Customer Reviews

Christ in Christmas: A Family Advent Celebration

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The book is divided into daily devotions for each day of the four weeks of Advent. Each day has a passage from the Bible already included. The devotions for Sunday inculde songs, prayers, a family activity, a passage from the Bible, and a short story written by one of the contributing authors. We have used the book in our family for a few years. It helps to bring the true meaning of Christmas alive for children. I would recommend the book especially for families with children who are 5 years of age and older.

I bought this book when my oldest child was about 4 years old. I had seen children all around me concentrate on "gimmee" and wanted a different emphasis for my children. Advent begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas. This book can be used in 2 ways: Either light a candle and read only the 4 Sundays before Christmas and Christmas Eve, or light a candle and read each night. The first week of nightly readings addresses the creation of man and his fall from grace, the second week addresses the prophecies of the Messiah,the third addresses the birth of Jesus, and the fourth addresses the ministry of Jesus on Earth. The last section is about the promises of Jesus' return and is for those few days that often fall between the last Sunday and Christmas Eve. Sunday readings are the Christmas Story. My children look forward to the family time each evening. They have come to understand the full story. It has helped move our Christmas' emphasis back onto Christ. This would be great for any family with children under 10.

I'd say that this book is targeted for families with children over age 8. We're finding it not very suitable for my family with children ages 7, 5, and 2. There are five readings for Sundays in this book. But, for example, with a meditation that talks about Dan Rather, Waterloo, Micah, etc., I find myself having to explain practically every sentence to the children. The Monday through Saturday readings consist of Bible passages. But for example, the selection of Isaiah 19:19-25 leaves kids puzzled about how the highway between Egypt and Assyria relates to Christmas. Yes, this is very solid Biblical material, but we're not finding it age-appropriate for engaging a young family in the advent celebration despite the drawing on the book cover.

I got this for my family this year. I have a 3.5 yr old and 1.5 yr old. This was over their heads. I'll pull it out again in a few years bc I think it contains solid and thoughtful devotions for the advent season. For this year, though, it just wasn't quite what I was hoping it would be.

My family has really enjoyed this time that we spend together. I hope that it will be a treasured memory for my kids as they remember their childhood Christmas.