Healthy You
Last year, we had Little Girl’s Christmas storybooks scattered all over the house. Then, while we were delivering treats to neighbors on Christmas day, I saw that the lady down the street had all of her grandchildren’s holiday books organized in a neat little basket under her tree.
What a novel idea! (Well, it was probably just novel to me!)
So, I decided to do the same with the girls’ books this year. Here are some of the books in our basket, and I have also linked to some of our favorite “virtual” books below!
1. Mary, Did You Know?
This book is basically the song lyrics to Mark Lowry’s song, “Mary Did You Know.” It’s short, sweet, poignant and perfect for little ones with short attention spans.
You can actually sing the words as you read the book, unless you are tone deaf, like me. 😉
2. The Legend of the Candy Cane
This is one of our favorites, as it teachers children a spiritual metaphor behind the favorite Christmas candy.
3. The Pine Tree Parable
We absolutely love and own all four of Liz Curtis Higgs seasonal books for kids–The Sunflower Parable, The Pumpkin Patch Parable, and The Parable of the Lily.
This one takes children on a story of a family who owned a Christmas tree farm but never wanted to sell one special tree–until one little girl showed them the true meaning of Christmas.
4. The Crippled Lamb
Any child who has ever felt left out will love this one. Joshua was a lamb with a crippled leg who felt left out because he couldn’t run and play like the other lambs. But God had a very special plan for Joshua’s life, and it has to do with the Christ child.
5. A Churchmouse Christmas
Funny, but true: My roommates my senior year in college called me a mouse because I would supposedly steal people’s food out of our shared fridge. (I thought we were all sharing, OK?!) It snowed that year, and they began calling me Christmas Mouse, and one of them gifted me this book she picked up at a thrift shop!
When we became parents, it became a favorite of our girls. It shares the story of how a church mouse wants to do something special for Jesus on his birthday. It then goes on to share the gospel with readers.
6. The Legend of St. Nicholas
Our girls don’t really believe in Santa Claus, but they know about St. Nicholas. This book is a must-read for teaching the legend behind the Santa Claus of today.
From The Legend of the Candy Cane to Mary, Did You Know? to The Crippled Lamb, the girls can easily find their books waiting for them under the tree in a special basket all season long.
And, today, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite Christmas eBooks (cause you know I’m an eBook addict!) floating around the blogosphere!
Truth in the Tinsel
The book has short Advent activities for the littlest of hands. It includes step-by-step instructions and lists of all needed materials for crafts. (This non-crafty mama needs ALL the help I can get with that!) Little Girl is going to be pumped to spend time doing this each day! (You can read my review of this eBook here.)
A Natural Noel
This one is a favorite. Michele @ Frugal Granola has put together a Christmas book that speaks to the heart of natural mamas everywhere!
Instead of the stress, instead of the hustle and bustle, instead of the mountains of gifts and empty wallets, A Natural Noel invites readers to savor each day from December 25 through the Epiphany. Using the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” Michele give a theme for each day, a Scripture to read aloud and several activities for learning and blessing others.
Activities range from feeding birds (a partridge and a pear tree, anyone?) to helping a neighbor to making an “attitude” (beatitude) poster. A Natural Noel can be easily modified to accommodate young children through adults. It would especially make a great homeschool theme! I.LOVE.THIS.BOOK., and I cannot wait to go through it this year!
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