The holiday season is the perfect time for heartwarming, uplifting book club reads. When the weather outside is frightful, nothing beats cozying up with a festive novel or short story collection. December meetings let your book club get in the holiday spirit and enjoy friendly discussions - maybe over hot cocoa and cookies?
Read on to see what delightful holiday-themed books book clubs are reading in 2023, plus bonus tips on how to host a book club Christmas or holiday party.
Christmas book club books
These touching stories and amusing tales will sprinkle some yuletide cheer into your group. Select a festive option below that sounds appealing to your members - or offer a few options for them to vote on.
From beloved classics to contemporary works (including several just published in 2023), these holiday-flavored books will get your book club feeling jolly. Keep reading for our top holiday picks to read by the Christmas tree this December!
New Christmas Book Picks for 2023:
- Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey. A hilarious (and sexy) romcom about the adult children of two former rock stars who team up to convince their estranged mothers to play a Christmas Eve concert
- The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman. A Christmas romcom featuring four friends in New York City who hold onto their unconventional Christmas tradition even when their paths diverge
- Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop (new this year!) by Jenny Colgan. The new sequel to Colgan's beloved The Christmas Bookshop has an American production company filming a very cheesy Christmas movie at Carmen's shop.
- Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews. A Christmas romance where the small-town heroine trades in her family's Christmas tree farm in the mountains of North Carolina for the wilds of New York City.
- A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss. Three estranged -- and wildly different -- half-sisters must reunite to unlock their inheritance after their eccentric father dies
- The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan. Who doesn't love a book about book club? Four friends check into an historic inn for their annual book club holiday, not expecting their lives to become so entwined with that of the recently widowed inn owner.
- Non-fiction (memoir) pick: The Jolliest Bunch by Danny Pellegrino. Mix it up with this collection of heartful, hilarious and true stories of holiday family mayhem.
More Contemprorary Christmas Book Club Reads:
- Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah. From beloved author Kristen Hannah (The Nightingale, The Four Winds) comes this modern-day fable about a woman who gets a miraculous chance at happiness
- In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren. A holiday romance from romance superstars Christina Lauren that follows a down on her luck woman who is forced to relive Christmas over and over again in a holiday time loop
- Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory. A steamy romance that's meant to end on New Year's Day - or will it?
- The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox. Two identical twins swap lives twelve days before Christmas.
- The 13th Gift by Joanne Huist Smith. This true story about the power of random acts of kindness follows the author as she tries to keep her family together after the unexpected death of her husband.
Hanukkah Book Club Reads
- The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer. A Jewish Christmas romance novelist is stuck when forced to write a Hanukkah romance. To find inspiration, she is thrust back into contact with her summer camp archenemy.
- Kissing Kosher by Jean Meltzer. From the author of The Matzah Ball comes this hilarious and emotional rivals-to-lovers romance.
- Eight Dates and Nights by Betsy Aldredge. Two teens with two very different ideas of how to spend Hanukkah learn to work together to save the last Jewish remnant in small-town Texas in this cozy holiday romance!
- Miracles and Menorahs by Stacey Agdern. Sarah Goldman loves Hanukkah, and she’s thrilled to be appointed as vice chair of the Hollowville Hanukkah Festival. So when the festival is threatened with cancellation, she comes up with an idea: a new slogan and advertising campaign topped off with a metal menorah large enough to fill the center of town. But even though her heart and dreams are large, the committee’s budget constraints threaten to stop her grand plans right in their tracks.
- The Hanukkah Anthology. Edited by Philip Goodman. The Hanukkah Anthology delves into the stories and messages of Hanukkah as they have unfolded in Jewish literature over the past two thousand years: biblical intimations of the festival, postbiblical writings, selections from the Talmud and midrashim, excerpts from medieval books, home liturgies, laws and customs, observances in different nations, stories and poems, art, and recipes.
- The Golden Dreidel by Ellen Kushner. From award-winning fantasy author Ellen Kushner comes an unforgettable adventure inspired by Jewish folklore and tradition.
- The Jewish Cookbook by Leah Koenig. A rich trove of contemporary global Jewish cuisine, featuring hundreds of stories and recipes for home cooks everywhere.
Christmas Classics to Enjoy With Your Book Club
- The Autobiography of Santa Claus by Jeff Guinn. A mix of fantasy and history, this "autobiography" (the first in the Santa Chronicles series) combines history, legend and lots of imagination.
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. While not entirely centered on Christmas, this class novel includes memorable holiday scenes and celebrates the spirit of family.
- Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie. For those who want a little mystery with their holiday cheer, follow the famed detective as he investigates a murder on Christmas Eve.
- The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. A classic for a reason! Revisit the beloved novella that showcases the importance of charity, kindness and love.
- Bonus: Mr. Dickens and his Carol by Samantha Silva. This 2017 novel reimagines the story behind Dicken's Christmas classic.
Book club holiday party ideas
A holiday book club party is a wonderful way to celebrate the season with your fellow book lovers. Get together in December for a festive bash filled with delicious treats, joyful decorations, and holiday cheer.
Here are some of our favorite ideas to make your book club holiday party special:
- Host a cookie exchange - Have each member bake a batch of holiday cookies to swap and share. That way everyone goes home with a variety of festive treats.
- Make handmade book ornaments or decorations together - There are so many inspired holiday ornaments with a book theme! We love this one to commemorate all of your 2023 reading, but there are tons of additional ideas here (plus links to purchase if you're not the crafty type)
- Ugly sweater contest - Who can wear the craziest, most garish holiday sweater? Award a small gift or treat to the winner.
- Special holiday drinks - Serve up warm beverages like apple cider, hot chocolate, mulled wine, or holiday punch. Give them a festive touch with cinnamon sticks, whipped cream, or red and green sprinkles.
- White elephant gift exchange - Fun way to exchange random, amusing gifts. Set a low budget so it's not too expensive.
- Book swap - Have members wrap up a favorite book to exchange as gifts during a book swap activity.
- Host a potluck - Make your book club meeting special with a festive holiday spread like one of the many delicious dishes from the Artisanal Kitchen's Jewish Holiday Baking cookbook. You can use the Bookclubs potluck poll tool to facilitate sign-ups.
Happy reading, and happy holidays!