Berenstain Bears Christmas-related books, begining with “The Bears’ Christmas (Random House, 1970).The newest Berenstain Bears Christmas-related book was just released! (Living Lights, 2015)
With the recent release of The Berenstain Bears: The Very First Christmas (Living Lights, October 2015), there’s been a lot of discussion among collectors about their favorite Berenstain Bears Christmas book(s).
I’m going to come right out and say it: “The Berenstain Bears’ Christmas Tree” is not only my favorite Berenstain Bears Christmas book, it’s my single favorite Berenstain Bears book. Ever.
The endpapers from “The Berenstain Bears’ Christmas Tree”
There isn’t another book by Stan and Jan Berenstain that can match the wonderful story, lush illustrations, and warm fuzzies I get when reading, re-reading, and re-reading this book over and over again. (It’s also important to note that I am talking about the original Berenstain Bears Christmas Tree, published by Random House in 1980. It is based on the NBC television special by the same name that premiered in December of 1979. There is a new version of Christmas Tree published by Living Lights that is not quite the same.)
Vintage Berenstain Bears Christmas stocking
And while “The Berenstain Bears’ Christmas Tree” is my favorite – and probably the best-selling of the Berenstain Bears holiday books, it definitely is not the only one! Far from it! In fact, there are dozens of Berenstain Bears storybooks, coloring books, and related memorabilia — all of which would make great stocking stuffers. In fact, you can even find a vintage Berenstain Bears Christmas stocking for less than $10 on Etsy! Of course, don’t forget about the holiday-themed figurines made by Ebeling and Reuss (as well as some ornaments and plates). I covered the figurines in a previous post and a couple of the plates can be seen at the very bottom of this post.
“The Berenstain Bears’ Christmas Tree: A Story to Color” has not one – but two – of the best covers of all Berenstain Bears books (1984 original on left; 1986 reprint on right). You can occasionally find copies of these on eBay but they have become very rare since being first released in the 1980s.
Want to know more about the origins of the original “Berenstain Bears’ Christmas Tree” holiday special on NBC? It premiered back in 1979 and Stan & Jan tell the story themselves over on their blog. Check it out!
Christmas puzzles from the Berenstain Bears!The beautifully-illustrated hardcover “Save Christmas” came out in 2003.My edition of “Save Christmas” was signed by the Berenstains. It was the one and only time I met Stan and Jan. What a treat!Audiobooks have been a part of the Berenstain Bears franchise since the early 1980s.The Berenstain Bears Christmas Christmas tree is the ORIGINAL television special. Fun trivia: the NBC program came out first and the book is based on the television special.The original version of “Christmas Tree”, published by Random House, is now out of print. A new version of the story – that is more religious and published by Zondervan/Living Lights – is the version that is now in print.Two relatively new books from the Living Lights series.This compilation was a Target exclusive and is now very hard to find!Santa Bear with the original cover!My copy of “The Bears Christmas” in its original dustjacket. What a fun book!Christmas coloring fun from the mid-1990s.Golden coloring books from the 1980s. These are both the same book on the inside, just different covers.Ebeling & Reuss Christmas plate (1984)Ebeling & Reuss Christmas plate (1983)Ebeling & Reuss figurines (1983)Berenstain Bears Christmas ornaments made by Ebeling & ReussChristmas-themed figurines/cake toppers made by Applause
A couple beautiful Christmas collectibles made by Fairfield:
Berenstain Bears Bibliography & Blog 