All I Want for Christmas

Back in February, Alexa of Alexa Loves Books and I teamed up to do something fun for Valentine's Day and we wanted to do for the same for Christmas! We absolutely love the holidays and today we're each sharing three of our favorite Christmas songs, movies and books.

Christmas Songs

"All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey | This kind of boggles my mind but I’ve been listening to this song every year since I was 11 years old (!). I have so many fond memories tied to it. I remember dancing to it for a middle grade Christmas show. Playing it in the car with my best friends while we sang along (badly). And it makes me think of Love Actually too (that little girl can sing!). For me, a Christmas playlist just isn’t complete without it.

"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" by Carrie Underwood | This is one of my favorite Christmas songs in general but Carrie Underwood’s version is far by the best I’ve heard. The vocals are amazing and I love that it’s mainly piano accompanying her. It’s so good!

"One More Sleep" by Leona Lewis | This is kind of a recent favorite. As in, I just heard it a few weeks ago for the first time and now I can’t stop playing it. It’s not a traditional song but as much as I enjoy the classics, it’s fun when artists come up with their own Christmas songs too. Especially if they’re as good as this one!

Christmas Movies

Note: My movie choices are totally going to make me seem like a really old person but I SWEAR I’M NOT.

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer (1964) | I’m going way old school here but when I was trying to think of Christmas movies, all of a sudden I remembered this one. I had the VHS when I was really young and I just loved it. It’s such a classic tale! I know there are more updated versions of it now, but I have a soft spot for the original.

Babes in Toyland (1986) | Another childhood favorite! There are two versions of this movie and the one I like is the remake with Annette Funicello. It’s musical where all the characters are from nursery rhymes and involves helping the Toymaker make toys in time for Christmas (lots of other craziness ensues though). I bought the DVD a few years ago and unsurprisingly, I still enjoyed it!

Home Alone | Who didn’t love this movie as a kid? I have vivid memories of watching this with my cousins and laughing a lot. I haven’t seen it in a while but I think a rewatch is in order!

Christmas Books

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn, David Levithan | Who doesn’t want to meet a cute guy at a bookstore? It’s been years since I’ve read this book but every Christmas, I consider rereading it. It’s just a fun book about young love, the holidays and New York.

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by Stephanie Perkins (editor) | I love the idea of bringing together a bunch of talented YA authors to write Christmas short stories. I feel like there’s something here for everyone (my favorites were by Rainbow Rowell, Matt De La Peña, David Levithan, Stephanie Perkins and Gayle Forman).

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis | I’ll be honest, I kind of forgot about this being a Christmas story! I’ve read it at least three times though (it’s been a while!) and I enjoy the movie a lot. Plus fantasy and a little bit of Christmas thrown in? So much yes.

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What are your favorite Christmas songs, movies and books?

And make sure to head over to Alexa's blog to see her answers!