A Frugal Advent and Christmas

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Advent and Christmas… I do not really want to think about that yet, but the clock is tick ticking and so I must. But I SHALL enjoy every last bit of fall first. We are having such a wonderful and prolonged fall that I don’t want to miss a bit of it. But back to Advent and Christmas! This year I really want to focus on Christ’s birth and its meaning for us, family and the value of a frugal and handmade Christmas.I want to slow down and create.

What do I mean by frugal?

By frugal I mean simple, I mean “home grown”, using what we have on hand Advent and Christmas. I want to focus on simplicity and beauty as well as meaningfulness. It seems that very often Christmas equals over consumption and an orgie of “things”. A “let the one with the most presents win” situation. This year I want to savor Advent, to really turn our gaze on Our Lady and Saint Joseph as they await our Savior’s birth, and then on Our Lord Himself for the Christmas season. And I want us to focus on giving instead of receiving. On bringing joy to others rather than to seek personal joy (which we all know will bring us personal joy anyways).

The plan

We will be following our usual Christmas traditions, of course, but with a focus on the Holy Family, on giving and on simplicity. That’s it, that’s the plan. 

We will drop most of our regular school work, we always do, and spend time crafting simple but meaningful gifts, cards and decorations. We will read a lot, enjoy the outdoors, and enjoy each other. I want to soak in this season and not just go through the motions. I am not sure yet how it will look in real life but in my head, there are lots of Advent carols playing, fires crackling, popcorn making, craft happening, puzzle completing and book reading.

The picture books

I have selected six picture books to focus on during this season. They are not overtly spiritual but they bring so much goodness that it is easy to tie them back to our faith. They are family and others centered and they have been pulling at my heart since this summer for just this season. These picture books were made to remind us of the beauty of simplicity, family love, caring for our neighbors and frugality. They are all by the phenomenal Patricia Polacco and have been cherished treasures of our Christmas picture book collection for a very long time. Each of these picture books will be highlighted weekly in a blog post that will come either on Sunday night or Monday morning. BUT! I have also created a complete Christmas Picture Book List for your enjoyment from the First Sunday of Advent to Epiphany! Download it here. And, of course, the Advent Calendar is available as well, if you did not get one last year, definitely get one this year, it is so fun and easy to keep Advent simple with it.

Gifts of the Heart

Straight from her childhood’s history Patricia Polacco brings us a story of a Christmas that could easily have been the saddest in her life but became one of the most unforgettable. Her family is going through tough times and does not have the money to spend on Christmas extras, But their new housekeeper Kay Lamity (how much I love her name! It always makes me chuckle) shows them the value of gifts of the heart instead of gifts from the store. I want to open Advent with this story to help my children understand the value of giving rather than receiving and how a gift of the heart is so much more valued than trinkets from the store. Stay tuned to the first week of December to discover how we will bring this picture book’s spirit to life in our home.

An Orange for Frankie

Another delightful tale from Patricia Polacco’s family! This one takes place during the Great Depression and recounts the generosity of Patricia’s grandmother, Stella’s younger brother, Frankie. This story of generosity, family and tradition is exactly what I want to instill in my children. We have loved this story for a long time, but we do brace ourselves as we always cry at the end (I did, just now, re-reading it). But these are good tears of gratitude for a beautiful life, a real life. Oranges will be on the menu for sure. Pop in on the blog during the second week of Advent for more details on bringing this book to life.

The Trees of the Dancing Goats

From the childhood of Patricia Polacco herself, this story of generosity, simplicity and devotion to others pulls at my heart’s strings. Patricia Polacco’s family is Jewish and is busy celebrating Hanukkah when an epidemic of scarlet fever  spreads through their small town. Patricia Polacco’s family jumps to make Christmas happen for their neighbors. We will be reading this story just on time this year, Hanukkah starts on December 14th. I love the Jewish festivals, I grew up celebrating many of them with neighbors. I can’t wait to introduce my children to the beauty of the Jewish faith and especially to this celebration of lights. Join us on the third week of Advent!

The Story of Christmas, Words from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, pictures by Jane Ray

Patricia Polacco does not have a Nativity story, but for this Christmas week, I really want to bring the focus on the Holy Birth.It is always so very hard for me to choose which Christmas story picture book we will focus on each year. They are all so very beautiful!This one is new to us as a stand alone, we’ve had it as part of a trilogy with Creation and Noah’s Ark for years. But because it is part of a trilogy I always forget about it. But this year I found it at the thrift store as a stand alone, so I really want to highlight it. I just love these illustrations! They are so unique and lovely and the gold accent just raises it to a whole new level! And Herod is the best! A grand villain, if I ever saw one!

Uncle Vova’s Tree

Epiphany is one of my favorite Christmas Season’s feast. In Uncle Vova’s Tree Patricia Polacco takes us along for a wonderful celebration full of family traditions. This one might be my favorite of her Christmas picture books. The beauty and the emphasis on the visit of the Three Kings just brings up the true spirit of the season to me: Christ, family, simplicity and celebration. This is a nostalgic and beautiful tale of family and celebrating the Christ Child. This picture book is a great way to bring us closer to the close of the Christmas season with joy in our heart and prepare us to celebrate the Solemnity of Epiphany, Sunday January 4th, 2026.

Baboushka and the Three Kings, Ruth Robbins, illustrated by Nicolas Sidjakov

This last picture book for our last Sunday of the Christmas season was chosen because I feel that it goes right along with Patricia Polacco’s Russian heritage. I completely relate to Baboushka, lol! I clean my house before I leave on a trip and I clean it when I come back. My kids think I’m crazy, they are probably right, but it’s my way of feeling that I have come home. Therefore Baboushka is one of my favorite folk tales. Because I can relate but also because it is always good to stop and ponder: what is keeping me from following Christ in this current season of life?

So here you have it, our Advent and Christmas season in picture books! Every Sunday night or Monday morning I will post a Picture Book Exploration for each of these books on the blog. These will be completely free for you and your family to enjoy. I have also prepared a complete Christmas Picture Book List for your enjoyment from the First Sunday of Advent to Epiphany! Download it here. I hope that it blessed your family abundantly this year!
Very blessed Advent!
Mattie