I’m not a modern-day scrooge at all, but I really don’t like a lot of presents under the tree. I much prefer to give a few special gifts than be overwhelmed by “stuff”. Each year I like to give my kids a book as one of their Christmas gifts. This year I have decided to go with three Pine Tree Publishing books by Leann Smith.
My Snowman and Me is for my 2-year-old son. It is the perfect length for his short attention span and the pages are reinforced so he can’t easily rip them. I chose to get the version with the buildable snowman and he loves playing with it. It’s the perfect way to build a snowman without spending twenty minutes wrestling him into snow gear.
The Magic Christmas Key is for my 6-year-old. Winner of The Mom’s Choice Award, this is a much longer story—one that took me almost twenty minutes to read out loud. The story follows Andy on a Christmas adventure with his grandfather. This is great for kids who might be starting to outgrow the magic of Santa. The keepsake box also comes with a “Magic Christmas Key” which is perfect for hanging on your door if you don’t have a chimney (like us)!
My eight-year-old will be getting The Hope Tree. This is also a longer book—one that follows a young boy, Jacob, to a new town, Hope, where his grandmother lives. He spends his days learning just how much of a 
difference one boy can make in a town that has forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. I love how this book leads kids away from Christmas as a time for presents and toward Christmas as a time for helping others reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.
Each of these books are filled with colorful illustrations and thoughtful writing. My Snowman and Me is a fun book with an entertaining activity, whereas The Hope Tree and The Magic Christmas Key are longer books that are great conversation starters for older kids. My kids did get a sneak peek of their gifts for the purpose of this review, so I already know they’ll be excited to unwrap this 
collection of books by Leann Smith.
Through December 20, you can receive free shipping and 20% off The Magic Christmas Key Book and Gift Set using the code SIMPLEMOMS.
