33 Best Christmas Books For Adults

Celebrate the holidays and get in the spirit with the best Christmas books for adults set across the globe.

Nothing beats timeless and classic Christmas books for adults like Dickens’ A Christmas Carol or Valentine Davies’ Miracle on 34th Street.

And, many avid readers devour beloved authors such as Kristin Hannah, Agatha Christie, Debbie Macomber, Richard Paul Evans, and Jenny Colgan, each of whom has penned some of the most popular Christmas novels for adults of all time.

Here at TUL, we cannot resist uplifting Christmas stories set across the globe in major cities as well as small towns that make us think more deeply, emphasize community and friendships, and even make us shed a tear or two.

Of course, we appreciate a good thriller or mystery too.

So, if you are looking for the best adult Christmas books this season, how do you choose?

Below, find sweet, romantic, and funny Christmas books for adults – both old and new – sure to get you in the holiday spirit.

We’ll even mention a few esoteric nonfiction titles too. Let’s get started!

Explore more on our seasonal book lists.

Grab the best adult Christmas books here:

• Audible Plus: From Amazon, listen to Amazon Originals, podcasts, and audiobooks. They add new titles every week.
  
• Book of the Month: Get the month’s hottest new and upcoming titles from Book of the Month. You might snag an early release or debut author. Along with selecting a book a month, find terrific add-ons, both trendy and lesser-known titles.
  
• Amazon Prime Video – Stream thousands of ad-free movies and TV series on demand with Prime Video.

33 Best Christmas Books For Adults

By Tori Curran

1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Greedy old miser Ebenezer Scrooge despises Christmas and the spirit of giving. He only gives his underpaid employee Bob Cratchit off in accordance with societal norms.

When the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, visits him – bound by chains and money boxes – Marley suggests a similar fate for him along with a single chance at redemption.

The ghosts of Christmas past, present, and yet-to-come haunt Scrooge, forcing him to witness numerous Christmas celebrations.

It is the meager festivities at the Cratchit residence, though, where the ghosts introduce him to Tiny Tim, Cratchit’s seriously ill – yet, jovial son – who encourages Scrooge to reconsider his life choices.

One of the most famous classic Christmas books for adults, A Christmas Carol embodies the spirit of Christmas and is perfect if you enjoy time travel novels and ghost stories.

Read A Christmas Carol: Amazon | Goodreads

2. Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva

Follow a fictional account of what inspired Charles Dickens to write one of the best adult Christmas books of all time.

When his recent book flops, Dickens is given an ultimatum: write a Christmas book or his publishers will collect his debts.

Dickens finds inspiration in Eleanor, who he meets on an evening London walk.

Eleanor thrusts him into a Scrooge-inspired journey that will change his perspective on generosity, love, and ambition, as well as ignorance and want.

Read Mr. Dickens and His Carol: Amazon | Goodreads

3. Comfort and Joy by Kristin Hannah

After a recent divorce, Joy can’t seem to muster the same excitement for Christmas. Alone, she boards a plane headed for the Pacific Northwest.

But when the plane crashes and Joy limps away as a survivor, her life changes course.

She meets Bobby, who is struggling with his first Christmas without his mother, along with Bobby’s father, who wants to help his son heal.

While Joy bonds with the grieving family, this isn’t one of those sappy romance Christmas books for adults.

With elements of faith and magical realism, Hannah delivers an unexpected holiday story.

Read Comfort and Joy: Amazon | Goodreads

4. The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan

Known for her darling rom-coms, Colgan also pens some of our favorite Christmas novels for adults, including The Christmas Bookshop.

Carmen, who was recently laid off, moves in with her perfect sister (and her perfect family), accepting a job reviving a shabby bookstore.

Thrust into the bookshop and historic streets of Edinburgh, Carmen begins to breathe life into herself and her job.

Plus, the charming author who takes an interest in the bookshop isn’t so bad.

The perfect blend of sweet and spicy, The Christmas Bookshop is a delightful holiday page-turner.

Read The Christmas Bookshop: Amazon | Goodreads

5. Jingle All the Way by Debbie Macomber

For more authors who write multiple Christmas books for adults, you can’t go wrong with Debbie Macomber.

Everly’s spiteful assistant is at it again. This time, instead of booking a luxury beach vacation, she sends Everly off to the rainforest on an Amazon Cruise.

It’s not how she envisioned spending a much-needed December off.

But, there’s a handsome naturalist on board, and he helps Everly see more than just the beautiful scenery; she reconsiders her priorities, as well as a future with Asher.

With the cruise coming to an end and Everly’s family holiday party on the horizon, though, will she take a chance on love?

Read Jingle All the Way: Amazon | Goodreads

6. The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans

Death, sentimentality, and sacrifice make their way into one of our favorite but somber classic Christmas books for adults.

Richard and Keri move into a large Victorian mansion with their baby to care for its widowed owner, Mary.

With Christmas approaching, Mary grows concerned, even fixated, with Richard’s workaholic nature and his lack of time with his family.

It is not until Mary is on her deathbed – where a sorrowful secret and the origin of Mary’s Christmas box are revealed – that Richard understands.

Originally self-published for his own children, Evans ended up writing one of the best adult Christmas books of all time.

Read The Christmas Box: Amazon | Goodreads

7. Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand

Kelley Quinn is looking forward to getting his family together at his Winter Street Inn for Christmas.

But when he catches his wife kissing Santa Claus, chaos ensues.

With each of his four children unavailable or preoccupied with their own dysfunctions and commitments, Kelley may have to turn to his first (and ex) wife, Margaret, to save the holidays.

Can the Quinn family survive an unplanned pregnancy, a love triangle, a deployment, and a house fire?

Bring on the shots of whiskey for one of our top funny Christmas books for adults.

Enjoy even more great books perfect for your winter reading list.

Read Winter Street: Amazon | Goodreads

8. The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman

Translated into English by Alice Menzies

A father and son are seeing one another on Christmas Eve for the first time in years.

With the clock ticking, the father has an important story to tell of a sick girl with cancer in a hospital bed a few miles away.

As he reveals more about the girl, he also begins sharing more about himself, including his regrets as a parent.

Before he can do something to change this little girl’s future, the father must ask what his own life has meant.

Sentimental and meaningful, The Deal of a Lifetime is one of the best Christmas books for adults who enjoy It’s a Wonderful Life.

And, if you’ve read Backman before, you know he is a master at human nature and emotional expression, writing some of the most poignantly heartfelt and (sometimes) saddest books of all time.

Explore even more great books from Sweden.

Read The Deal of a Lifetime: Amazon | Goodreads

9. One Day in December by Josie Silver

Laurie isn’t one to believe in love at first sight until she sees, through a foggy London bus window, a man she just knows is the one.

While she spends the next year frantically searching for him at bus stops, fate would have it that they are reunited at a Christmas party when he is introduced as her friend’s boyfriend, Jack.

What follows are ten years of missed opportunities, heartache, friendship, and drama.

Not all of our romance Christmas books for adults have a happy ending.

Read One Day in December: Amazon | Goodreads

10. Letters From Father Christmas by J.R.R Tolkien

Also known as the Father Christmas Letters, Letters From Father Christmas is a collection of letters written and illustrated by Tolkien from Father Christmas to his children.

The letters, which also include those by an elvish secretary, depict the silly and sometimes outlandish adventures of Father Christmas and his helpers – including a polar bear and its cubs – at the North Pole.

Fans of Lord of the Rings will appreciate that this collection is often considered a fantastical precursor to Tolkien’s masterpiece.

Read Letters From Father Christmas: Amazon | Goodreads

11. The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

We all know the story of The Gift of the Magi, one of the most heartbreaking classic Christmas stories for adults.

A husband and wife with little money go to great lengths to secretly buy Christmas presents for one another.

While the wife has sold her gorgeous long hair to afford a pocket watch chain for her husband, the pocket watch becomes an item to barter with for a gift itself.

While endearing, the somber surprise ending delivers an important message about gift-giving and the meaning of Christmas.

Read The Gift of the Magi: Amazon | Goodreads

12. Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas is where classic Christmas books for adults meet a tantalizing mystery.

Christie’s famed Poirot is back at it with an impossible-to-solve crime: when a family gathers for Christmas, they find their host, Simeon, murdered in a private room.

But, the family was already skeptical of Simeon and his gathering, and the police seemed to arrive without being called – and that’s just the beginning.

If you know Agatha Christie’s work, you know this is an epically crafted mystery that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Read Hercule Poirot’s Christmas: Amazon | Goodreads

13. A Magical New York Christmas by Anita Hughes

For Christmas books for adults that promise to transport readers to New York, find yourself at none other than the famed Plaza Hotel at Christmastime.

Sabrina can’t believe it when she’s given a paycheck and six nights in a suite at the hotel from her childhood (we all remember Eloise!) to ghostwrite a memoir.

Her week is complicated, though, when Ian, a handsome and wealthy London gentleman, introduces himself at the bar.

He assumes Sabrina is wealthy, and she doesn’t correct him.

But Ian has his own secrets. As the week unfolds, will the truth come out?

If you love A Magical New York Christmas, find even more fantastic books set at hotels across the globe.

Read A Magical New York Christmas: Amazon | Goodreads

14. The 13th Gift: A True Story of a Christmas Miracle by Joanne Huist Smith

After Joanne Huist Smith unexpectedly loses her husband, keeping herself strong for her kids around the holidays seems impossible.

Until, 12 days before Christmas, presents begin appearing on their doorstep with notes from their “true friends.”

As the family works to uncover who is sending the gifts, a little bit of Christmas magic begins to slowly resurface.

One of the best adult Christmas books for nonfiction readers, The 13th Gift will have readers crying and smiling, reminding us all of what the holidays are all about.

Discover even more books that make us look at the world differently.

Read The 13th Gift: Amazon | Goodreads

15. One Last Gift by Emily Stone

Cassie and Tom lost their parents young, learning to rely on their community, including Tom’s best friend Sam, whom Cassie has always had a crush on.

But now, Cassie has lost Tom, as well, and she hardly recognizes Sam as they drift apart.

When Cassie finds an envelope with her name, she knows it’s the annual Christmas scavenger hunt her brother Tom has always set up for her – a heartbreaking final one.

Cassie soon embarks on a journey, desperate to keep this last connection to Tom alive.

Cassie will travel from London to the French countryside, reconnecting with friends, love interests, and most importantly, herself.

For newer Christmas novels for adults, One Last Gift examines grief but also hope. Find even more must-read books released in 2022.

Read One Last Gift: Amazon | Goodreads

16. Christmas at the Island Hotel by Jenny Colgan

Colgan writes some of the best adult Christmas books – it’s no surprise that she appears here twice!

During Christmas at the Island Hotel, head to the tiny island of Mure between Norway and Scotland where a new hotel is opening.

Flora, a new mother, and her brother Fintal are working tirelessly to get it ready for Christmas.

Meanwhile, the kitchen staff, including Isla and Konstantin, grow closer. But Konstantin has a secret: he’s the only son of a duke, sent to the hotel to learn what it is like to work for a living.

As the holidays and the hotel’s grand opening grow closer, it isn’t just Konstantin who needs to keep the truth under wraps.

Read Christmas at the Island Hotel: Amazon | Goodreads

17. Last Christmas in Paris: a Novel of World War I by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

In August of 1914, Evie Elliot – as well as her brother Will and his friend Thomas – believe the Great War will be over by Christmas.

They dream of a celebration among the streets of Paris.

As they’re proven wrong, Evie longs to contribute more, while Thomas becomes entrenched in the realities of war.

Letters to one another, however, provide solace. Will love in the middle of a war bloom from afar?

We love Christmas novels for adults that transport us to Paris, and this one will span four years through Europe during WWI.

Explore more France-based books to read.

Read Last Christmas in Paris: Amazon | Goodreads

18. All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox

We just love Maggie Knox, a writing duo responsible for sweet and funny Christmas books for adults like The Holiday Swap.

Knox returns with a cheerful story of Sadie and Max, two country singers on the hit reality show Starmaker.

They couldn’t be more different; yet, they are forced to match up for a duet.

Their on-stage chemistry is a hit, and the producers of the show give Sadie and Max an ultimatum: remain a duet or quit the competition.

Though they cannot stand one another in real life, they agree to the terms. Will this be a Christmas trope of enemies to lovers?

Or will Sadie and Max watch their dreams slip away?

We just love books about music, musicians, and the music industry.

Read All I Want for Christmas: Amazon | Goodreads

19. The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss

Looking for even more funny Christmas books for adults? Bayliss’ holiday rom-com has been described as utterly hilarious.

Kate has all but sworn off romance. Besides, she has enough to do with work and baking for her friend Matt’s café.

When her friend signs her up, however, for a dating agency aimed at finding love for the holidays, Kate believes the odds must work out.

Twelve dates in twelve days… What could go wrong? For Kate, absolutely everything. Each date fares worse than the previous.

But, sometimes love lurks where we least expect it. Perhaps her match has been there the whole time.

Read The Twelve Dates of Christmas: Amazon | Goodreads

20. The Paper Bag Christmas by Kevin Alan Milne

Mo needs a dose of reality when it comes to the Christmas spirit.

He, along with his brother, is recruited by Dr. Ringle, who moonlights as Santa at the mall to help deliver Christmas cheer to cancer-stricken kids in the hospital.

At first, Mo finds this challenging, especially when he is tasked with cheering up an angry girl who is so embarrassed by her scarred face that she keeps it covered with a paper bag.

But both Mo and this little girl have a thing or two to teach one another.

The meaning of Christmas, Mo learns, is found where you least expect it – as is beauty, as the little girl comes to realize.

At 161 pages, this is one of the shorter Christmas books for adults on this list that still packs a meaningful punch.

Read The Paper Bag Christmas: Amazon | Goodreads

21. The Christmas Dress by Courtney Cole

Meg must leave behind her hopes of making it in the fashion business to head home to Chicago to manage her late father’s apartment building.

The residents all need her help now.

She’s embarrassing herself in front of the handsome handyman, and the building is all but falling apart. It will surely be the worst Christmas ever.

But Ellie, an elderly resident with whom Meg strikes up a friendship, is about to change that. Ellie gifts an old dress with a big story to Meg, inspiring their own happy endings.

The Christmas Dress will most appeal to readers looking for Christmas novels for adults with themes of friendship, family, and love.

Read The Christmas Dress: Amazon | Goodreads

22. Snowed in for Christmas by Sarah Morgan

Lucy Clark anticipates spending Christmas alone… And, losing her job, unless Ross Miller accepts her business proposal.

Lucy just has to bring the proposal to his family home and duck out before she interrupts their holiday.

When she shows up, though, she is mistaken for Ross’s girlfriend. By the time the mistake is cleared, it’s too late. Lucy is snowed in with the Miller family.

Will this be the best or worst mistake of her life?

Read Snowed in for Christmas: Amazon | Goodreads

23. A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote

For more classic Christmas books for adults, we can’t skip Truman Capote.

A Christmas Memory tells the story of Capote’s own holiday memories of making fruit cake and sharing the season with his older cousin.

Capote only needs 48 pages to deliver one of the most heartfelt and meaningful Christmas novels, full of life, love, and tradition.

Read A Christmas Memory: Amazon | Goodreads

24. 11 Days in December: Christmas at the Bulge 1944 by Stanley Weintraub

During Christmas, in 1944, Allied forces try to stop Nazi soldiers from retaking Belgium.

As the Germans challenge them, General Patton knows he needs a Christmas miracle: clear skies for air reinforcement.

For more history-based adult Christmas books, Weintraub beautifully tells the story of an epic battle and a holiday miracle that transforms into a turning point in the war.

Discover even more books about World War 2.

Read 11 Days in December: Amazon | Goodreads

25. The Christmas Spirit by Debbie Macomber

We all know Debbie Macomber writes some of the best Christmas books for adults; it’s only natural she gets a second mention with The Christmas Spirit.

Best friends Peter – a pastor – and Hank – a bartender – couldn’t lead more different lives or serve more different clientele.

Constantly bickering about whose job is harder, they decide to switch roles the week before Christmas.

As they learn that their jobs aren’t as different as they thought, a new respect for one another comes to light as well as new love interests.

Read The Christmas Spirit: Amazon | Goodreads

26. When Christmas Comes by Andrew Klavan

A brutally murdered librarian, a lonely English professor, and an Army Ranger have the makings of an epic yuletide mystery.

In the festive small town of Sweet Haven, the elementary school librarian is found murdered. Her Army Ranger boyfriend has confessed, but something doesn’t add up.

With no one wanting to investigate a war hero, in steps an English professor who is still haunted by his own holiday demons.

Can he solve the mystery and heal his own trauma in doing so?

For the best adult Christmas books on our list, When Christmas Comes is full of twists, flawed characters, and just the right amount of small-town drama.

Find even more great books about libraries and librarians.

Read When Christmas Comes: Amazon | Goodreads

27. Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies

No list of contemporary and classic Christmas books for adults is complete without Miracle on 34th Street.

An elderly gentleman named Kris Kringle fills in for a drunken Santa at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. He does so well that he is hired as Santa for Macy’s on 34th Street in New York City.

Kris convinces so many that he is the real Santa Claus, it prompts a court hearing about his mental health and his authenticity.

It’s up to a lawyer and a little girl to save Santa!

Read Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies: Amazon | Goodreads

28. The Holiday Trap by Roan Parrish

Uncover an LGBT rom-com with not one but two holiday romances.

Greta is a lesbian in small-town Maine with a family whose meddling has crossed a line. Truman, all the way in New Orleans, has just learned that his boyfriend has a secret family.

A mutual friend suggests they swap for the holidays and both jump at the chance to get away and discover love again.

But all holidays must come to an end, and Greta and Truman have difficult decisions to make.

Read The Holiday Trap: Amazon | Goodreads

29. Santa Claus: A Biography by Gerry Bowler

Santa Claus is an informative look at the world’s most famous fictional character.

Bowler examines the origins of Santa Claus and the history of Saint Nicholas. From culture to capitalism, there is no aspect of Santa that is off-limits.

Did you know Santa had political affiliations? Or that Coca-Cola may not be responsible for our modern-day Santa Claus imagery?

Without a doubt, this is one of the best adult Christmas books (save this one for when the kids are asleep!) that will teach you everything you never knew you needed to know about Santa.

Read Santa Claus: Amazon | Goodreads

30. The Battle for Christmas: A Social and Cultural History of Our Most Cherished Holiday by Stephen Nissenbaum

For more eye-opening nonfiction Christmas books for adults, The Battle for Christmas examines how Christmas transformed from drunken shenanigans into a domestic holiday.

In fact, the Puritans outlawed Christmas for its raucous nature. Yet, in the nineteenth century, traditions we thought were timeless subdued the holiday.

Who knew we didn’t always give gifts to kids?

Great for intellectuals, Nissenbaum’s Christmas book is perfect for anyone looking for a bit of history or for those who are tired of the excess of Christmas.

Read The Battle for Christmas: Amazon | Goodreads

More of the best adult Christmas books from Christine

31. In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren

For funny Christmas books for adults, especially if you enjoy family gathering stories and movies like Groundhog’s Day and Holidates, grab sweet and sexy rom-com In A Holidaze.

Travel to Utah where Mae has just tipsily made out with an old childhood friend at their longtime vacation home.

Not to mention that Mae hates her dead-end job, is secretly in love with her brother’s best friend, and is currently living at home with her parents.

On the way to the airport, Mae wishes for happiness as a truck slams straight into her parent’s car, spiraling her into a time travel loop where her dreams seem more like reality. 

Can Mae capture this newly found happiness forever?

Read In A Holidaze: Amazon | Goodreads | Book Information

32. The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox

Foodie fiction Christmas books for adults don’t get any sweeter than The Holiday Swap, especially if you enjoy shows like The Great British Bake Off.

Travel to California where a concussion causes Charlie to lose her sense of smell. As a baking show host hoping for a promotion, this is an utter nightmare.

However, Charlie’s twin sister, Cass, is an equally terrific baker and agrees to a classic sister swap.

Cass will take over for Charlie in L.A. while Charlie heads back to their small town to run the family bakery.

No one needs to know, and this plan is pretty flawless, right? With both sisters currently single, you know that love is bound to mess up their sneaky plans.

For funny Christmas books for adults, read The Holiday Swap if you are craving books about sisters and finding yourself, even in adulthood. We loved those small-town vibes too.

Read The Holiday Swap: Amazon | Goodreads

33. Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun

While the holidays are a joyous time for friends and family, they can also be hard if your blood relatives are awful – and if you are navigating generalized anxiety disorder.

This is just the situation that new Portland transplant, Ellie, finds herself in, and she feels like an utter failure in life.

Her career isn’t going as expected, and her mom only calls when she wants money. Ellie is stuck, broke, and lonely.

When the coffee shop’s landlord where she currently works asks Ellie to pretend that they are engaged in order to get his inheritance, Ellie decides she has nothing to lose.

Yet, when she arrives at the family’s ritzy vacation cabin, the woman who broke her heart in the course of one magical snow day is there.

Can Ellie go through with such deception while the woman she potentially loves watches? And, can she learn to accept herself to move forward in life? This is the family support she craves.

Kiss Her Once For Me may be one of the least fluffy Christmas books for adults on this list as it addresses mental health, harmful family relationships, and loads of vulnerability.

For queer Christmas romance novels, we couldn’t put this one down, and if you are looking for snowed-in books, this one is perfect.

Plus, there’s just a smidge of foodie fiction.

Read Kiss Her Once For Me: Amazon | Goodreads

Save The Best Adult Christmas Books For Later:

Grab your top Christmas novels for adults here:

• Audible Plus: From Amazon, listen to Amazon Originals, podcasts, and audiobooks. They add new titles every week.
  
• Book of the Month: Get the month’s hottest new and upcoming titles from Book of the Month. You might snag an early release or debut author. Along with selecting a book a month, find terrific add-ons, both trendy and lesser-known titles.
  
• Amazon Prime Video – Stream thousands of ad-free movies and TV series on demand with Prime Video.

Thank you to TUL contributor, Tori Curran from Explore With Tori

Tori (pronouns: she/her) is a children’s librarian and mom to two boys living in New York. She’s an avid traveler, nature enthusiast, and writer, encouraging families to get outside and start exploring the world. When she’s not hiking or traveling, you can find her lost in a historical fiction book, watching Bravo reruns, or obsessively decluttering her home.

What classic Christmas books for adults do you love and recommend?

What classic and funny Christmas books for adults, teens, and children do you love? Let us know in the comments.

P.S. Some of these Christmas books will also be great for our end of 2022 into 2023 Uncorked Reading Challenge.