensography of a Teacher
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My passion is teaching and finding ways to teach children in fun, hands-on, creative ways. The unit studies I make on Squidoo reflect my view that learning should be integrated and no skills should be taught in isolation. I believe that each topic s...
by Evelyn_Saenz
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