Silent Night, Holy Night.
All is calm, all is bright.
Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant so tender and mild.
Sleep in heavenly peace…
sleep in heavenly peace.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Tag: Advent
Advent Week 4
Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a King.
Born to reign in us forever – now thy gracious Kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal Spirit, rule in all our hearts alone.
By Thine all sufficient merit, raise us to thy glorious throne.
Advent Week 3
Come Thous Long expected Jesus, Born to set Thy people free.
From our fears and sin release us, let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation Joy of every longing heart.
Do You See What I See: A Devotional for Advent
We love this Advent book!
Grandpa and Grandma gave it to the children years ago and it has been a Christmas tradition in our home ever since.
The children have been known to stop decorating the house and start reading it as soon as it is discovered in the Christmas box.
Even though our children have outgrown it, it has stood the test of time and has earned a place of honor among our Christmas decorations.
Do You See What I See: A Devotional Seek-and-Find Book for Advent tells the Christmas story in a creative and colorful way that is perfect for preschoolers.
It is put together like the popular I Spy books with a bright colorful picture, a short devotional and a rhyme for each day of Advent.
The children love to hear the story and the rhyme before finding the things hidden in the pictures.
“When Christmas comes with colored lights
With snowmen sweets and other sights
It’s often easy to ignore
Who all this celebration’s for.
Through-out this pretty picture book
Are hidden objects. Take a look.
Past presents, lights and evergreens.
You’ll find what Christmas really means.
So come with shepherds, sheep and kings.
And peek beyond the other things.
To seek the Savior, born for you.
Look! Do you see him? I do, too!”
This book is a hard one to find, but it is still available from the publisher Creative Communications at http://www.CreativeCommunications.com
The paperback version is so inexpensive it would make an excellent gift from a Sunday School teacher to her preschool students!
Jotham’s Journey
I love Christmas and all the hustle and bustle surrounding it.
But I also love taking a few minutes every day to be quiet and reflect on the real reason for the season.
We want to teach our children to do the same, so we have implemented some advent activities into our December schedule.
This year we have rediscovered a classic Advent book that has brought a new meaning to the Christmas season.
Jotham’s Journey: A Storybook for Advent
The story takes place in Israel at the time of Christ’s birth. Jotham is a ten year old boy who runs away from home in anger. Then, hungry, lost, and repentant, he begins to search for his family.
This adventure takes him across Israel where he meets thieves, kidnappers, and robbers as well as wise men, shepherds and innkeepers.
The story is divided into short chapters to be read each day of advent. The last chapter is read on Christmas Day. I won’t give away the ending…but I’ll give you a clue…he ends up in Bethlehem in a stable!
The book is both humorous and exciting. It has kept all of my children attentive- from my seven year old to the teenagers.
One word of caution, there are some scary parts. They are always resolved, but many times the resolution is left for the next days reading. This makes a very exciting read-aloud, but it could be a little scary for younger readers.
There are two other books in this trilogy by Arnold Ytreeide, Tabitha’s Travels and Bartholomew’s Passage. But both are currently out of print and hard to find.
This is one family that hopes they too will get a second edition! Please Mr. Ytreeide!
Blue Jeans and Cotton Tees 