Mike is desperate to get a football for Christmas. Then one day in the middle of December, a box that looks the exact right size appears under his family’s Christmas tree. Mike just can’t handle the temptation! He convinces his sister Pat that they should open their gifts and play with them THIS INSTANT. And that’s what they do.

But on Christmas morning, the muddy football gives them away. After talking about the real meaning of Christmas and how some things are worth waiting for, Mike and Pat learn the benefit …

The day before Christmas, snuggled on his floor, Bear sleeps soundly with a great big snore….”

Bear’s friends are determined to keep Bear awake for Christmas! So they wake Bear up and have him help them find a Christmas tree, bake cakes, hang up stockings, and sing Christmas songs. Bear stays up — by discovering that giving is one of the best Christmas presents! How a SURPRISE visit from someone very special gives Bear and his friends a Christmas to remember makes an enchanting holiday story for young readers.

A simple story, lively collage-like illustrations and a fun gimmick for little hands…”

Don Franklin’s dog, Frank, is a bloodhound, so he can smell when something’s wrong. And a lot seems to be wrong in Don’s family. Mom and Dad are worried about money, especially with Christmas right around the corner and the threat of the mine closing. Don’s worried because he’s just discovered how dangerous Dad’s job in the mine is. And they’re all worried about getting Don’s little sister, Susan, what she wants for Christmas, when she won’t tell anyone but Santa Claus what it is. It looks as if Christmas …

That jolly late-night visitor and his magical, toy-filled sleigh are back in a beloved holiday classic to thrill new generations of readers and listeners.

Mercer Mayer’s very popular character stars in a getting-ready-for-Christmas picture book. Little Critter approaches Christmas with the intention of being a good helper. When he makes a mistake, he has a logical explanation. He couldn’t wrap the Christmas package because the tape got too sticky. He couldn’t buy his parents a present because there were too many toys to look at. He couldn’t put up the tree lights because they were just too tangled. Little Critter means well, but every funny illustration shows him as tangled up as the Christmas …

After destroying all of the gifts and decorations at home, Bad Kitty escapes from the car on Christmas Eve and finds a new friend who helps her learn the true meaning of Christmas.

Seven-year-old Buddy inaugurates the Christmas season by crying out to his cousin, Miss Sook Falk: “It’s fruitcake weather!” Thus begins an unforgettable portrait of an odd but enduring friendship between two innocent souls–one young and one old–and the memories they share of beloved holiday rituals.

Late one Christmas Eve after the town has gone to sleep, the boy boards the mysterious train that waits for him: The Polar Express bound for the North Pole. When he arrives, Santa offers the boy any gift he desires. The boy modestly asks for one bell from the harness of a reindeer. The gift is granted. On the way home the bell is lost. On christmas morning the boy finds the bell under the tree. The mother of the boy admires the bell, but laments that it is broken—for …

Readers of all ages will vividly remember trying to peek at hidden gift packages; writing scrolls of wish lists to Santa; and struggling to behave at formal Christmas dinner parties. Always in the background, we know Santa Claus is watching, soon to decide if David deserves a shiny new fire truck or a lump of coal under the tree. From playing with delicate ornaments to standing in an endlessly long line for Santa, here are common Christmas activities–but with David’s naughty trimmings. A surefire hit that is destined to be …