“For every child filled with eager anticipation about Christmas, I suspect there’s a mother wondering how she’ll manage all the extras that accompany the month of December,” writes Corrie Cutrer in this week’s featured article. Suspicions confirmed! December is a hectic and busy time. This week—no joke—our family of three children is somehow juggling four Christmas concerts and recitals. That’s on top of our normal busyness: before or afterschool clubs, hosting a midweek Bible study at our house, homework, dinner, and all things family life.

Cutrer puts forth a fabulous remedy that’s also part of our family Advent and Christmas season: holiday reading. In “10 Books You Should Read to Your Kids This Christmas,” Cutrer puts forth specific recommendations for family story time, bedtime reading, or Christmas gifts. Some are books you’ve heard of, others are hidden treasures you’ll discover for the first time. In addition to Cutrer’s ideas, I’ve compiled many more book ideas in this newsletter, including CT’s latest book awards, a list of suggested books-as-gifts for grownups, a list of great picture books, and an excerpt from a new Advent/Christmas book. May the treasure of reading create special moments for you with your kids—even during the many demands of December!