Christmas Book Club Books
The Christmas season is upon us and it’s time to bring the cheer into all the aspects of life! So let’s talk about which Christmas books lend themselves best to book club discussions. The Christmas book club books listed below each have more depth than the average Christmas novel, making them perfect picks for your book club!
I’ve read over a hundred Christmas and holiday novels, so believe me when I say, these are the one’s worth devoting a book club to! If you are looking for ways to make your holiday book club extra special, I’ve got a whole of holiday book club ideas for you too!
The Best Christmas Book Club Books
Each colorful block below represents the best book in a subgenre. Click on the arrow to reveal my “best” pick in any category. You’ll also be able to use a page jump to see more books in that section.
The Best Christmas Book Club Book of 2024
Kiss Me at Christmas by Jenny Bayliss – Jump to section
The Best Christmas Book Club Book of 2023
Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin & Marissa Stapley – Jump to section
The Best Christmas Book Club Book of 2022
Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss – Jump to section
The Best Christmas Book Club Book of 2021
Always, in December by Emily Stone – Jump to section
The Best Backlist Christmas Book Club Book
25 Days to Christmas by Poppy Alexander – Jump to section
*Post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through links result in a small commission to us at no cost to you. Some books have been gifted. All opinions are our own.
2024 Christmas Book Club Books
Plot
This marvelous Christmas story tells the tale of a newly renovated community theatre and the members trying to perform A Christmas Carol before the theatre is sold. It all started because 5 student were caught skipping school in said theatre by their guidance counselor – who takes the heat and offers their community service as payment so the landlord doesn’t press charges.
Harriet, the guidance counselor, was not expecting their ramshackle group to grow, and while she hoped the theatre could be an access to the community – she did not anticipate it becoming THE community hub. As she works to pull the production off, she is not expecting to partner with the landlord’s attorney – who happens to be a man she had a one-night stand with the night before.
Why Kirsten loves it
A lot is going on in this story in the best possible way. Some students bring talents and gifts to life as they earn confidence working on the production. Other community members find their place in the group and help mentor the children. There is romance, a fantastic production, and so much Christmas cheer. I also got choked up at the acknowledgment of Hanukkah and the mini celebration they have for one of the theatre members. Representation means so much.
Find this book in: Best Holiday Books / Christmas Book Club Books / Best Christmas Books Of All Time / New Christmas Books 2024
A Home for the Holidays
Author: Taylor Hahn
Year: 2024
Genre: Fiction
Spice Rating:💋💋
Age Range: 18+
Plot
This holiday fiction looks at grief, addiction, and motherhood. Mel loses her mother two weeks before Christmas, a special time of year for the two of them. When her mom’s estranged best friend, Barb, shows up on her doorstep, Mel learns about a side of her mother she never knew.
As Mel spends time with Barb and her family, she examines her complicated grief about her mother’s passing, begins to evaluate her own dreams of being a singer, and tries to get justice for a wrong done to her mother. All this comes with a side of Christmas spirit and a dash of romance as well.
Trigger Warnings
Loss of a Parent, Alchololism
Why Kirsten loves it
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this gritty Christmas novel, but I loved that it focused on complex grief. It’s important to acknowledge that sometimes the holidays aren’t merry & bright, parents aren’t always the best role models, and you can still change your life and right past wrongs at any age. This would be a great one for book clubs to discuss.
Find this book in: Christmas Book Club Books / New Christmas Books 2024
2023 Christmas Book Club Books
Three Holidays and a Wedding
Author: Uzma Jalaluddin & Marissa Stapley
Year: 2023
Genre: Holiday Romance
Spice Rating:💋💋💋
Age Range: 18+
Plot
Maryam and Anna find themselves on a plane from Denver to Toronto in the middle of the storm of the century, they have no idea that they will spark an unexpected friendship.
When the plane is diverted to a small town outside of Ottawa with no end to the snow, they all must change their plans. Anna is not able to make it to Toronto to spend Christmas with her boyfriend, and Maryam’s sister’s wedding is in jeopardy.
Why Jackie loves it
This is an enchanting Hanukkah, Ramadan, romance Christmas book for 2023 with a charming small town, a snowbound inn, and a touch of fate that brings everyone together. This is a holiday book at its very best. #gifted
Find this book in: Celebrity Romance Books / Best Books of 2023 / New Christmas Books of 2023 / Best Christmas Romances / Holiday Books / Best Christmas Books of All Time / Christmas Book Club Books
The Christmas Orphans Club
Author: Becca Freeman
Year: 2023
Genre: Fiction
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
On her first Christmas after the death of her parents, Hannah meets Finn, another orphan and together they decide to celebrate Christmas. It sparks a lifelong friendship, folding in two other friends into their annual holiday gatherings. But a dozen years into their tradition, life is about to change.
Hannah is engaged, Finn is about to move across the country, and they have some quarrels they need to fix. Will this be their best Christmas yet or the end of their friendship?
Why Kirsten loves it
I adore a found family story, which is why this book made my best-of-the-year list! I loved the deep look at friendship in this story. So often Christmas books revolve around romantic love and not platonic love – which is just as important! #gifted by Penguin
Find this book in: Christmas Books 2023 / Christmas Book Club Books / Best Books of 2023 / Best Christmas Books of All Time
A December to Remember
Author: Jenny Bayliss
Year: 2023
Genre: Fiction
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Jenny Bayliss is back with an exciting holiday book about the Winter Solstice. When Simone, Maggie, and Star, half-sisters with different moms, find out their father has died they also learn that to receive their inheritance, they must first solve a scavenger hunt and then relaunch the town’s Winter Solstice celebration.
The sisters don’t have a relationship outside of the one month each summer they all spend together with their father. Now, they are forced to work together and rebuild their sisterly bond.
Each sister is also working through something. One is a single mom facing eviction. One is struggling with infertility. And one is a bit adrift and trying to start over and settle down.
Why Kirsten loves it
I adored this holiday book about love and reconnection during the holiday season. It’s probably my favorite Christmas book for 2023. #gifted
Find this book in: Best Holiday Books / Christmas Books of 2023 / Christmas Book Club Books
2022 Christmas Book Club Books
Meet Me Under the Mistletoe
Author: Jenny Bayliss
Year: 2022
Genre: Fiction
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Nory, a used bookstore owner, is back in her hometown staying in a castle for her posh friend’s wedding. Reunited after years apart, this group of high school friends have lots of secrets and shared memories. But during the week-long festivities, Nory is drawn to her former childhood nemesis, Isaac, who now runs the castle grounds and gardens.
Why Kirsten loves it
I thought this would just be a charming Christmas romance novel, but it deals with the fallout from one of the friends in their group who had committed suicide a few years prior. Mental health, adultery, and classism are just a few of the heavier topics discussed in this book. #gifted by Penguin Random House
Find this book in: Christmas Book Club Books / Christmas Books for 2022
Plot
Emily Stone’s last book was my favorite Christmas book of 2021, so I knew I would love her newest book. This story is heartbreaking as well, but not in the same way.
Cassie has relied on her brother, Tom, since they were orphaned when she was 5. Each year, Tom creates a Christmas scavenger hunt for her, but after a sudden accident kills Tom, Cassie is left bereaved and celebrating Christmas without him. Until she finds his final scavenger hunt. As she begins to solve the clues, her heart begins to heal, and love forms as well.
Why Kirsten loves it
This book is like the Christmas version of P.S. I Love You in the best possible way. I adored this Christmas romance novel about grief.
Find this book in: Fiction Books about Grief / Christmas Books for 2022 / Christmas Book Club Books / Emily Stone Books Ranked
2021 Christmas Book Club Books
Plot
This tear-jerking story blew me away. It was a romance story for the first 30% of the book, but then it became something much deeper.
Josie mails a letter to her deceased parents every Christmas, but this Christmas she accidentally hits a stranger named Max with her bike on the way to the post box.
As she explores the holiday season with Max her feelings start to grow, but when he leaves unexpectedly, she’s left to deal with the aftermath of the impact he had on her heart. But fate isn’t done with their story yet as they bump into each other throughout the year.
Why Kirsten loves it
Probably my favorite Christmas romance book of 2021, this one is a tear-jerker for sure. I sobbed for the entire last 10% of the book and it will most likely, emotionally wreck you. This book is a testament to the healing power of love and the kind of impact each of us can make on each other.
I don’t want to spoil anything, but if you are looking for a Christmas book that ends with a bow and smile, you may want to look elsewhere. Despite this, we needed to include this on our list of best holiday books. #gifted by
Find this book in: Books That Will Emotionally Wreck You / Best British Books / Best Holiday Books / Best Christmas Books Of All Time / Best Christmas Romance Books / Christmas Book Club Books / Christmas Novels for 2021 / Emily Stone Books Ranked
Plot
Harriet has flown into the Hamptons for Christmas to help arrange her beloved grandma’s funeral. There, she bumps into Mack, a veteran amputee who used to correspond with Harriet during his time in Afghanistan. As they begin to reconnect over various Christmas festivities, they deal with the heaviness of grief and PTSD.
Trigger Warnings
PTSD
Why Kirsten loves it
I had tears rolling down my face numerous times while reading this story. I loved the mix of Christmas festivities and real-world heaviness too.
Find this book in: Christmas Novels for 2021 / Christmas Book Club Books
Plot
This heartwarming Christmas story deals with a few heavy topics, including childhood abuse and abandonment. Charlotte comes to her grandmother Ruby’s B&B with her sister and her mother for the Holiday Season.
She is shocked to see her old friend, Wyatt, has moved in next door with his daughter. But as her romance with Wyatt begins to bloom, dark feelings and sad memories stir for both of them.
Trigger Warnings
Child Abuse, Abandonment
Why Kirsten loves it
This is not so much a Christmas romance, as a story about forgiveness and overcoming childhood trauma.
Find this book in: Christmas Novels for 2021 / Christmas Book Club Books
Christmas by the Book
Author: Anne Marie Ryan
Year: 2021
Genre: Fiction
Spice Rating: 💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
This is kinda like Love Actually in a bookshop. Nora and Simon’s bookshop is failing, but that doesn’t stop them from anonymously sending out 6 Christmas books to locals who need cheering up.
We see how their gifted books inspire changes in the lives of the recipients, how much their bookshop means to the community, and how all the of their lives intertwine.
Trigger Warnings
Death of a Child, Suicidal Thoughts
Why Kirsten loves it
I cried a few times while reading this heartwarming tale, but it deals with some pretty heavy subjects like the death of a child and suicidal thoughts/depression. It’s a wonderful book for the holiday season. Any true book lover will adore this Christmas tale.
Find this book in: Christmas Novels for 2021 / Christmas Books Of All Time / Christmas Book Club Books
Christmas Book Club Picks from Years Past
25 Days ‘Til Christmas
Author: Poppy Alexander
Year: 2018
Genre: Fiction
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
I read 25 Days ‘til Christmas because I wanted a lovely, Christmas romance novel. The contemporary fiction story is about a single mother who decides to do an advent calendar of activities in the hopes of bringing life back to her home.
A cute guy befriends them and I thought I was getting the romance I was looking for. In actuality, the book takes a dark turn and deals with loneliness, depression, childhood disabilities, and grieving.
Trigger Warnings
Suicidal Thoughts
Why Kirsten loves it
It was so much deeper than I thought when looking at the peppy cover. I loved it. Truly. I wanted to personally walk into the pages of the book and lift her up when life knocked her down. I got the happy Christmas ending I wanted, but in a more meaningful way than I initially expected. I can’t recommend this one enough.
Find this book in: Christmas Books 2023 / Best Christmas Books of All Time / Mental Health Books / Christmas Book Club Books
Plot
Hornak takes series topics and makes them funny. This family drama book is about crazy coincidences and epic drama in one completely dysfunctional British family. What starts as a family spending a quarantine quietly in the family country home, turns into something from a soap opera. Every member of the family has their secrets and lies exposed.
Why Jackie loves it
This is a hilarious look at what happens when a family is quarantined together over the holidays. The entire time I was reading this quarantine isolation book, I kept thinking to myself that it should be a movie. When I first read this holiday book, I thought it was the perfect book for book clubs. Now, after a pandemic, there is so much more for book clubs to discuss.
Find this book in: Best Christmas Books of All Time / Christmas Book Club Books / Isolation Novels / Family Drama Books / Best Books of 2017
Last Christmas in Paris
Author: Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
Year: 2017
Genre: Historical Fiction
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
This book is written entirely in letter form between two friends during WWI. You will fall in love with the characters as they fall for each other. Evie is struggling to find a way to help out during WWI, while Thomas, her brother’s best friend, is struggling with the realities of battle.
Why Kirsten loves it
I just recently started reading WWI books and this one is high on the list. It is such a wonderful holiday book, it truly captures the essence of wartime romance and how love can bloom in the darkest of times.
Find this book in: WWI Books / Best Christmas Books Of All Time/ Books Set in Paris / Epistolary Novels / Best Romance Novels / Christmas Book Club Books
One Day in December
Author: Josie Silver
Year: 2018
Genre: Romance
More info: December 2018 Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick
Spice Rating:💋💋💋
Age Range: 18+
Plot
When Laurie sees a man through the bus windows, she just knows it’s love at first sight. But the bus drove away before she could do anything about it. While she desperately looks for him for a year, she meets once again – as the boy her best friend, Sarah is dating.
Over the next 10 years, readers are privy to the ups and downs of Jack, Sarah, and Laurie’s lives and relationships with one another.
Why Kirsten loves it
This is another holiday book I adored. This second chance love story takes place over 10 years and you’ll be rooting for this couple the entire time.
Why Jackie loves it
The perfect winter romance – this one is a bit steamy – that will have you smiling from ear to ear. I listened to this one from my local library, but it would be just as good in print.
Find this book in: Best Holiday Books / Winter Books / New Year’s Eve Books / Best Christmas Books of All Time / Christmas Book Club Books / Best Christmas Romance Books
Helpful Tip
- If you are choosing a book for your holiday book club and your members prefer to pick library books, choose a backlist favorite! They will be less likely to have long waits!
- These books make perfect gifts for the secret Santa I suggest in my holiday book club ideas article!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best book club books for Christmas?
Jenny Bayliss and Emily Stone are my go-to authors for book club books for Christmas. They write emotional stories with heavier topics that lend themselves well to deeper discussions.
What is the best Christmas book club book for 2024
So far this year, I love Jenny Bayliss’s Kiss Me at Christmas. There is so much to discuss and it will leave you with a smile on your face!
Related Content
Epilogue
Those are my favorite Christmas books for book clubs! Has your book club read a good Christmas story that generated a lively discussion? If so, let me know below!
2 Comments
Comments are closed.