From a (former) long-time member with children ages two to twenty.
Christmas is an expensive season. Is it worth investing almost $50 into a digital one-month curriculum that doesn’t include any books or materials? Read on. I will list the pro’s and con’s from the perspective of someone who has participated in every RaR Christmas School since the very first launch. (Money-saving ideas are interspersed!)
It’s a beautiful product – are there any downsides? Let’s start with THREE CONS.
ONE: BEWARE OF FLYING FOOTWEAR. Christmas School within RaR Premium changed when it became a “product” sold separately to the public. It used to be a simple routine within the seasonal flow of Premium Membership. When it turned into a PRODUCT the Christmas School Guide was put on unit-study-steroids, with almost every conceivable subject added in. (From the website: “Includes literature, art, history, nature study, copywork, grammar, and more…”) It truly is a curriculum unto itself, as advertised. The emails recommend “putting your normal school stuff aside and doing something else instead.” I had to ask myself: is that really what I’m looking for, in December? An entire replacement curriculum?
In recent years Christmas School began to fit us like the glass slipper on Anastasia’s foot. I would excitedly try to jam our needs into that beauty and it would painfully fling off – straight toward our attempted peace. This is not an RaR flaw. It’s a “me problem.” But I mention it at the top because it’s a universal homeschool-mom-trap and I’d like to offer a neon sign of warning. Last year there was a GORGEOUS study of evergreens included in the plans, and I couldn’t resist. After hanging the pretty flashcards on the mantel I stopped myself: WHAT AM I EVEN DOING? Did I just… conifer it up? Does this even fit our goals this year? Wait — weren’t we already struggling to fit in science BEFORE December? Shiny plans entice me to chase them offroad into the deep dark forest where I later get lost. If I am honest, glass-slipper-plans like those in the Christmas School Guide require a great deal of editing and prep work to make them manageable. As in, sometimes it feels like we would need to chop off part of who we truly are and ignore the December slipper size we were ACTUALLY made for.
If I’m honest, putting the hairy dog of monotony in a cage for December doesn’t mean he won’t chase us again in January. And maybe he’ll even bite-my-behind because I spent time trolloping through the evergreen flashcards for all the wrong reasons, wasting energy. Maybe instead I should have rested from science altogether. The difficult truth is that some personalities (raising hand) invest in a product and find it comes with a bonus tug toward “getting their money’s worth.” This pretty product may stir a temptation to pack too much into an already busy season. After all, who doesn’t dream of being the Christmas School Queen? Sliding that sparkly slipper right on effortlessly? I think only ONE of her exists in the kingdom – and the rest of us might be wise to know there WILL be struggle. Expect effort to get the right fit.
ALTERNATIVE idea: Those of us who are seeking peace and rest and a “break” from our regular homeschool routine during December are on to something! It’s not a mistake that the marketing for Christmas School harnesses this universal longing. Something that is NOT marketed, because it is free… is instinct. Listen to it! We don’t need to “replace” our grammar and science and history… especially via random topics chosen by strangers… during the busiest month of the year. We can if we want to, of course! But I wonder how many of us have really asked ourselves WHAT WE DEEPLY DESIRE in December. Or do we instead grab at life rafts due to fatigue? (Only to find they take us into the rapids!)
If our instinct calls for rest, let’s embrace a true peace-filled break. Set aside shelf-stable subjects (most are shelf stable). And don’t pick up replacements or guilt. I propose a very simple practice: let’s picture our ideal Decembers and write a short list of what pops in our mind. My list was this: cookie baking, cuddly Christmas movies, trying our hand at crocheting star garland, doing a December Bible study over candlelight with cocoa, audio books with puzzles. Math, sure- but with time to linger over games. (Just writing that filled me with peace! Try it!) Perhaps in a season of “Christmas-joy-for-sale!” ads, we hear everyone’s voices …except our own. What does our family need? We are the most expert curators of all. I propose a thought: what might be the true cost of buying an entirely new curriculum in December? In other words-what might we be giving up?
TWO: IT’S NOT A GOOD FIT FOR ALL AGES. I know the advertisements say it is “for all ages” – but notice my clarifying insertion: A GOOD FIT. As the mother of students from upper high school down to toddlers: the reality is… RaR Christmas School no longer brings my children together because its scope is best for ages 12 and under. It used to fit us quite nicely, before that pesky thing called GROWING-UP happened! My teens seemed to lose interest sometime around age 13. And this is a common predicament among RaR families. Not universal, but common. When perusing the RaR forum and social media photos in December, teen participation sightings are rare.
I have a hunch that this is due to the format being (primarily) centered around picture books.* Although picture books truly ARE for all ages – they don’t have the same effect on teens as they do on toddlers. The RaR Christmas crafts and videos are centered around the picture books, and for my older kids this felt… elementary school. They just weren’t into making little mitten ornaments after reading a Jan Brett picture book. More and more I allowed them to opt out, and soon I found myself divided – trying to make sure all of my children were making special holiday memories.
(*Note: Last year, RaR Christmas School was centered around an illustrated anthropomorphic version of the novel A Christmas Carol, complete with bunnies. The format was originally supposed to be centered around picture books, but the curators switched gears to align Christmas School with the new book release by illustrator Joe Sutphin. His edition published in September, just in time for the holiday season. I believe this alignment caused Sutphin’s book to entirely sell out on amazon. I am not privy to the financial incentives between RaR and authors, nor am I aware of how the annual Christmas titles are chosen. Many families loved the experience last year because the classic novel with added rabbits seemed to bridge the gap between young and old. I think we would have enjoyed it as well, but the novel was essentially a repeat for long term members- which I explain below. I was told by RaR staff that we didn’t need the new Sutphin edition in order to participate in Christmas School, that any publication would work, but I quickly found out that wasn’t entirely true. A large portion of the video content hinged on Sutphin’s edition.)
There is an “older kids/teens” reading plan, often of public domain short stories, but my sons never enjoyed the chosen selections. I also found that the Guide (and associated RaR media / videos) didn’t give those stories much attention, maybe devoting one printed page of overly simplistic questions/suggestions per text. The true focus of the RaR Christmas School product is the advertised picture books. My teens have enjoyed some of the illustrator videos and portions of the weekly Looking Closely videos featuring Sarah Mackenzie (because WHO DOESN’T LOVE SARAH!!!), but the target-age of the content can be unpredictable. For example, a video may touch on a simple grammar rule and afterward highlight an interesting artistic approach. The videos are maybe meant to include a little taste for all ages? But teens are a tough crowd and can easily feel like they are being forced to waste their time sitting through their younger siblings’ lessons.
Bottom line: this is an excellent product for the twelve and under crowd, and for older children who don’t mind embracing their inner-elementary selves. Families with only teens may find this resource lacking. Unfortunately the picture book titles are released to the public but the teen selections are not disclosed before purchase. Families like mine with wide age ranges may be disappointed to find that this investment doesn’t quite bring about the family togetherness they’d hoped for.
ALTERNATIVE idea: With my wide age range of children, there are a few things that everyone universally loves. One being FOOD. The RaR Christmas School guide usually has a weekly recipe. Some have been hits and some have flopped, as with anything. I find that it’s easier in our home to ask each child to choose a favorite holiday recipe, or a recipe they’d like to try, and to prioritize those – rather than blindly try recipes from a guide.
I also have noticed that the spiritual portion of RaR’s Christmas School is rather shallow. The books themselves are mainly secular and I always felt a pull to add a deeper family-focus on Christ… though that is very hard to pull off while managing RaR Christmas School as written. The Guide does include a simple Scripture reading weekly and a hymn, and sometimes will highlight a saint, etc – but mostly at a very basic level. Again, geared toward younger students and perhaps also squirming away from stepping on theological toes. I much prefer to choose our own Bible study resource, Advent reflections, or Christmas novel (but I will note that then I must take OUT portions of the Guide to fit those in).
In a nutshell, I find it’s much easier to let my children tell me the crafts, books, and recipes they would like to experience, rather than impose specific unit-study coordinating plans. Guides somewhat fall apart when it comes to meeting the needs of a wide age range full of unique personalities! Family togetherness and shared experiences are my top priorities in December.
THREE: IT’S A BLIND PURCHASE. I think $47 is actually a fair price for the heft of what Read Aloud Revival is offering. My argument is that it’s offering TOO much, and therefore prices itself beyond simplicity for those who intend to pick and choose as if it were a feast. I equate it to paying full price for a buffet with the intention of eating a small salad. The buffet price makes sense for those who are super hungry and want to try everything. Buyers have only 24 hours to decide if the product is a good fit for their family, purchasing without really fully knowing what’s inside. That’s a rather brief window for discerning all the hidden costs in time and money. And it’s definitely not enough time to “try it out” with your children for a day or two. (RaR’s current “Customer Success” contact is not stellar… do not expect flexibility.)
There are three picture books chosen this year, and as of today (before Thanksgiving) two of them are already sporting a waitlist in my (expansive-17 location) library chain. The cost of purchasing these would range around $30. That takes my investment to almost $80. It can be quite tricky to time Christmas School plans around library waitlists-which is why there have been years that the Read Aloud Revival community literally clears the bookstore shelves of chosen titles.** I will also mention that the crafts require supplies that are not usually items families have on hand. A trip or two to the craft store will be required – but the crafts are usually darling and worth every penny spent. (I have been hearing feedback that this year (2025) the Guide has drastically reduced the number of crafts included.)
(**Note: I got an email from RaR just this morning stating that two of the Christmas picture book titles I mentioned above are already selling out at bookstores. RaR is shifting gears and will be offering alternative picture book selections that families can use in leu of the out-of-stock titles, but those who’ve done Christmas School in the past may be disappointed in the choices. At least one of the backup titles is a dePaola repeat from a not-so-distant-past Christmas School. Apple Tree Christmas is now scheduled to be read-aloud by Sarah Mackenzie via video, and that will be accessible within Christmas School by the end of November. This has been the recurring pattern of Christmas School since it went public – the sell-out-scramble!)
I will end by mentioning one last CON of buying blindly- and that is the RaR tendency toward REPEAT CONTENT. I saw a photo-spoiler of a 2025 craft on the website that is a repeat from the 2023 Guide (pomanders). As mentioned above, last year the selected Christmas School book (A Christmas Carol) was a repeat from a previous year – the edition being a new release, but taking some of the luster out of the experience for families with children who had spent their Decembers on this Dickens novel only a few years back. This year as titles sell out and RaR rushes to bridge the void, the ‘alternative options’ are titles that have been used before within Premium. (Will the 2025 Christmas School Guide then reuse former-year plans for those alternates? Or will fresh plans be written? We must wait and see.) This brings up an IMPORTANT sore spot with RaR Premium in general. RaR is no longer very focused on maintaining long-term customers. They are catering more and more to the “newbie” crowd and what new members are looking for. Christmas School trends toward being an introductory sales-pitch for Premium itself. The $67 option that includes three months of Premium access is enticing compared to the steep $47 Christmas-School-only option, and many opt to to explore Premium for the extra $20.
Those of us who are former members or who have purchased Christmas School in the past will need to carefully consider the chosen titles and plans from year to year, as they aren’t guaranteed to always be fresh for our kids. Part of the overlap may come from the fact that the RaR leadership team was entirely replaced a few years ago. When I reached out to customer service recently to inquire how long RaR has been offering Premium, customer service seemed unable to remember. “I don’t recall… but I believe it was around 2015” was the response, with no interest in digging that information up. Some of the leaders at the helm do not seem to know the basic background of the company – where we’ve been and what we’ve read. Premium has become a revolving-door with faces coming and going (much like social media) and this makes it harder than ever for members to connect meaningfully. Connection is being replaced with content, and therefore the value of Premium is dwindling. Members are not sticking around like they used to, and the repeat content is reflecting that.
ALTERNATIVE idea: If cost is an issue, I have ideas! First, RaR has wonderful Christmas picture book lists on their website, for FREE! (Of course, when purchasing titles, using RaR’s affiliate links allows us to support the hard work that goes into creating those lists, so use those links like crazy! Or share links to the lists on social media- these are ways to support RaR without adding extra expense to our Christmas budgets.) The internet often has associated unit study ideas for those looking for activities that coordinate with chosen titles, and often those unit studies are cheap or free. This is very similar to the format of Christmas School. Perhaps better- because it allows families to choose which books they like best and find titles that are available at a local library.
Second, almost all of the recipes and crafts listed in each RaR Guide are links to free resources on the web. Available to all! In other words, they are not crafts or recipes created by, or exclusive to, RaR. As social media fills with RaR Christmas School posts, a simple internet search will more than likely lead to the activity’s source, or something similar.
Third, it IS possible to get the full Christmas School Guide and videos for the cost of one month’s membership rather than the $47 list price. Join Premium for one month ($25) and download the materials – just make sure to cancel before the month is up. (The downside of this is needing to download everything. The upside is that it includes access to all former Christmas Schools, and loads of other content.) When signing up for one month, please double check that access to Christmas School is still included – policies change frequently!
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In summary, Christmas School is a very special product and I am thankful it exists. At the same time, it is not the right fit for everyone. As an “outsider” this year for the first time, I have chosen to skip it. (It used to be included in my membership fee, and I have participated long enough to know that I would not get a $47 value out of it. In fact, it would tempt me to stray from my true December ideals.) I prefer to invest in Christmas School items that will last ~ like a new game, puzzle, or quality craft. Christmas School can be wonderful when kept simple!
My hope is that this post helps readers take a moment to dream about their own December needs… buying out of confidence rather than misplaced expectations. XOXO
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This blog does NOT participate in ads, affiliate links, or sponsorships. I am not affiliated with RaR in any way. Any products/memberships that I take time to review were purchased with my own money and used extensively. This blog is a gift I give to myself each year – a space where I can write freely, without censorship. My hope is that this is a refreshing space for those who stumble upon it. I am grateful to my readers – thank you for honoring me with your time!
Saltbox Colonial 