Want to get your family in the holiday spirit, but sick of hearing the same old songs every day? Because someone in your brood can only hear "Baby It's Cold Outside" so many times before they smash the stereo to bits, you need a collection of great holiday audiobooks to listen to as a family, and I've got eight suggestions to get you started.
The holidays are a stressful time, so it's important to mitigate negativity where and when you can. Family squabbles will happen, sure, but having a fun and engaging story to listen to lessens the number of under-the-table kicks and he's staring at mes you'll endure this season. Plus, having a shared experience means that everyone can focus more on what's important. Sure, you could re-watch the Harry Potter movies and call it a day, but I think we can all agree that books are better.
With just eight titles on it, this list of holiday audiobooks to listen to as a family is nowhere near exhaustive, so, after you've finished up here, please be sure to share your own wintry favorites with all of us on Twitter, especially if you're celebrating a holiday other than Christmas, or a secular version of it.
Here are eight great holiday audiobooks for you to listen to as a family this year.
'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens, Read by Neil Gaiman
OK, so this isn't technically an audiobook, but it is an audio-version of a book, and it's free.
'Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins' by Eric Kimmel and Trina Schart Hyman, Read by Gildart Jackson
This Caldecott Honor Book tells the story of a man who saves a small town's Hanukkah celebration from a bunch of troublemaking goblins from the hills, using his wits and a dreidel.
'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever' by Barbara Robinson, Read by C.J. Critt
This year's church Christmas pageant might just be ruined. The adults have allowed the Herdman children to participate, even though everyone knows they're just a bunch of delinquents, and now they've cast Imogene Herdman and her brothers to play Mary, Joseph, and the Wise Men!
'The Story of Kwanzaa' by Donna L. Washington and Stephen Taylor, Read by Graham Brown
This picture book offers a concise, yet comprehensive, overview of the Kwanzaa tradition, complete with the Nguzo Saba and an examination of the holiday's place in African-American history.
'Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King' by William Joyce and Laura Geringer, Read by Gerard Doyle
What did Santa do before he delivered toys to tots? Turns out, he used his swordsmanship to seek out heavily guarded fortunes, like the one held within Santoff Claussen. William Joyce's Guardians of Childhood series is the basis for the Dreamworks animated film, Rise of the Guardians.
'The Legend of the Poinsettia' by Tomie dePaola, Read by Yareli Arizmendi
This Mexican Christmas fable stars a little girl named Lucinda who must find a gift for the newborn Baby Jesus when her mother falls ill and is unable to complete the blanket they had planned to offer.
'Christmas at Grandma's' by Donald Davis
Containing three stories about the Appalachian Christmases of his childhood, storyteller Donald Davis' audiobook is laugh-out-loud fun for the whole family.
'Skipping Christmas' by John Grisham, Read by Dennis Boutsikaris
Luther and Nora Krank want a break from the holiday hustle and bustle, so they book a Christmas cruise and refuse to take part in their annual baking, decorating, and celebrating traditions. If you've seen Christmas with the Kranks, you know that avoiding Christmas won't be as easy as they think.
