12 Books of Christmas Challenge

Before we even get started, I know what you're thinking: "Can't we at least get through Halloween before you start on the Christmas stuff?!?!" Please don't throw your pumpkin spice lattes at me just yet. Because I'm totally with you on this one. September is WAY too early to be getting into the Christmas spirit (even if I have been nibbled on by the holiday book bug). And that's why this challenge is not going to start until Black Friday. However, I am well aware that many bloggers schedule their reading one to two months in advance, so in an attempt to attract as many people as possible, I'm opening the sign-ups now to give everyone plenty of time to plan their reading accordingly. Make sense? 

So here's the deal. The past two years I have challenged myself to read and review a Christmas book every day in December, and failed miserably. Even when I stick to short stories and kids books, it's just too much stress with everything else going on around the holidays (and I live like 3,000 miles away from my family, so I don't even have to worry about various family holiday get togethers). But this year, Caroline Andrus - Author & Blogger mentioned doing a twelve days of Christmas review thing, and that sounded a lot more manageable to me. So we got to talking about it with Curly Carla of Celebrity Readers, and the challenge was born.

The Rules

This is supposed to be a fun, light-hearted challenge, so the rules will be minimal. 

1. Tell everybody about the 12 Books of Christmas Challenge (#12BooksOfXmas). 
2. Build a blog post or create a Goodreads shelf of the books you intend to read for the challenge (you can see mine here.) You can read outside your list, this is just a starting point. Then come back and add your name to the link-up. (Be sure to visit the other bloggers to see what they'll be reading.) Bloggers, please link back to this page so others can find the sign-up if they wish to join. 
3. Reviews must be posted between November 24 and December 24. The review link-up will open on November 24th. Bookmark this page to add your reviews as you get them posted. 
4. Any winter holiday themed books count (i.e.: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa etc.) 
5. There are four achievement levels for this challenge, so read as few or as many books as you want. 
6. Have fun!

Achievement Levels

Christmas could not happen without Santa's many elves, so everyone who participates will get Elf Status. 

We know all about Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and the other reindeer, and the important job they do, but let's be honest, Santa probably has a couple of back-up reindeer in the stable just in case Rudolph's red nose is a little runny on Christmas eve. That being said, flying the big guy around all night takes stamina, so to achieve Reindeer Status you'll need to power through at least five books. 

It takes a truly committed woman to stand by a man with a job as demanding as Santa's. To achieve Mrs. Claus Status, you'll need to commit to reading at least nine books. 

The jolly guy in the red suit is tasked with bringing joy to all the boys and girls on Christmas day. To earn Santa Status, you'll need to bring joy to at least twelve authors by reading and reviewing their books this holiday season.



Be sure to post this on your blog so everyone knows you're participating in the challenge.

Feel free to use any of my graphics in your blog posts, on your Facebook or Twitter, or wherever else, but please link back to this page if you do. 

Sign ups for the challenge will remain open until Christmas Eve because I refuse to be the Scrooge that tells people they can't join the fun at the last minute.

And starting on November 24th (Black Friday) you can submit your review links to the link-up below. In place of the name, please use the title and author of the book you're leaving a review for.

And I think that pretty much covers it. I hope you'll all join me for a fun reading challenge this holiday season. And if you have any questions, please feel free to ask in a comment (it's very possible I've forgotten to mention something.) - Katie