Early Christmas Books to Read Now

by Susan Roberts

The weather is starting to cool a little bit, and it’s only 11 weeks until Christmas 2026.  Publishers have started offering their holiday books, and it’s never too early to start that list of books that you want to read over the holiday.  Here are a few that caught my interest and have been added to my Christmas list.

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The Bluff by Wade Rouse

The Chapmans do Christmas the way they do everything: impeccably, expensively, and with the unshakable belief that good lighting can conceal bad blood. Their annual Christmas card may look picture-perfect, but behind the polite smiles there’s a storm brewing. This year, at their grand lakefront cottage on Mackinac Island, a snowstorm traps generations of Chapmans—and their schemes—under one roof.

Buy The Bluff at Amazon

A Date with Santa by Debbie Macomber

October 2026; Ballantine Books; 979-8217091706
audio, ebook, print (256 pages); Christmas

For single career woman Clare Madison, Christmas means pre-made cookies and artificial trees. But when her sister needs her help, Clare volunteers to care for her six-year-old nephew, Ricky.

Determined to give Ricky a memorable Christmas, Clare enlists help from her best friend Erica, who loves kids, and her colleague Ethan, who agrees to dress up as Santa . . . if Clare goes on a date with him.

Buy A Date with Santa at Amazon

A Married Little Christmas by Abby Jimenez

October 2026; Forever; 978-1538780046
audio, ebook, print (272 pages); holiday romance

Anna thought only the food would be a disaster at her Christmas dinner ― until her high school ex shows up and they quickly have to hatch a fake-dating scheme to save face with their families. For Matty, the idea of sitting in a diner all day dressed as a zombie Santa after losing a bet has zero appeal. But his cute and funny server might just make him change his mind. And finally, will Lauren be able to convince her best friend that getting married after a three-day relationship is absolutely ridiculous? Or will the town called Little Christmas pull her in with its happily-ever-after magic once she meets the best man?

Buy A Married Little Christmas at Amazon

The Christmas Getaway by Debbie Mason

October 2026; Forever; 978-1538778081
audio, ebook, print (368 pages); Christmas romance

Librarian Charlotte Webb has always enjoyed escaping into a good story instead of dealing with reality, especially after her last year. But when her ex struts back into town and invites her to his Christmas wedding, Charlotte has to convince everyone, including herself, that she's moved on. 

Deciding an adventure far from home with her perfect―albeit fake―Scottish boyfriend is just what she needs to complete her act, Charlotte boards the plane from New York to Edinburgh, where she bonds with her seatmate, a twelve-year-old girl who is leaving everything she loves in America behind to live abroad with her single father―Ewan, an extremely handsome duke with zero sense of humor. 

Buy The Christmas Getaway at Amazon

Counting Down to You by Emily Stone

October 2026; Dell; 978-0593982976
audio, ebook, print (400 pages); Christmas romance

In this heartfelt romance from the author of Always, in December and Yours for the Season, a bittersweet Christmas countdown opens the door to healing, hope. . . and maybe even love.

Ali has always loved Christmas, but this year she doesn’t think she’ll make it through. Christmas was always her and her best friend Robyn’s holiday: Every year, they exchanged Advent calendars filled with challenges. Tell the hot guy at the coffee shop you like him. Delete your ex’s number. Throw out the bathroom scales.

Buy Counting Down to You at Amazon

Cozy Little Christmas by RaeAnne Thayne

October 2026; MIRA; 978-0778332336
audio, ebook, print (320 pages); holiday romance

Christmas in Shelter Springs is the season of twinkling lights, open hearts and unexpected second chances. And for Hannah Goodwin, it also brings the one person she never wanted to see again...

Hannah’s built a full life for herself in the warmth of her close-knit town, with her family, her work and her music. And when her dear friend Morgan desperately needs her help, Hannah temporarily steps in to care for Morgan’s children. That’s what friends do—especially at the holidays. But she never expected to run into Wes Kenner...

Buy Cozy Little Christmas at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina, where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything, but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.

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