It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also one of the busiest. We're running errands, wrapping presents, decorating, cooking, cleaning, and trying to keep in touch with friends and family virtually. With all that the holiday season encompasses, there’s very little time to keep up with our hobbies. One of the best hobbies to combat holiday stress is reading. But if you’re feeling too bogged down to cozy up with a good story, audiobooks are a convenient and effective way to keep up with all your favorite books.
One of the best ways to enjoy an audiobook is in bed. Whether you need a peaceful story to unwind to or a humorous tale to relax at the end of the day, a holiday audiobook can be an effective sleep aid when dealing with the hustle and bustle of the holidays.
And since we’ll be enjoying much more time at home this holiday season and refraining from visits to Santa at the mall, the first thing you’ll want to do is curl up in bed and listen to an audiobook. There are plenty of holiday and family-friendly audiobooks available if you want to listen alone or as an entire family. Grab a pillow, grab a blanket, and get ready to listen.
And when you’re ready to get out of bed, you can listen to an audiobook wherever you are or wherever you go. Driving to grandma’s house for Christmas Eve? Baking homemade gingerbread cookies? Decorating the tree? No matter what you’re doing, you can turn up the volume on a story full of cheer and experience what it’s like to live inside a Hallmark movie.
This list will help you discover stories about hope, holiday magic, family, and anything else symbolic of the warmth and joy of the holiday season. If you’re ready to start a new chapter in your holiday traditions, here are 5 holiday audiobooks to help keep your spirits high.
1. Holidays on Ice
We all love comedy in our favorite holiday movies, and a belly-busting laugh is just as good from a book. Author David Sedaris brings his unmatched humor to the holiday season with this collection of 12 fun and festive stories. This audiobook is full of relatable holiday observations from holiday traditions to department store elves and shopping mall Santa’s.
2. Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat
We all know a holiday humbug, a seasonal scrooge, a yuletide yahoo if you will. If the Christmastime curmudgeon has you feeling down, this story is a great way to raise spirits.
People who take holiday sweaters and Elf on a Shelf too seriously can get under your skin. And if they write their holiday letters in the third person—forget about it. The brash personality and sharp wit of author Jenn Mann will help you maneuver through all the holiday chaos with a smile on your face.
3. Winter of the Ice Wizard
During the holidays, we’re able to spend extra time with our families. If you’re looking for a family-friendly holiday audiobook that the kids can enjoy too, The Magic Tree House series is a great option for a younger crowd. These books are packed full of adventure, magic, and wonder as brother and sister Jack and Annie are sent on a mission to discover a frozen kingdom of ice and snow but face great risks and grave danger along the way. It’s a slight detour from a traditional holiday story, but renowned author Mary Pope Osborne still hits every element of a winter classic and more.
4. The Christmas Cookie Club
Who doesn’t love a good story about friendship? The holiday season is all about friendship and reunion. Whether it’s old college friends meeting up at their favorite bar or the annual family excursion to the mountains in the search of the perfect Christmas tree, celebrating love and friendship is in abundance this time of year.
This audiobook by Ann Pearlman highlights the story of four women who gather every year for their annual cookie exchange. This book celebrates friendship, sisterly love, and celebrating the importance of community during the joy of the holiday season.
5. When Elves Attack
Maybe you’re not into the typical warm and fuzzy holiday story. No problem—there are plenty of adventure, science-fiction, and crime stories with a holiday twist. Tim Dorsey has written a zany and over-the-top holiday crime novel mixed with black comedy, stuffing the two together in a Christmas stocking.
This story encompasses the outlandish antics that take place in the Sunshine State and a deranged criminal who delivers his own special brand of Christmas cheer. It's an antidote for all the sappy, feel-good holiday stories—think Bad Santa meets Dexter—just a little more destructive.
Turn the Page
Audiobooks can be a great form of media to enhance your holiday celebration or tune out the daily stress altogether. If you’re listening to audiobooks at night and still having trouble sleeping, it might be time for a new mattress. If you have questions about your sleep routine or want to find out more about our line of mattresses and sleep accessories and how they can improve your sleep, give us a call or visit us today.