Christmas History for Kids, City by City
Why do Parisians eat a cake shaped like a log? How did Chicago’s Christmas trees once arrive by ship? Every city celebrates Christmas a little differently, and the story behind each tradition is the best part. Pick your city to read its Christmas history, play a quick family quiz and print a free coloring sheet of Rally the corgi watching a Christmas tree from the train window.
On every city page
- The story of Christmas in that city, with every fact cited
- Traditions your family can still enjoy this season
- A fun fact for kids and a five-question family quiz
- A free printable coloring sheet with your city’s name on it
- Links to that city’s Christmas events for kids
Choose your city
United States
France
Don’t see your city? We add new cities as families ask for them. Meanwhile, find Christmas events for kids near you, Christmas train rides by state or a train museum to visit this winter.
Look inside the book
Story time with Santa in Chicago? Bring Rally home.
Rally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi’s first train ride, hand-painted in real watercolor. It makes a cozy bedtime story after a big day with Santa. Turn a few pages here.
Rally Takes the Train
Eight pages from the book
Turn the page
That's 8 of 25 pages
See who’s waiting at the station
Grandmommy and Papa are at the last stop. Get the full hand-painted book, $16.99 on Amazon.
See the full bookPage 1 of 8
Like it so far? See the full book
25 hand-painted pages, paperback, $16.99 with fast shipping from Amazon.
Every page is real watercolor on paper, painted by hand by Leslie Dunn. Nothing in this book was made with AI.
Questions parents ask
What is the Christmas history guide for kids?
It is a free guide to how families in each city have celebrated Christmas over the years, written for parents of young children. Every city page has the local story, traditions you can still enjoy, a fun fact to share, a five-question family quiz and a free coloring sheet of Rally looking out the train window at a Christmas tree.
How are the city pages researched?
Each page is researched from sources we actually read, such as city websites, museums, newspapers and tourism offices, and every fact is cited at the bottom of the page. A separate editor then reviews the language. Anything we could not confirm is left out rather than guessed.
Which cities are covered?
We add cities as families ask for them, starting with the places our readers live. Each page is written in the local language, so the Paris page is in French. If your city is not here yet, it is probably coming soon.
Are the coloring sheets really free?
Yes. Every city page has a free printable coloring sheet of Rally, the corgi from Rally Takes the Train, looking at a Christmas tree, with your city’s name on it. There is no sign-up needed to download it, and there are more free coloring pages on our coloring pages.
How is this different from the Christmas events guide?
The history pages tell the story of Christmas in each city: where the traditions came from and what they mean. Our Christmas events guide lists things to do with kids this season, like visits with Santa, lights and story times. Every history page links to its city’s events page so you can go from the story to a plan.
What age is the guide for?
The pages are written for parents to read and share with children from about two to eight. The fun facts and quiz are short enough to read aloud, and the coloring sheet works for toddlers and early readers alike.
Who makes the guide?
Rally Takes the Train, the family behind the hand-painted watercolor picture book of the same name about a corgi’s first train ride to visit his grand-paw-rents. The guide is free for every family. Buying a copy of the book is what keeps it that way.
A bedtime story after seeing SantaRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi’s first train ride, hand-painted in real watercolor by Leslie Dunn. $16.99 on Amazon, ages 0 to 8.
Buy on AmazonFree for families
Be in the know all Christmas long
Always know what to do with your kids and make it a magical Christmas. We research new events every day. Get free email notifications from the Rally Takes the Train blog:
- First notice when new Christmas events are announced
- Notifications about discounted admission
- Exclusive notifications of free events
A children’s book and the perfect Christmas gift
Take a look inside Rally Takes the Train
Rally Takes the Train
Eight pages from the book
Turn the page
That's 8 of 25 pages
See who’s waiting at the station
Grandmommy and Papa are at the last stop. Get the full hand-painted book.
Get the bookPage 1 of 8
What happens in the book
Paperback and ebook, on every major platform.
This guide is free for every family. Buying a copy of Rally Takes the Train is what keeps it that way.
Rally wakes up early, packs his suitcase, finds his seat by the window, makes a friend of the conductor, sheds a little “corgi glitter” down the aisle, and gets to the grand-paw-rents at the end of the line. It is a happy book, and many families reading it are remembering someone too.
- A rhyming story you can read at bedtime in about five minutes
- Every page hand-painted in real watercolor by Leslie Dunn, never AI
- For ages 0 to 8, the perfect Christmas gift or stocking stuffer
- Rated 5.0 stars by Amazon readers
Choose your store
Kelsey Lizee Cecil, author
A book my mom dreamed up. I wrote it for her.
My mom, Debra Kay Lizee, passed away in 2021, in the middle of the pandemic, before she ever wrote a word of it. So I did. I wrote it so her idea would not end with her.
Read the rest of my story
I wrote Rally Takes the Train, but it was my mom’s idea first. For as long as I can remember, she talked about a little corgi who packs his toys, rides the train along the coast with his family, and finds his grand-paw-rents waiting on the platform at the very last stop. Rally is our real corgi, and she adored him.
I wrote the story in rhyme, the way she always described it, short enough to read at bedtime in about five minutes. It is a happy book. Her idea was a happy one, and the book had to be too.
Leslie Dunn painted every page by hand in real watercolor on paper. Nothing was generated or retouched with AI, because it had to be made by people who cared about it.
Mom, thank you for the perfect idea that let me channel my grief into something bigger. Dad, thank you for supporting my goal of making this book a reality in her honor. I’m sorry you never got to see it completed, but this book is now for you too.
You’re all set. We’ll email you when new Christmas events are announced, and every event link in the guide is unlocked on this device.
Open the event page (opens in a new tab)