Best Living Books for Advent
The fiery hues of the leaves, the scent of pumpkin and spice, and the decorations coming up all around the neighborhood fills us with anticipation for the Christmas holidays—but sometimes it can also come with a sense of dread. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t dread Christmas. I only dread the pressure for commercialism and consumerism that it tends to bring.
The good news is, we can reclaim the wonder of Christmas for our families! One of the ways that we can do that is by setting some time off to pause and contemplate on its true meaning. This is where advent calendars and advent books come in.
What are Advent Books?
Advent is the season of waiting for the coming of Jesus, both His first coming at his birth, and his promised second coming. As part of the Christian liturgical calendar, it occurs on the last Sunday of November, and covers the approximately four weeks until Christmas Day. That means that every year, the date it starts can be different.
In order to help families look forward to Christmas in a tangible way, advent calendars came about. They come in all shapes and sizes: some come with little windows you can open with each day that comes, others have little gifts for each day.
(If you would like a free downloadable Advent Calendar, we have a free printable Advent Calendar Template PDF here for you, as a companion to our very own Promises Fulfilled: An Advent Journey book, or even as a companion for any other advent book you may already have on hand.)
Advent books are a form of advent calendars, but instead of just a sheet of paper where you contemplate on specific symbols or items, it contains a daily devotional that you can read, either individually or with your family. Sometimes they can even include discussion prompts, a craft activity, or any other add-on to make your experience going towards Christmas a memorable time.
Some families put up a Jesse Tree as part of celebrating advent. The phrase is taken from the book of Isaiah in the Bible, which describes the coming Messiah as coming from “the stump of Jesse.” This is why many advent books go through Jesus’ family tree, or the Jesse Tree, as a way of preparing for His coming.
Best Advent Books You Can Use
To help you find an advent book you can use this year, whether or not you’ve tried it before, here are some of our top picks:
Unwrapping the Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp
This hardcopy book, Unwrapping the Greatest Gift, comes with daily Bible readings, discussion prompts, advent activities, and free downloadable ornaments you can print and cut out of cardstock. The book also features beautiful illustrations that can capture even the youngest of hearts as you go through the devotional as a family.
The Dawning of Indestructible Joy: Daily Readings for Advent by John Piper
John Piper is one of our absolute favorite theologians and writers! The Dawning of Indestructible Joy is divided into 25 daily readings that we hope can spur you to greater love and wonder at the birth of Jesus. It ties into one major premise: advent is for adoring Jesus!
Promises Fulfilled: An Advent Journey by Yen Cabag
Unlike most advent devotionals, Promises Fulfilled: An Advent Journey book takes you on a tale through the pages of Bible history through the eyes of Cecilie, a young girl seeking the true meaning of Christmas. Join Cecilie as she encounters the friends of God and observes firsthand the promises that God makes to them and how He fulfills them.
This comes with a devotion question for individual reflection or family discussion, plus a suggested ornament you can create for your Christmas tree. Or, you may also choose to draw symbols for each day in this FREE Advent Calendar PDF Download!
Prepare Him Room: A Daily Advent Devotional by Susie Larson
Recognizing the busy-ness of the Christmas season, Prepare Him Room invites you to give God the holy space He desires over these hectic holidays. It takes you through the stories of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection taken from the book of Luke.
Joy to the World: Daily Readings for Advent by Charles Spurgeon
Who better to take you by the hand for 5 minutes each day to contemplate on the gospel of Jesus Christ than Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers? We recommend Joy to the World for adult readers, but it may also be a good discussion starting point for Christian families.
Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas (a compilation)
Watch for the Light is made up of fifty devotions, compiling the works of Christian writers like C.S. Lewis, Philip Yancey, Deitrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther, and many others. The readings invite you to think about the great ideas surrounding Christmas and the power of Jesus’ coming for our personal lives.
Unwrapping the Names of Jesus: An Advent Devotional by Asheritah Ciuciu
In Unwrapping the Names of Jesus, the author takes you through four weeks of advent with a theme for each week: Hope, Preparation, Joy, and Love. Each week starts with a family devotional, followed by five daily reflections on the name of Jesus for that week. It also includes family activities or projects that you can do together as an act of service, for a truly memorable Christmas season.
Should We Do An Advent Book?
Our suggestion is to decide on your own time availability as a family: an advent book is not intended to be another thing to pile up onto an already busy schedule! Instead, prayerfully and intentionally decide what things you can let go of for the next few weeks in order to make some time to meditate on the beauty of Christmas. Then, from there, decide how much time you have to do any additional activities.
For our family, because we homeschool with the Charlotte Mason method, I gravitate towards advent books in story form, which is why I wrote Promises Fulfilled! Or, I prefer those written by someone I know is an excellent storyteller. Then, we might do handicraft relating to the day’s reading, but it’s been different every year; when the kids were younger, we tended to do more coloring and cutting of ornaments, and even creating our own Jesse tree!
