Holiday Time at Sparkle! Collections & Stories for December Celebrations
If you're brand new to Sparkle and you've never experienced a December holiday with us, well just you wait! The holidays are the season in which Sparkle truly sparkles. We have so much delightful and heart-warming content, you'll barely be able to stand it.
If you're a seasoned Sparkler, then you know: it's time to cozy up under a blanket for some story time, as our holiday stories will bring on the festive feeling like nothing else.
Let's start with our Audio Advent Calendars. We have FIVE of them to choose from. These collections feature one story for each day of December, from the first to the twenty-fifth. Listen to a story a day, just like you would open the door of a paper advent calendar, and invite your children on a small holiday adventure.
And more: each one comes with a printable calendar — plus other projects — to add to the fun! Listen to the first story for free!
Enjoy an Audio Advent Calendar this year and let the story journey open up possibilities for your own family's holidays. We even recommend you pick a special time of day for story time, so you can build the fun and joy all the way to Christmas.
Here are all of our holiday collections!
It's a Martian Holiday! A Daily December Celestial Story Extravaganza
Earth-dwellers have many rich winter holiday traditions, but did you know that Martians have a winter holiday too? Coached by his trusty pet X, Johnny Boy Nebraska —our favorite Earth-based Martian — dives deep into the thrilling details of holidays on Mars, Earth, and the home planets of other Celestials. Who is Dustin Digger and why is he covered with red dust? What kinds of Christmas cookies will Betty Nebraska make next? And what in the world is that sound coming from the Plejarens house? Listen to Johnny Boy’s podcast and join a holiday extravaganza that is out of this world!
Twenty-five stories for December 1 to December 25. Five-and-a-half hours of audio.
Ages 5+
Listen to the whole collection HERE.
TO GO ALONG: Printable Postcards!
Download the Printable Postcards HERE.
LISTEN TO THE FIRST STORY FOR FREE:
The Castlechanter Fairy Advent Calendar!
December — what a sparkling month! Even more so for first-graders Oscar and Aliyah as they begin a mystical journey into the enchanted land of Hillwyn and explore a fairy spiral walk. As the children navigate this magical realm with their fairy friends, they revel in the festive joys of the holiday season — and begin to understand some of the season’s quieter gifts as well.
Twenty-five stories for December 1-25!
Ages 5+
Listen to the whole collection HERE.
TO GO ALONG: A Free Printable Advent Calendar!
Download the Printable Calendar HERE.
Download the Parent Cheat Sheet HERE.
LISTEN TO THE FIRST STORY FOR FREE:
Martin & Sylvia Audio Advent Calendar
Follow the 25 magical days of Advent with Martin and Sylvia! From the playhouse to the library, from the Webers' restaurant to the Spunderful Shop, you can spend all of December with the delightful brother and sister as they follow their own Advent adventure.
Twenty-five stories for December 1 to December 25. Over five-and-a-half hours of audio.
Ages 3+
Listen to the whole collection HERE.
TO GO ALONG: A Free Printable Advent Sheet!
Each image is a little clue to the Martin & Sylvia Advent story for the day. Download and print -- to help you count the days to Christmas!
Download the Printable Calendar HERE.
PLUS Printable Ornaments!
Download the Colorable Ornaments for Advent HERE.
Download the Parent Cheat Sheet HERE.
LISTEN TO THE FIRST STORY FOR FREE:
Junkyard Tales Audio Advent Calendar
This Christmas, the Junkyard Warden has a challenge he doesn't know how to face – something that could change the Junkyard for good. Sergeant, the steadfast Junkyard watchdog, alerts the other animals and they immediately take it up. “We take care of each other,” they say. “Even though the Warden doesn’t know about us, he still needs our help."
Twenty-five stories for December 1 to December 25. Six-and-a-half hours of audio.
Ages 4+
Listen to the whole collection HERE.
To Go Along: A FREE Printable Advent Calendar!
We couldn't resist creating a paper Junkyard Tales Advent Calendar to go with the Audio Advent Calendar! Each of the little doors hides a clue to the matching story in the Junkyard Tales Audio Advent Calendar.
Download the 11x17 color printable HERE..
See our Advent Calendar Tutorial for instructions. (Click the link to view.)
PLUS: a Printable Advent Coloring Book!
Download and Print out the Junkyard Tales Advent Coloring Book HERE..
LISTEN TO THE FIRST STORY FOR FREE:
Libby & Dish's Good-Deed-A-Day Club
On the first day of December, Libby receives some holiday wisdom from her cat Dish and her neighbor’s dog Chad. They teach her what comes to be known as the “dog trick,” or the powerfully positive effect of doing nice things for others. Suddenly a new adventure is born: a Good-Deed-a-Day Club! Libby and her friends decide that for every day in December, they will do something nice for someone else. The result is both pure holiday delight and chance to learn about how others celebrate during December.
Twenty-five stories for December 1 to December 25. Over six hours hours of audio.
Ages 4+
Listen to the whole collection HERE.
To Go Along: A FREE Printable Advent Calendar!
Download the Printable Calendar HERE.
Download the Parent Cheat Sheet HERE.
LISTEN TO THE FIRST STORY FOR FREE:
Our short Christmas Collections:
Martin & Sylvia's Christmastime Story Collection
Christmas time is a particularly lovely time in Martin and Sylvia's home! Decorate, celebrate and share the magic along with the clever brother and sister. This collection contains three stories, each of which follow the events before Christmas as the creative brother and sister enjoy their favorite holiday traditions.
Ages 3+
Listen to the whole collection HERE..
Martin & Sylvia's Twelve Days of Christmas!
All the presents have been opened and Christmas breakfast is complete. Martin and Sylvia sigh — is all of the fun over? But look! There's one more present hiding in the Christmas tree! It's a gift that can be enjoyed for twelve full days: an old vinyl record called "Twelve Tales of a Tullyport Christmas." Daddy pulls out his childhood record player, and the fun begins.
The twelve stories follow the Tully family — along with other founding members of Tullyport, colonial town on the Coast of Maine — as they create traditions and celebrations that are unique, delightful and rich with community connection. These stories inspire Martin and Sylvia’s family as well as the neighbors and friends they invite — to create a wonderful Christmastide festival together.
Ages 4+
Listen to the whole collection HERE..
Old Time Christmas Stories
This collection of stories come from Christmas collections published in the late 19th and early 20th century. Some of the stories may be familiar to you, but likely many of them are completely new. We hope this collection brings you the same sweet nostalgia it brought us when recording them.
Ages 5+
Purchase it HERE.
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About the Author
KC Pagano
KC is a full-time radical homemaker and mama to two spunky little girls. She writes about all kinds of radical goodness, from gardening and cooking with whole foods to crafting, sewing, homeschooling, and mama musings. Read more on her blog The Nettlesome Life.
