Color Your Holiday Bright

Jingle Bells: Christmas Carol Coloring, by Odessa Begay
If Christmas is your bag, and you’re looking for the perfect gift for a loved one who’s into coloring, then an extra jingle-y book is in order. This one puts a spotlight on one of the all-time great carols, re-creating the song through elegant illustrations and lyrics. You might want hand this one out early: it’s an excellent way to get into the holiday spirit.

Curious Creatures: A Coloring Book Adventure, by Millie Marotta
Welsh illustrator Millie Marotta’s adult coloring books have been among the most popular of the genre, and it’s easy to see why. Her creatures and designs are elegant and complex, each bird or butterfly made up of dozens or hundreds of shapes, ready to be colored in a seemingly infinite number of ways. Her latest includes a variety of animals and exotic plants, including a golden pheasant and rare orchids.

Very Merry Coloring: Celebrate the Seaon with 20 Tear-Out Coloring Cards
Part of the appeal of coloring as an adult is the impracticality. It’s a way to separate ourselves from the world of work, and allows us to focus our minds on somewhat more abstract problems (like: what color should I make this frog?). The results don’t have to be quite so ephemeral; in this book, each completed page can be torn out to be used as either a gift tag or a personalized holiday card. It’s a neat way to mix a tiny bit of productivity in with your coloring.

The Night Voyage: A Magical Adventure and Coloring Book, by Daria Song
Daria Song’s coloring books tell stories through the lovely and intricate designs of their pages. The images convey the plot, which the person on your gift list uncovers while working through the book. This one tells the ethereal story of a young girl who might be having a dream, or who might have found herself on a nighttime adventure giving away presents with her cat.

A Million Bears: Beautiful Bears to Color, by Lulu Mayo
If there aren’t quite a million bears in this book, there are still plenty of chubby, playful pandas in illustrator Lulu Mayo’s latest. Her work is undeniably cute, but also rich enough in detail to keep both casual and voracious colorers occupied. Each page is an image of panda bears in a variety of charming designs and situations: pandas swimming, pandas playing, pandas stuck in a cookie jar. If the goal is relaxation, there’s not much that’s more soothing than a whole bunch of cute panda bears.

A Christmas Carol: A Coloring Classic, by Charles Dickens
Dickens is often credited with the invention of many of the habits and traditions surrounding the celebration of Christmas in the modern era, so it seems fitting that his beloved holiday tale should dovetail with an even more modern tradition. The story is told here in an abridged format, but the key elements are there: elaborate images of ghosts, paupers, and 19th-century London any reader of the classics or lover of Christmas will instantly recognize.

The Official Bob’s Burgers Coloring Book, by Loren Bouchard and the Creators of Bob’s Burgers
If there’s someone on your gift list who loves Bob’s Burgers, this book is the perfect unexpected choice. Some of the popular show’s greatest moments, most iconic locations, and most ridiculous scenes get the coloring-book treatment, alongside some puns and stickers. By this point Tina Belcher is a pop culture icon, and there’s a very good chance you know someone who would love to meet her in the pages of a coloring book.

Color Your Own Star Wars, by John Cassaday, Salvador Larroca, and Terry Dodson
When Marvel took on the Star Wars license to create new comics last year, the smartest thing they did was to put top talent on the books during a seminal moment for the series. The Force Awakens reignited our love for the adventures of Luke, Leia, Han, and the gang; the forthcoming Rogue One seems poised to generate at least as much excitement. The artists for this one are top-notch, and the images depict all your favorite characters from the classic trilogy.

HBO’s Game of Thrones Coloring Book
Grab some extra red markers for the Game of Thrones fan on your holiday gift list. HBO’s mega-popular series is an epic tale of treachery, duels, dragons, and wildly inappropriate romance, set in a wildly elaborate, detailed medieval world with beautiful locations and creatures that make for some truly impressive backgrounds.

The Sibley Birds Coloring Field Journal, by David Allen Sibley
I’m obsessed with birds, and I’m in no way the only one. This coloring book represents some of the best images from the bestselling Sibley Guide to Birds in a sturdy but flexible format designed to be enjoyed by birders who want to take the book into the field. It’s great for anyone who likes birdwatching, whether from the back window or in the wild. Since the images are from an actual birding book, the pictures are detailed and true-to-life, and the book includes a completely optional color guide for colorists who prefer to keep their bluejays blue.