Chels

For me, Christmas is all about nostalgia, from bringing down decades old decorations to trips down memory lane from my childhood. Online, though, it seems like a lot of us like to renew and refresh decorations, creating and following the annual trends. That’s fine, of course – we all celebrate differently – but I think this year’s trends are returning to that nostalgic feeling. Be it a Ralph Lauren Christmas, vintage colourful lights, or draping our houses in paper chains, it seems like the overall theme for Christmas 2025 is nostalgia.

This follows a much broader trend we’ve been seeing, particularly in the latter half of this year. There’s a real emphasis on slowing down, on embracing the analogue and taking a break from the overstimulation of modern life.

On a completely different note (trust me, I’m going somewhere), there’s also been a rise in the book community in criticism of celebrity children’s authors, and the modern children’s book culture. There’s a real sense of disappointment in the literature on offer for children, and it’s not without cause. Children’s literacy is much lower than it used to be, and while covid lockdowns during formative years are absolutely a factor in children in some age groups, it’s also no secret that children are simply reading less and being read to less. That’s where the criticism really comes in. There seems to have been an attitude shift in publishing that the content of children’s literature doesn’t matter as much as for adults, and having a celebrity name generate sales is more valuable than creating literature with a lasting impact. Of course, having to compete with technology affects this too, but it’s really disheartening to see that the huge variety of stories I remember on bookshop and library shelves from my childhood have been replaced by generic stories about bums and poo and child superheroes written by ex-singers and actors looking to generate a new income stream. Children are much more intelligent than they’re being treated, and they need stories by legitimate children’s fiction writers to guide them through their developing literary skills. 

And, since that was relevant, it’s been really interesting to see parents and teachers return to nostalgic stories to re-engage children and young people with reading. There’s been a real push for low stimulation television and films, screen free childhoods, and now more recently, engaging and meaningful children’s literature. This week, I want to share some of the stories that made my Christmases magical.

Teddy’s Christmas – Pete Bowman

Teddy’s Christmas was my absolute favourite Christmas book as a child. I looked forward to it every year. Teddy is a little bear trying to deliver Christmas cards to his woodland friends, but nobody is home. The book came with little cards in envelopes and pop up mailboxes, and it was such a sweet little story. Our copy was damaged through years of storage in the loft, and they’re no longer being printed, but I would love to find one again.

The Jolly Christmas Postman – Janet and Allan Ahlberg

The Jolly Christmas Postman is quite similar to Teddy’s Christmas, except in this story, the Jolly Postman has plenty of cards and gifts to deliver in Fairytale Land. Again, the book has little pull out cards and letters, and even includes the jigsaw puzzle delivered to Humpty Dumpty. Janet and Allan Ahlberg created so many classic childhood stories, including Each Peach Pear Plum and Funnybones. 

Kipper’s Christmas Eve – Mick Inkpen

The Kipper books and TV series are great low stimulation children’s media. They’re cosy and slow paced, perfect for curling up and feeling comforted. Kipper’s Christmas Eve is no different.

Raymond Briggs books

The Snowman is probably better known from the 1982 short film, but it was originally a book by Raymond Briggs, illustrator and author of children’s classic stories. The Snowman is told entirely through illustrations. For a book that can be read aloud, Briggs also created Father Christmas, another Christmas book with equally charming illustrations.

Julia Donaldson books

Julia Donaldson’s books aren’t necessarily festive in content, but since 2009, her children’s stories have been adapted into short films shown on the BBC on Christmas day. They’ve become a festive staple here in the UK, for children and adults alike (we always remember my granny’s reactions to watching The Stick Man for the first time). Through their role as Christmas day films, Julia Donaldson’s books have become part of Christmas. Some of them are quite festive, too – The Gruffalo’s Child is set in winter, and Santa helps the Stick Man get home to his family in time for Christmas.

Santa Claus – Rod Green

This is one of the books that inspired this post – a real nostalgic treat for me. This book is a beautiful hardback that takes the reader through the north pole and Santa’s workshop, with interesting facts like the origin of the teddy bear, to interactive elements including a map of Santa’s journey around the world. The book is so beautiful, and such a staple of my childhood. I remember poring over it every year, reading about the reindeer and the sleigh and Santa’s workshop.

As Christmas gets closer, I find myself reaching for the books, films, and shows that make me feel nostalgic and cosy. I’m very thankful to have grown up in a time where children’s literature was really cared about, and the stories given to us weren’t produced primarily to increase profit margins. I’ve seen a lot of people online returning to old favourites, either to enjoy the nostalgia themselves, or to pass along the magic to their children, and I’m glad our favourite stories aren’t being forgotten.