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Christmas Books for Book Clubs: Festive Picks Worth Discussing

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Short answer

Pick by group. For a busy December, read Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, 128 pages with plenty to argue about. For big ideas, try Hogfather by Terry Pratchett. For a lighter meeting, choose Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella or The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett.

Short Christmas reads for a busy month

December is crowded, so start here if your members will read at the last minute. Each of these three can be finished in a few evenings, and each still gives a room something to disagree about.

  1. A Christmas Memory

    Truman Capote, 1956

    A short story of 45 pages in the book edition, told by a grown man looking back on a Christmas he spent as a seven-year-old boy with his sixtyish cousin, Miss Sook, who announces that it is fruitcake weather. It works for a group because a single scene carries a lot: love, poverty and what we remember from childhood. Ask: why does the narrator remember the baking more clearly than the gifts? What does the story gain from being told by the adult he became?

  2. Small Things Like These

    Claire Keegan, 2021

    A novel of 128 pages set in a small Irish town in 1985. Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and father, is making his deliveries in the weeks before Christmas when a visit to the local convent leaves him questioning his own past and a community that looks away. It is quiet and serious rather than cozy, which gives a club plenty to talk about. Ask: what does Bill risk by acting, and what does he risk by staying silent? Why do the neighbors look away?

  3. A Christmas Carol

    Charles Dickens, 1843

    Dickens's novella about Scrooge, three ghosts and a change of heart, first published in 1843. Most members think they know it from film, so reading the text often surprises them. Ask: which of the three visits does the most to change Scrooge, and why? Does generosity in the story solve the problem of poverty, or only ease it?

Christmas novels with plenty to discuss

These four take more than a couple of evenings. They give groups bigger themes to chew on, such as belief, grief, responsibility and growing up. Lengths are noted in each entry.

  1. Hogfather

    Terry Pratchett, 1996

    A Discworld novel in which the Hogfather, the world's version of Santa Claus, goes missing and Death and his granddaughter Susan step in to cover. The HarperPrism hardcover runs to 292 pages, so it is a full month's read for some groups. It suits a club that likes ideas, because the plot is really an argument about why we tell stories and keep rituals. Ask: why do the characters say belief matters so much? Which holiday traditions would you miss most if no one kept them?

  2. Christmas Holiday

    W. Somerset Maugham, 1939

    A young Englishman, Charley Mason, spends a Christmas in Paris, where he learns that his parents' comfortable middle-class world is not typical. Check the length of your edition. It is not festive in tone, which suits a club that wants a counterweight to sweeter December reading. Ask: what does the young man learn that his upbringing never taught him? Does the Christmas setting make the story harsher or gentler?

  3. The Christmas Mystery

    Jostein Gaarder, 1996

    Translated from the Norwegian by Elizabeth Rokkan, with this English edition first published in 1996. A boy is given an old advent calendar his father bought in a dusty secondhand bookshop, and each day's door hides a slip of paper with another piece of a story about a girl named Elisabet, who follows a lamb on a pilgrimage to Bethlehem. The setting is Christian, so check it suits your group. Listings give anywhere from 192 to 256 pages depending on the edition. A club can read one installment a day through Advent and meet at the end. Ask: why does the story keep reaching back through time? What changes when you read a story in daily pieces instead of all at once?

  4. Christmas with Tucker

    Greg Kincaid, 2010

    A prequel to the same author's A Dog Named Christmas, published by Doubleday in 2010 and about 190 pages. Set in Kansas in the winter of 1962, twelve-year-old George is grieving his father and keeping up the family farm as a blizzard hits, with his grandparents and an Irish setter named Tucker for company. It is gentle and sentimental, which suits a club that wants a warm evening without much homework. Ask: what does George take on that a boy his age should not have to? Is Tucker a comfort for George, or a way to avoid talking about his father?

Romance and cozy mystery picks for a lighter meeting

For the December meeting that is half book talk and half party. These three are fun to read and easy to retell, and each still has a question or two to sink into.

  1. Christmas Shopaholic

    Sophie Kinsella, 2019

    A Shopaholic novel, listed at 464 pages in paperback, so it is long for one month. Becky Brandon is asked to host the family Christmas and her ambitious plans go wrong, with an old boyfriend turning up as a rock star. It is a comic, family-centered read, and the friction between hosting and performing hosting is a good talking point. Ask: what is Becky really trying to prove with all her planning? Which family Christmas disaster would your group admit to?

  2. The Christmas Appeal

    Janice Hallett, 2023

    A mystery of 208 pages in the US Atria edition, told through texts, emails and police reports. An amateur theater group is staging Jack and the Beanstalk to raise money for a church roof, and on opening night the beanstalk splits open and reveals a dead body dressed as Santa. It is a follow-up to the same author's 2022 novel The Appeal, with the same village setting. A club can play detective together. Ask: which clue did you trust too early? How does reading a story through documents change who you believe?

  3. Hercule Poirot's Christmas

    Agatha Christie, 1938

    On Christmas Eve a domineering old man is found dead during a family reunion, and Poirot, who is spending the holiday in the village, offers to help. It is a country-house puzzle, and every relative had a reason to resent him. Check the length of your own edition before you choose it. Ask: whose motive did you find most convincing? Why do family gatherings make such good settings for secrets?

How to choose a Christmas book for your book club

Start with length. A December meeting is easier to fill when most members can finish the book, so the short picks come first and anything past about 350 pages is flagged as long. Next, decide the mood: a serious book gives a room more to argue about, while a lighter one suits a meeting that is half party. Then ask members which edition they can borrow or buy before you announce the title. Finally, look for a book with a question at its centre, such as why a character looks away or what a ritual is worth, because that is what keeps a group talking.

Christmas book club discussion questions

These questions work for almost any festive read, so keep them handy when a pick has no study guide.

  1. What would this story lose if it were set in July?
  2. Which character gives something away, and what does it cost them?
  3. Does the book treat tradition as comfort, pressure or both?
  4. Who is missing from the Christmas in this story, and how do the characters feel about it?
  5. Is the ending earned, or does it feel like the season doing the work?
  6. Which scene would you read aloud to the group, and why?
  7. If you could add one chapter, whose point of view would it be?
  8. What would you change about how the characters spend their holiday?

Want questions written for the exact book your club is reading? Try our book club questions tool to get discussion questions for your own book.

More Christmas book lists

For a wider list of festive reads, see best Christmas books. Buying for a friend? Try best books to gift for Christmas. Reading with children? See best Christmas picture books. All our reading lists are on the Books hub.

Questions readers ask

What is a good Christmas book for a book club?

Look for something short enough to finish in December and open enough to argue about. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan runs 128 pages and asks hard questions about community. A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote is 45 pages and leaves plenty to talk about. For a lighter meeting, try The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett.

How long should a December book club pick be?

A book under about 250 pages is easier to finish in a busy month. Books past about 350 pages are long for one month. If your group is short on time, choose a short story or novella, and tell members the date early so they can start before the holiday rush.

What are the best short Christmas books for a book club?

A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote is a 45-page short story. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan is a 128-page novel. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a short classic that most members can finish in a few evenings. All three leave enough to talk about for a full meeting.

Is there a Christmas romance or mystery that suits a book club?

Yes. Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella is a comic family story, though it is long at 464 pages. The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett is a mystery told in texts, emails and police reports, and Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie is a classic country-house puzzle.

Do book clubs read in December at all?

Some do, but the month is busy and attendance can be uneven, so a shorter pick or a lighter social meeting often works better. Some groups pick one short Christmas read, a story or novella, so everyone arrives having finished it. Ask your members before you choose.

Where can I find discussion questions for my own book club book?

Our free book club question tool builds a set of discussion prompts for a title you are reading. You can use it for a Christmas pick or for a book your group chooses in the new year. The general questions on this page also work for any festive read.

How we checked these books

Every title, author and year was checked against the publisher, retailer or library page below on. The notes on each book are our own.