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I think we're going to take at least a couple of weeks off in December to just do Christmas stories, crafts, etc. Do you have any favorite Christmas books at about the 3rd-5th grade reading level?

I don't really have a suggestion, although I do have friends who like the series "Jotham's Journey, Bartholomew's Passage, Tabitha's Travels - the Advent trilogy that helped families find Christmas again" I have not read them myself, but there are reviews on Amazon.

I was wondering, while we are on the topic, if anyone know of any good "advent" studies or websites. How does everyone do Christmas???

Love Deb

I just bought the Miracle of the Myrrh after reading it last year because I kept thinking about it. Awesome story! You can find it at the following site: http://readandclick.com/store/index.php ... ucts_id=16

I have also read the book, The Fourth Wise Man, and that is a great story too.

I am not sure what level they are but you can check them and decide if your kids will like them.

HTH, Tammy

Here is the link to the Jesse Tree Advent Devotions our family will be doing this year. If you click on each day's link, it will show a short reading and activity for that day's devotion. At the bottom of each day's page is a suggested Christmas book for family reading. I was able to find many of them at Amazon for a penny (plus shipping), but I imagine most will be at a better library, too. Blessings~
Ginger
http://www.jesse-trees.com/calendar.html

A book by max lucado, is it the crippled lamb? I cant remember the exact title, but it is also on amazon, and i heard it narrated on focus on the family i believe last year. It is a wonderful story, of how this little lamb who was crippled and couldnt go with the flock out to pasture, had to stay back at the stable, but in the end his job was the most important. He warmed the baby Jesus, after He was born. I bought this book this year and plan to use it as a new Christmas eve tradition. It has so many lessons packed in this small story, i just had to have it!

We are also doing a Jesse tree like Ginger and I have The Max Lucado Christmas collection (An Angel's Story, The Christmas Candle, The Christmas Child) to read to my children. I also happen to have the Homeschool in the Woods New Testament lapbook projects http://www.homeschoolinthewoods.com/HTT ... tament.htm We happen to also be studying the NT and the life of Jesus as well on our fifth day and a little here and there on our regular HOD days. I have heard that The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a good book but have never read it. Just putting that one out there for you to look at as well.

I also do something every year that I will share with you. We make what I call "Trinity Twists" They are homemade pretzel we make them with salt and cinamon and sugar. I use them to teach about the Trinity and how Jesus wants us to behave (sweet yet spicy for Him and be salt and light for Him). I use each loop to represent a Person of the Trinity and the middle where they over lap and intertwine both to show how they are all One and how we are drawn by the Holy Spirit and forgiven through Christ, and made right through the bridge of His blood with God. There is no official lesson on this because I made it up and I change it each year. But it is an awesome lesson. We also talk about yeast in the Bible and how we are not to be flat etc as well as bring in some other Biblical Holiday in the OT and compare it to the NT using Biblical Holidays by Robin Sampson.

We make Ginger bread Nativity and Ginger bread churches as well as some doves etc with the names of Jesus on them. And we make more for the neighbors. This year we are going to also send Trinity twists to them with a lesson explaining them and how they can belong to Him.

Another thing I want to do this year is make a wrapped present with a slot in it and every day we do the Jesse tree we each put a prayer of thanksgiving and what of ourselves we want to give to Jesus. Christmas Eve I want to randomly pull them and read them aloud so we can pray together on them. I thought this would give my kids more of an idea what we need to be thankful for at Christmas and what our salvation really means.

Anyway just a bunch of random ideas but maybe there is something there you will like.

I think Max Lucado has a book called "Tell Me the Story"....I think that might be the Christmas one. I might be wrong though...I just know it got packed up in our Christmas box. LOL

Visionforum.com usually has great books, Theoldschoolhousemagazinestore.com might have some good ones too. If nothing else, see what books are on the site and maybe you could find some at the library. Our library has big green stickers with Christmas trees on the spine of any book that is about Christmas or has a Christmastime theme/setting.