First off, Happy Gaudete, the third Sunday of Advent:

When Rudi and I went to Iceland a number of years ago now, one of the fun things we pre-scheduled was to attend a “bedtime story,” in which we were read a Christmas picture book (and sated with cocoa and Christmas cookies).

We came home with copies of that book, which focused on the Yule Lads and which we’ve shared with friends over the years. But the real magic is in being read to, so I thought I’d share a few options with you.

First, while this isn’t the exact book we were read, it’s based on the same folklore: Christmas Is Coming by Jóhannes úr Kötlum with illustrations by Tryggvi Magnusson:

Next up, we have Sutton Foster reading us Memoirs of an Elf by Devin Scillian with illustrations by Tim Bowers:

Finally, a classic, The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg, read by the classic Liam Neeson:

Do you have a favorite holiday picture book you revisit every year?