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Have y’all seen the tradition where you wrap up 24 books about Christmas and open one each day in the month of December to read with your Happy Buddies?
A Book Advent is such a great idea!
Last year, however, when I decided to do this for the first time, I seriously underestimated how long it would actually take to wrap 24 books.
I got about 7 done before I had to move on to the next pressing Christmas-y thing and alas, our book advent did not really come together.
BUT we did read a lot – just without the gift wrap. 🙂
Since Christmas is all about Jesus, I wanted to share with you our top 5 favorite books (geared for the younger set) that help us celebrate the birthday boy.
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The Happy Buddy asks for this sweet book – Who Is Coming To Our House? by Joseph Slate – quite frequently.
He loves hearing about how all of the animals in the stable prepared their humble home as best as they could for the baby Jesus.
Buy it HERE.
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This book – Mortimer’s Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson – is just plain hilarious!
A little mouse thinks his hole in the wall is too ‘creepy’ so he moves into a nativity set – kicking Jesus out of his manger.
The end is adorable and redemptive and super sweet (wink!).
But it HERE.
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Oh man, that Sally Lloyd Jones, author of The Jesus Storybook Bible, is awesome at spreading the message that Christ came to rescue us…
This book, Song of the Stars, is a beautiful example of that truth.
Click HERE to buy.
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Are you familiar with the Legend of the Candy Cane?
I did a post about it HERE (there’s even a FREE Printable tag for you to attach to candy canes and pass out to people this month – sharing the Good News of Jesus’ birth!).
This book – J is for Jesus: The Sweetest Story Ever Told by Crystal Bowman (who happens to be a friend of mine – love that lady AND her amazing books) – is a super simple telling of the candy cane’s meaning.
The Happy Buddy is obsessed with this story and we read it several times a day.
Click HERE to buy.
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And finally, this book – Christmas in the Manger by Nola Buck – is just precious.
The Happy Buddy turns to the last page, which is a picture of baby Jesus, and always sighs contentedly saying, “Awww… Baby Jesus is so cute.”
🙂
Buy it HERE.
I have no doubt that each of these stories will spur meaningful conversation in your Happy Homes this month as you reflect on the wonder of our Lord’s coming to Earth as a baby.
Merry CHRISTmas Book-ing! 🙂
Karen Cochrane
December 5, 2012 at 2:15 pmLOVE, LOVE, LOVE “Mortimer’s Christmas Manger”… so sweet! I highly recommend that one to everybody! (It even makes me tear up at the end because it’s so precious!) Also, got to meet Crystal Bowman at a MOPS meeting a few years ago when she spoke at it and got several of her adorable board books there and she signed them for me. So neat that you know her! We LOVE her books too… I think we have 4 Christmas ones that she wrote.
Becky
December 5, 2012 at 2:41 pmEek! We have all but Song of the Stars and J is for Jesus. Love CHRISTmas books! They give me warm fuzzies. =) Thanks for sharing!
Rita
December 5, 2012 at 4:22 pmFantastic idea! Thanks for sharing it! Looking forward to sharing the books with my great-neice!
Tera
December 5, 2012 at 6:31 pmMy all time favorite CHRISTmas book is Room for a Little One by Martin Waddell–so sweet, about how animals came looking for shelter and each was told to come on in, there’s always room for a little one here, until finally kind donkey comes with Mary and Joseph and is told there’s always room for a little one. So poignant, considering how so many today still say “no room” to Jesus.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/141692518X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=141692518X&linkCode=as2&tag=theacc01-20
Tara
December 6, 2012 at 8:24 amMy daughter’s kindergarten class acts out “Who’s Coming To Our House” for the parents next week. She plays the mouse. 🙂
Karen
December 6, 2012 at 10:36 amI tried to wrap all my Christmas books last year too, but also had to stop before I’d planned. This year we have a special gift bag with tissue paper (that we can reuse every night!) It’s working out really well so far!