Countdown to Christmas 3: Remembering the Reason for the Season...

Here's the disclaimer at the start of this one... I am NOT claiming to be the fount of all knowledge when it comes to great Christmas resources, and I am not claiming to have "discovered" the cream of the crop... I'm simply going to share some of the golden gems that I, and other good friends of mine, have found useful during advent...

In my quiet time today, I was reminded that

Advent is an annual season of patient waiting, hopeful expectation, soul searching and calendar-watching (...) it is for adoring Jesus

(David Mathis; Good News of Great Joy)

So here goes... if Advent is all about preparing ourselves for the arrival of the King, if its all about adoring Jesus, then chocolate windows and a few nice scented candles aren't really going to cut it. I set myself the mission last year of unearthing some treasures to help us, as a family, to give our lives a good clean-out as we "let every heart prepare him room". Here's the top few!

For the children...

The Jesus Storybook Bible: Sally Lloyd Jones
I LOVE this book. It is my absolute favourite... and although it is actually Ava's bible, I often take SO much away from it myself. This Bible does exactly what it says it does - it clearly shows how every single story in the bible points to Jesus, which of course means the Christmas story lies right at the heart of it...
The Christmas story is split over four stories, which works quite nicely if you're using an advent wreath, as you can read the next installment of the story each Sunday as you light the next candle... that's our plan this year anyway, and its such a rich resource to use from 0-adults!

Song of the stars: Sally Lloyd Jones
I'll come clean and admit straight out that I don't own this one yet, but I have read it, and I do know enough about Sally Lloyd Jones to know that anything written by her is incredibly well thought through and brilliantly geared at children...
This story creates a real sense of expectancy as the whole book whispers "It's time, it's time" and its only at the end that we uncover what it is time for. A lovely story, very accessible from babies up and quite a moving depiction of the night the King arrived...

Christmas Opened up and Countdown to the Coming of the King: Alison Mitchell

These two packs are produced by the Good Book Company and are advent calendars with an accompanying book geared at children aged 3-12. They are a little bit advanced for us, yet, but I'm looking forward to trying one of them out next year, and they come highly recommended. Alison Mitchell was actually the local christian school's worker at my school when I was growing up, and I can vouch that her resources will be theologically rich and creatively presented.
These two packs also came highly recommended by the Mahaney gang over at Girl Talk and I've found previous recommendations of theirs to be really helpful...

BUT advent is not just for children - here are some resources for us adults to adore the King and prepare him room this Christmas!

For us...

Good News of Great Joy: John Piper

This is an absolute GEM of an eBook that you can pick up here for free and read online. It has a short reading for every day of Advent, beginning on the first Sunday, and running us up to the big day itself...

I'm only 3 days in, but I had to share as its been SO unbelievably helpful to have something to focus my mind in the run-up to Christmas. I highly recommend you check this one out now, and add it into your quiet time somehow, and I promise you will not regret it. The Piper's have seriously thought through Advent and its role in the run up to Christmas (John's wife Noel wrote the next book I'm going to recommend). This book is basically the motivation for all the practical that comes in the next one! Check it out!

Treasuring God in our Traditions: Noel Piper

I cannot recommend this book highly enough, particularly if you are at the stage of life where you are starting a family/have a young family and are trying to establish family traditions that are rich and meaningful. Although even if your kids are grown up, or you don't have any, or WHATEVER stage of life you're at - its brilliant! This book is not just about Christmas - it covers every tradition you could possibly imagine, and yet it gives such wonderfully rich, creative and most importantly, PRACTICAL ideas for how to keep Christ central in all the big and small celebrations. I actually went out and bought this book on my Kindle, but in usual Piper style, I have since discovered they have made it available online for free right here. Another one not to miss!

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus: Nancy Guthrie

I have not read this book, but its on my definite wish list for next year as SO many people have recommended it to me now! Nancy Guthrie has compiled a selection of readings to be read one a day throughout Advent from authors living and dead... from Spurgeon to Keller, from Whitefield to Lloyd Jones, from St Augustine to Joni Eareckson Tada, I cannot wait to use this little book next year! All of them seek to create a sense of expectation and excitement as the unravel the Christmas story throughout the month of December...

I hope that's enough to be getting your teeth into. I'd LOVE some more recommendations, if there's anything you've found helpful in preparing your own heart for Christmas, or in creating a sense of expectancy amongst your children, please, please let me know! I'm genuinely trying to find the best stuff out there and would love any suggestions!!

Tomorrow, I'm being joined by Wilma from Little Green Tree for a tutorial on gorgeous Christmas Cards... watch out for it!