Planning the holiday itself? Read how to do Christmas in two houses.
A look inside
Oliver and the Christmas Workshop
Occasion: Christmas
Shown as Oliver, age band 3-7.
Spread 1
Spread 7
Spread 8
Story excerpt
On Christmas Eve, Oliver opened the last little door in his wooden calendar. Behind it was a hallway. A very long hallway. ‘Mom? Dad? Come and look!’ The doorway stretched. The hallway sparkled. Mom took one of Oliver’s hands, and Dad took the other. Together, they stepped into the Christmas Workshop.
These pages come from a made-up family. The book you make uses your names, photos, and the details you share, and its story is written fresh.
Totes, handoffs, and two kitchens
Write the week as a list of addresses, not a contest. Where the child sleeps, who does the handoff, and which single object rides in the canvas overnight tote. A story can be that object. It can be recited on the couch at the first kitchen and again on the rug at the second. It cannot pick the week for you.
Do not ask the child to pick a favorite house, carry a message, or report what the other adult said. Keep adult disagreements off the drawings. If a detail would push the child to take sides, leave it out. The journal piece linked under the intro spells those boundaries out at more length.
The story has room for 1 to 4 faces. The child is 3 to 7, with a separate image. Include the adults who will actually recite it, one image apiece, using the word the child uses for them. If 4 seats are not enough for every relative, pick the adults who turn the passages. Do not shrink someone to a label so both households fit.
Waffles at one kitchen and bagels at the other belong only if you write them. Two trees or the blue tote belong only if they are true. The drawings with this guide show one made-up household. They are not a two-address plot, and they are not your kitchens.
Agree to the faces prior to binding. The download can sit on both phones once you agree. If each address wants a bound copy, that is two parcels, and the timing note is where production and transit live. This guide does not name a last day. The tote, the handoff, and the two kitchens are the whole plan. Repeat the same object in both rooms rather than buying a second plot.
What gets personalized
Enter the child's nickname and a number from 3 to 7, plus an image of the face. Include each adult with a separate image and the word the child uses. List what belongs, such as waffles at one kitchen and bagels at the other, and list what to leave out.
You agree to the faces prior to illustration. The download can live on both phones. A bound copy for each address is optional and follows the timing note. Nothing in the story sets where the child sleeps.
Format, price, and timing
One printed copy cannot be in two living rooms on the same morning. The cards are the book totals. Use Pricing for production and transit if each house needs paper, and share the digital file as soon as you approve it. This guide prints no order-by date.
Prices
Digital book
$15
Total, plus shipping and tax
- Every page illustrated
- Downloadable PDF
Digital + softcover
$35
Total, plus shipping and tax
- Your full custom story
- Every page illustrated
- Shipping shown before payment
Digital + hardcover
$45
Total, plus shipping and tax
- Everything in Softcover
- Durable hardcover binding
- Gift-ready finish
- Shipping shown before payment
Pricing shows these same totals.
Questions
What should ride in the overnight tote?
One object the child already understands, such as the story you recite on the couch and again on the rug. The handoff and the addresses stay in your own plan. The story does not pick them.
How do you mention two kitchens without asking a child to take sides?
Write only the foods and rooms you want recited aloud, such as waffles in one kitchen and bagels in the other. Leave out comparisons, messages, and any detail that forces a favorite.
Can both households open the same story?
Yes. As many as 4 faces can be in it, with an image apiece. The download can sit on both phones. A bound copy for each address is a separate parcel. The story still does not decide where anyone sleeps.
Will a printed book arrive for Christmas?
Christmas order-by dates are published on the pricing page when they are visible there. Until then, use the production time in the format section below.