Remember the You Tube video of the boy opening a book for Christmas? If you don’t, it was widely viewed over the Internet as he cried and carried on about getting a book for Christmas. While my girls didn’t respond with quite the same level of disgust, I did feel like books were often quickly put aside in favor of seeing what the next package held.

A few years ago, I had an idea that has taken care of the ‘books for Christmas’ problem.

Everyone in our family is now super excited for the 12 days leading up to Christmas as we celebrate the 12 Books of Christmas.

Each day, the girls find a wrapped package at their breakfast spot. A book. They happily spend time flipping through the pages, looking at pictures and if time allows, reading.

As we approach the last day of the 12 Books of Christmas, I’ll be starting my list for next year. Just maybe, I look forward to the 12 days before Christmas a bit more than the real day…