Book Review—Joyous Advent: Family Christmas Devotional

Hoping not to stress out this holiday season? Looking for ways your children can experience Christmas wonder that doesn’t depend on presents under the tree?

This week I’m reviewing three new books to use during Advent to help moms and kids find that often elusive Christmas peace we all want.

Here’s review #2.

Anyone looking for a content-rich guide to Advent devotions, discussions, and activities with school-aged children and teens will find help in Joyous Advent: Family Christmas Devotional.

This new book offers four weeks of daily family time focused on the four traditional gifts of Advent: hope, peace, joy, and love. Each week includes short daily Bible passages or verses, reflections, discussion questions, prayers, and activities.

Families will explore the meaning of hope, peace, joy, and love in the lives of those who experienced the first Christmas, in the lives of other Bible characters, and in their own lives each day.

Daily reflections provide content parents can present in their own words or read aloud. The format offers flexibility for busy families—the introduction emphasizes that there’s no set way or time to use the material and suggests several options.

I liked the idea of families reading the Scripture together in the morning, thinking about it throughout the day, and coming together in the evening to hear the day’s reflection, discuss, and pray. Whatever activities the family selects can be done at convenient times throughout the week.

Parents of younger children can use the summary of main points at the end of each week as a guide with younger children or as follow up.

Joyous Advent: Family Christmas Devotional
written by Katara Washington Patton
published by Rockridge Press
paperback, 112 pages

Making God’s wonders known to the next generation,

– Diane

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