This is another unusual Christmas tale because the main character, Welcome Comfort, is a foster child who is befriended by the school janitor. I don't want to spoil any suprises but I love Polocco's idea of who Santa Claus really is.
Forget about the monstrocity of a movie created with the same name. Oh no! Instead curl with the book and some hot chocolate and you'll be greatly rewarded.
Wombat Devine by Mem Fox is a good Christmas story for the younger set. Poor wombat wants to be part of the Christmas pageant, but bumbles all the parts he tries to play, the rest of the animals work with him and they come up with an idea for wambat to be included too.
Author Illustrator Grace Lin and her husband Robert got several illustrators to decorate snowflakes which were auctioned off to raise money for cancer research. in order for more people than the lucky new owners to enjoy the snowflakes they created this beautiful book. You can read more about it here
It's fun to look for illustrations by some of your favorite illustrators like this one by Ian Falconer.
The Night Before Christmas
The Christmas Alphabet
And his newest book, Christmas, which is actually a small book designed to be a stocking stuffer. It uses some of the Christmas Alphabet pop-ups to spell Christmas.
Patricia Polocco has several holiday books, and this is certainly not the most popular, but it's my favorite. There aren't many picture books out there that involve both Christmas and Hannukah and this one combines them so beautifully.
I'm borrowing the publisher's description:
TRISHA LOVES THE eight days of Hanukkah, when her mother stays home from work, her Babushka makes delicious potato latkes, and her Grampa carves wonderful animals out of wood as gifts for Trisha and her brother. In the middle of her family's preparation for the festival of lights, Trisha visits her closest neighbors, expecting to find them decorating their house for Christmas. Instead they are all bedridden with scarlet fever. Trisha's family is one of the few who has been spared from the epidemic. It is difficult for them to enjoy their Hanukkah feast when they know that their neighbors won't be able to celebrate their holiday. Then Grampa has an inspiration: they will cut down trees, decorate them, and secretly deliver them to the neighbors. "But what can we decorate them with?" Babushka asks. Although it is a sacrifice, Trisha realizes that Grampa's carved animals are the perfect answer. Soon her living room is filled with trees-but that is only the first miracle of many during an incredible holiday season.
Based on a long cherished childhood memory, this story celebrates the miracle of true friendship.
Mr. Merriweather begins his holidays season with his usual strand of lights and wreath on the door, but after being goaded by a neighbor he becomes determined to put together an amazing Christmas Extravaganza. It gathers so much attention that is makes the neighbors anger and Mr. Merriweather is so caught up in decorating that he doesn't have time left for his family. 
The six Herdman children have the reputation of being the worst kids in town so church members shudder when the Herdmans show up to be in the Christmas Pageant after hearing the cast gets free cake. I know this is a Christmas classic that most of you are familiar with, but I've been surprised the number of people that I've recently met who have not read this book. It's hilarious and heartwarming. This is a great book for those who wail that Christmas has become too commercial and want a reminder of what it's areally all about.
One of my best friends' family reads this together every Christmas because it one of the few Chrismtas books that appeals to both the young and old.
The book begins:
Then it goes on to cover how Santa carefully prepares for Christmas and has some hilarious illustrations of Santa testing the toys. My favorite line is, "He gives the exact right toy to the exact right kid, 99.9% of the time . . . no one is perfect. Not even Santa Claus." I can picture many a parent referring to this picture book when a child is upset that Santa didn't bring them what they wanted.
The illustrations are simple with a lot of white space and the text is short so it's a great book to read with a toddler, but older kids will enjoy it too because it's really quite funny and of course Marla Frazee's Santa is very endearing.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusack
The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
