I have been wanting to talk about our Christmas tree decorations and how we buy one each year. I feel like I’ve spoken about this in the past on my social media but wanted to have it on my website as well as finding something new to talk about. I have also been wanting to write a list of book recommendations.

I saw BooksNest video and loved Beth’s idea which combined the two. I realised it is something I could do with some of our decorations.

So here are books inspired by our Christmas decorations.

1- Named decorations

Book written by/where a character has the same name as you.

I really struggled with this one, I don’t think there are many Abigails in the literary world. Let me know if there’s some obvious ones I’ve forgotten.

I’ve heard great things about Abi Elphinstone’s books so I am moving them higher up my to-read list.

2- Snowflakes

There are two categories these fall under. My Mum purchased some glass snowflakes for her Christmas tree many years ago. They have always been my favourite Christmas tree decoration and I have looked for similar decorations for my own tree for years. I love how they capture the light.

She went to the German Christmas Markets and found some similar snowflakes, they capture the light beautifully and I love them on our tree.

A book from my childhood

My Naughty Little Sister has to go in this category, I remember reading it under my covers late at night
Ballet Shoes was another classic that I read over and over again.

Book set in Winter/snow

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a must for this category.

3- Nativity scenes

As Christians we try to have a focus on the Saviour at this time of year.

A book focused around family

Little Women is an all-time favourite. I love the March sisters and the movie adaptations are fantastic.

4- Our suitcase

While we were living abroad in Canada we bought this at a little Christmas Market in Vancouver.

Books about travel.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Love & Gelato (Love & Luck and Love & Olives are on my to-be-read list)
My husband insists I add Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit to this category because “they are the ultimate travel books.”

5- Jane Austen books

Dane bought this one for me as a present one year when I got back into reading in a big way.

A book about books or writing

Again two recommendations for this category

The Library of Unrequited Love is one I picked up on a whim. I loved the cover. It’s a Librarian’s monologue and I loved it.
Tilly and the Book Wanderers is another great book for 8-12 year olds, about Tilly who one day realises that her favourite characters are appearing in her Grandparent’s bookshop.
Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space this was a fantastic book that is really needed. As someone who has had a hidden disability this book is a really important read. It’s a non-fiction book which compares the author’s experiences with a disability and analyses how disability is portrayed in the stories we grow up with as children.

6- London heart

This was last year’s addition, we spent so much of 2019 travelling back and forth to London for a course Dane was on that I felt we needed to document it in some way. I love this heart we found.

A book set in London

The Shades of Magic trilogy is based in four parallel Londons and captured me from the beginning.

7- Glass ornaments

As previously mentioned, I love how glass captures the light. We attend the Bath Christmas Market every year (apart from 2020 - thanks COVID) and I bought some of the Bath Glass icicles for our tree.

A book that mentions glass

Greenglass House is another great book for 8-12 year olds, it’s set at a Smuggler’s Inn, lots of guests turn up unexpectedly Christmas week and there’s mysterious things going on. Milo the innkeeper’s adopted son decides to try and decipher the clues and solve the mystery.

8- Baubles

I don’t think trees are complete without this classic Christmas decoration.

A classic

I struggle to choose my favourite Austen, I am torn between two:

Pride and Prejudice

Persuasion

Another classic that I absolutely adore is

North and South, Gaskell’s writing is a mix of Austen’s romance and Dickens’ grittiness.

9- Love

Honestly, I’m struggling to remember when I got this decoration, but I think it’s beautiful. I want our home to be a place filled with love and joy (we have a ‘joy’ decoration in the same style).

A romance

Every now and then when life is super crazy, I fancy a cute, simple romance novel. Two light romances came to mind (there are more I have enjoyed):

10 Blind Dates - Sophie’s boyfriend breaks up with her just before Christmas and she spends the holidays at her Grandparent’s house. Her extended family each take turns setting her up on dates. Some dates aren’t too bad, others are complete disasters. It’s a cute, festive read.

Alex, Approximately is similar to You’ve Got Mail, it’s a cosy romance and Alex is a film geek. I’m married to a film geek, so of course, I love it.

10- The year we stayed at home

This year’s decoration is a beauty. I fell in love with it when I saw it and showed it to a friend of mine who immediately ordered it for her tree too.

A cosy home read

I feel like all the books previously mentioned are cosy home reads but I’ll add the following:

Other Words for Home is a lovely book. Jude leaves her hometown in volatile Syria with her mother to live in Cincinnati. Life in America is very different and she experiences so many new things, including lots of new hardships. I’ve put it in this category because Jude has such a love for her culture and her home.
The Simple Wild felt super cosy to me, Calla travels from Toronto to Alaska to see her dad Wren, she learns about rural life in Alaska. The small town community has a feeling of family and I loved this read. I can’t remember if this had a bit of a sexy scene, so just be aware if that’s not something you want to be reading.

So there you have my (a lot more than) ten recommendations for books I have enjoyed inspired by my Christmas decorations.

I would love to know what books you would put in these categories or which categories your Christmas decorations would inspire.

Books inspired by my Christmas decorations