Hello there, friends! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Have you started putting up your Christmas tree? We started decorating the house this weekend! In case you missed them, check out the Christmas Gift Guides for the Host and for the Homebody! And don’t worry, I have more coming your way. 😉 If you’re in crunch mode for the men on your list (they’re so tough to buy for, right?), check out this guide I made this summer.
I love all the fun and decorations of the season, but we must not forget what it’s truly all about. On December 2nd, we start the first day of the Advent season. What’s Advent? It’s the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. In this season, we remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus as well as eagerly anticipate for Him to come again.
If you follow me on Instagram, you probably have heard me talking about a daily devotional I’ve been going through, but I’m going to take a break for December and start reading this Advent devotional: Oh Come Let Us Adore Him by Paul David Tripp. I would love for you to join me!
Advent Resources for Families
While Mike and I don’t have kids of our own yet, we get the opportunity to be with them often! Many of you know this, but I work full-time at a church as the director of our children’s ministry and boy, do I love my job! Our desire is to come alongside parents – the primary teachers of their kids – to equip them and cheer them on as they raise their kids and teach them the good news of who Jesus is and what He has done (you don’t have to do it on your own, parents!). Any chance we can, we try to recommend really good resources for parents to use at home to learn alongside their kids (you don’t have to have it all together or know it all to talk to your kids about Jesus)!
I put together a list for the parents at our church and they seemed to really love this list, so I thought I would share it with you too. All items listed are not pictured in the photo, so be sure to see the expanded list below.
Advent Devotionals for Families:
Free Advent Calendar Printable + Reading Plan to use alongside The Jesus Storybook Bible
Prepare Him Room: Celebrating the Birth of Jesus (Family Devotional that corresponds with our Advent lessons at our church – it’s a little bit more involved)
A Jesus Christmas: Explore God’s Amazing Plan for Christmas by Barbara Reaoch
This Is the Christmas Story: A Kids Read Truth Story & Scripture Book
Advent Table Cards by Kids Read Truth
The Family Tree of Christ: Advent Cards by Tiny Theologians
Advent Books for Families:
The Christmas Promise by Alison Mitchell
The Littlest Watchman: Watching and Waiting for the Very First Christmas by Scott James
A Very Noisy Christmas by Tim Thornborough
Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story by Sally Lloyd-Jones
Gift Ideas: Kids Books
Jax’s Tail Twitches: When You Are Angry by David Powlison
Buster’s Ears Trip Him Up: When You Fail by Edward T. Welch
Zoe’s Hiding Place: When You Are Anxious by David Powlison
This 3-book series (above) is so valuable and I’m giving them to my nephews this year for Christmas! The themes are: when you’re anxious, when you’re afraid, and when you fail. These books were speaking to my heart too!
Found: Psalm 23Â by Sally Lloyd Jones
Loved: The Lord’s Prayer by Sally Lloyd Jones
Thoughts to Make Your Hearts Sing by Sally Lloyd Jones
First Bible Basics: A Counting Primer by Danielle Hitchen
Psalms of Praise: A Movement Primer by Danielle Hitchen
Hug-A-Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones
Lift The Flap Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones
The Biggest Story ABC by Kevin DeYoung
Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones (I love the anniversary addition; It’s a little more expensive, but larger and has a beautiful cover!)
The Big Picture Bible by David R. Helm
Gospel Story Bible for Beginners by Jared Kennedy
Gospel Story Bible by Marty Machowski
The Biggest Story by Kevin DeYoung
I hope these are helpful and in a small way, the recommendations pointed you closer to Christ – our hope for this season and all seasons. What are your favorite ways to celebrate this season with your family?
If you have questions about anything above, please don’t hesitate to email me or comment below!
Instagram / Facebook / Pinterest /Â Subscribe to receive the latest post to your inbox
—
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.