Our Favorite Christmas Books

These are some of my family’s very favorite Christmas books. The books in BOLD are my absolute TOTAL favorites that I think literally everyone should own. The ones with an asterisk are books I think go perfectly with your Truth in the Tinsel celebration.

Oh, and sadly, some of these are out of print, but feel free to grab them used on Amazon or Thriftbooks!

OK, I think that’s it! Wait! I forgot to tell you, I categorized the books and I think you’re gonna like ’em! Enjoy.

Non-Santa, Non-Jesus, But Still Fun

The Twelve Days of Christmas by Hilary Knight // Imagine if your true love really did give you all those gifts! Whew! The illustrations in this one are outstanding.

Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert Barry // A giant tree becomes a Christmas tree for more than just Mr. Willowby! 

Fancy Nancy Splendiferous Christmas by Jane O’Connor // Fancy Nancy books are always more family than fanciness. I love this sweet grandfather/granddaughter story.

If You Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff // Typical If You… fun at Christmas time!

Christmas Magic by Michael Garland // Two snowpeople experience some Christmas magic! (This is not my favorite book but my kids LOVE it!)

Santa-ish

Dream Snow by Eric Carle // A farmer (dressed in red and white) tends to his farm animals on Christmas. Includes clear pages and lights and music!

The Christmas Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood // adorable animals experience a quiet Christmas (“hoping for a snow day quiet”, “writing letters to Santa quiet”)

Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson // Bear and his friends try to stay up for Christmas morning. (Santa isn’t seen, just his presents the next day.)

The Sweet Smell of Christmas by Patricia Scarry // A little bear experiences all the smells of Christmas–you do, too with scratch-and-sniff stickers! (Santa is seen in this one, but is not the main point of the story.)

Merry Christmas, Ollie! by Olivier Dunrea // A duck and his friends wait for Father Christmas Goose.

A Pirate’s Night Before Christmas by Philip Yates // A funny retelling including Sir Peggedy and his eight giant seahorses.

Non-Santa, Not About Jesus, But Kinda Still About Jesus

favorite christmas books

The Christmas House by Carol Bullman // Busy neighbors are drawn to a young couple’s home (and their baby).

17 Christmases by Dandi Daley Mackall // A family travels the country to visit allllll their family during Christmas.

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski // A grumpy old man is loved on by a widow and her son as he carves a Nativity scene for them.

christ centered christmas books

The Pine Tree Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs // A farmer’s wife gives her favorite Christmas tree on the farm to a needy family.

Merry Creature Christmas by Dandi Daley Mackall // Forest friends have a Christmas celebration in the woods and try not to wake the mean old bear.

*Mortimer’s Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson // Mortimer the mouse discovers a funny little mouse-sized house at Christmas. He’s not a fan of the inhabitants until he learns who they are.

Stories about Christmas Symbols and Traditions

christmas symbol books

The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg // A little girl meets a candy maker and learns the legend of the candy cane.

A Very Merry Christmas Prayer by Bonnie Rickner Jensen // adorable little animals look around at the fun parts and symbols of Christmas and thank God for them as they are reminders of Jesus and his birth.

chrsitmas board books

Jesus, Me, and My Christmas Tree by Crystal Bowman // Part of a series of board books about the symbols of Christmas. Included in the series is *J is for Jesus, *A Star for Jesus and My Christmas Gift

Christmas Books With Biblical Prophecy and Teaching or are Just SO GOOD You Should Totally Own Them

beautiful christmas books
beautiful christmas booksbeautiful christmas books

*Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story by Sally Lloyd-Jones // One of the best books to show God’s majesty. (Also, if you don’t own Sally Lloyd-Jones’ Jesus Storybook Bible, YOU MUST.)

*The Wonder of Christmas by Dandi Daley Mackall // Maybe my favorite Christmas book ever. Turns a simple Christmas play into declarations to follow God.

meaningful christmas books

Why Do We Call It Christmas? by Phil Vischer // I could talk about this book forever. See my full review here.

Ordinary Baby Extraordinary Gift by Gloria Gaither // A song set inside a book with lots of great truth about WHY Jesus came.

*The Tale of Three Trees retold by Angela Hunt // This book ties in all of Christmas AND Easter. Must have.

*Born on Christmas Morn by Melinda Kay Busch // A simple little paperback telling the Nativity story but it ends at the cross & resurrection!

*The Christmas Promise by Alison Mitchell // I love this author so much! This story is the nativity story but told thru the lens of God’s promises to the people of Israel–and how the Messiah would come as a new, rescuing, forever King! (also: the companion sticker Advent Calendar and Activity Book)

*The Ballad of Matthew’s Begats by Andrew Peterson is based on his CD, Behold the Lamb. And if you do not own that CD, you must have it! It tells the whole story of Jesus–from Passover in Egypt to the Passover before the Crucifixion. Absolutely an essential part of Christmas!

Nativity Stories

A Night of Great Joy by Mary Engelbreit // children in a play act out the first Christmas.

A Savior Is Born: Rocks Tell the Story of Christmas by Patti Rokus // coolest book EVER! Literally rocks set up in the form of the Christmas story.  

A Very Noisy Christmas by Tim Thornborough // Dynamic, simple & powerful retelling. Perfect for preschool. Bonus: characters have more authentic skin tones!

*The Voices of Christmas by Nikki Grimes // The characters of the Christmas story tell their part in the first person.

*Who is Coming to Our House? by Joseph Slate // A sweet board book about animals in the stable waiting for Mary and Joseph.

Christmas in the Stable by Astrid Lindgren // A mother tells her daughter the story of the first Christmas. The little girl sees it in her own time and location. Very cool retelling.

A Christmas Goodnight by Nola Buck // A little boy tells everyone in his toy manger scene goodnight.

*The Christmas Story (Peek a Bible: A Lift the Flap Book) by Tracy Harrast // A simple retelling of the Nativity with flaps and fun cartoon illustrations.

The Very First Christmas by Jan and Mike Berenstain // The first Christmas as shown by the Berenstain Bears. Sticks close to Scripture!

*Goodnight Manger by Laura Sassi // A funny interpretation of how noisy the stable must have been!

*Listen to the Silent Night by Dandi Daley Mackall // Another story about the noises of the first Christmas.

*M is for Manger by Crystal Bowman // Not technically a story, it’s an ABC re-telling of the Christmas story. Beautiful and perfect for preschoolers.

The Littlest Watchman by Scott James // A fictional account of a little boy waiting for the “root of Jesse” to appear.

Stories about Giving

A Royal Christmas to Remember by Jeanna Young & Jacqueline Johnson // Thieves steal from the villagers so the five princesses give their Christmas gifts to the villagers.

Annika’s Secret Wish by Beverly Lewis // Set in turn-of-the-century Sweden, Annika hopes to find the almond in her Christmas pudding. Instead, she learns it’s more blessed to give than to receive.

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry, illustrated by PJ Lynch // a classic short story beautifully illustrated by PJ Lynch.

The Three Gifts of Christmas by Jennie Bishop // A selfish Princess receives only three gifts for Christmas and then learns about giving to others. This book led us to do something special with our kids’ Christmas gifts.

The King’s Christmas List by Eldon Johnson // A little girl learns how to give to Jesus at Christmas. The illustrations are kinda weird but this book has set up our favorite Christmas tradition.

And a couple more Bible books you should own:

I AM: 40 Reasons to Trust God by Diane Stortz // not a Christmas book but a great devotional for the names of God. Perfect for Day 2 of Truth in the Tinsel!

The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones // The byline of this book is, “every story whispers his name”. This whole book seems Christmasy because it is all leading to the coming of our King! MUST OWN.

The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross by Alison Mitchell // This book shows how sin kept us out of the Garden and the Holy of Holies but Jesus came to bring us back in.

The Beginning Reader’s Bible // Each Bible story is told with actual text from the International Children’s Bible translation (including verse numbers) and the illustrations are detailed and seem more culturally and historically accurate than usual.

Ultimate List of Christmas Books for Kids & Grown Ups Who Love Christmas

More of my favorite books & gift guides—>
best-books-for-under-your-tree  best devotionals for kids and families: gift guide

photo copyright: maglara / 123RF Stock Photo
Affiliate links are included in this post. If you make a purchase via one of these links, I will make a small percentage. Very small. But very appreciated. It doesn’t change your price, just helps support Truth in the Tinsel and my family. Thanks! 

On Christmas Carols & Christmas Art

lego table

After Christmas last year, the kids were sitting at Asa’s new Lego table (we made it from some Ikea furniture!) playing and creating. They were also singing. They were belting out Hark the Herald Angels, “Born that man no more may die Born to raise the sons of earth Born to give them second birth”!

I loved hearing their little voices sing such Truth about Jesus and Christmas. I’d say nine times out of ten—even during the summer, Christmas songs come out of their mouths! The words and thoughts from famous Christmas carols are digging deep into their minds and hearts. And I love it!

Everything about Christmas is super magical. We have Christmas cookies, Christmas decorations, Christmas cards and Christmas music. It’s why Truth in the Tinsel is so important to me. Using this magical, sparkly, shimmery time is like a catapult to my efforts to teach my kids about Jesus—it helps the story and attention go further!

Christmas music is the same–so much of this music is full of the theology of Jesus’ incarnation. These old Christmas songs are more than sing-a-longs. They are telling the story, the why/wherefore and the details of the most life-altering event to ever happen to the planet. When we turn on our Christmas Spotify list or drag out our Christmas CDs and listen to them over-and-over-and-over again for a month or more, we are meditating on these words and ideas.

I want my kids knowing and remembering and singing words like,

“He rules the world with truth and grace”

“Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, Born this happy morning; Jesus, to Thee be the glory giv’n; Word of the Father, Now in the flesh appearing”

“Truly He taught us to love one another His law is love and His gospel is peace Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother And in His name all oppression shall cease”

Seriously! Does that not make you excited?

So, the other day my friend Rachelle from Scripted Simplicity asked me if we could do a giveaway here on the blog of some of her Christmas pieces. (Uhm, YES!) And when they came in the mail I was so excited! First of all because they are gorgeous. And secondly, because she featured beautiful words from Christmas carols!

scripted simplicity 1

I love her heart behind her work—that each piece would remind us of the Giver of all good things. And isn’t that Christmas? Remembering how God gave us the very best gift of all?

I love having these signs up in our house apartment to help us further focus and meditate on the gift of Jesus’ birth–the miracle of a God emptying himself of his divinity to become a man. It’s unfathomable. Yet, it happened.

scripted simplicity

So, number one? Play Christmas music. Not just Santa and Rudolph, either. Play the old stuff! Here’s a few more of her gorgeous pieces for you to drool over…

scripted simplicity collage

 

(I just have to tell you about my two nativity scenes pictured above, too. The top one is handmade by artists in Uganda. I got it from Ornaments for OrphansThe bottom one I bought in the Dominican Republic on my trip with World Vision. When I got it home, it had two Mary statues in it, no Joseph! Awesome. )

Begin Your Holiday with GIVING

A few days ago I was at my mom’s house and she had a giant pile of Christmas gift catalogs on her couch–all kinds of stores with all kinds of goodies. I was supposed to be doing some work with the kids for school but I stacked those little catalogs up next to me because I sincerely love shopping for Christmas! I don’t love walking through the mall but the hustle and bustle of Christmas is exciting!

How are we supposed to keep that hustle and bustle fun and not turn it into a big crazy greed-fest for us and our kids? Well, the best thing I know is to simply GIVE. To take it a step further, I think it’s important to give first. Let your first act of the holidays be to give in a big and significant way.

Here’s 3 of my favorite give-first activities:

1. Operation Christmas Child

If you’ve been around me for even ten minutes, you’ll know that I adore Operation Christmas Child. If you’re not familiar with this fun organization here’s the skinny—you pack a shoebox full of fun toys, toiletries and school supplies. Then, you add $7 for shipping and drop it off at a a pick-up location. From there, the shoebox is shipped to a Processing Center (just to make sure it’s all OK) and then shipped to poor and marginalized kids around the world.

occ

You can read a plethora of thoughts and emotions I have about Operation Christmas Child (especially lots of stuff about my trip to the Dominican Republic with them) but here’s where as a normal Christian American mom, I love Operation Christmas Child so much–-they help my kids not be greedy.

Every year, we are picking out and buying gifts that my kids would LOVE and they don’t get to keep them. In fact, the opposite seems to happen–they get excited about buying and giving away!

The best part is the National Collection Week for OCC is this week–right before the Christmas crazy starts. It’s the perfect beginning to your holiday celebration. Start your kids off looking into Christmas through a shoebox gift. It will change their heart. It’s changed my family.

2. Sponsored Kids Letters

Do you sponsor a child? We sponsor two kids through Compassion International and it is one of our favorite things we do. Every year, Compassion suggests we send our kids’ families money and we usually do. We also like to send them an actual gift–but since you can’t send big items, we try to figure out fun presents that can fit in an envelope.

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Last year we colored  and laminated a printable Nativity Scene. You can find all kinds of printable gifts and toys online (just search Pinterest!) that fit easily into an envelope.

It’s a simple thing but it can help your kids set a standard for the first Christmas card, the first Christmas gift being for someone else!

And if you don’t sponsor a child yet? It might be the best gift you and your family give this year!

3. Ornaments for Orphans

Are you in charge of decorating a Christmas tree at your church or school? Maybe your office? Instead of stocking up on Target’s latest designs, why not do something that really helps others?

Ornaments for Orphans contracts artists in Uganda to design and create beautiful handmade ornaments. You can order (free of charge!) a box of 100 ornaments to decorate your Christmas tree then, people who pass by can stop and buy an ornament for $10 each. This money goes back to O4O who then pass it on to the artists so they can provide and care for their children. How great is this?

You decorate a tree. Your friends, neighbors, co-workers and passers-by undecorate it for you and kids around the world are protected! Don’t you love it? (And if there happens to be any leftover ornaments–O4O will pay the shipping!)

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We did this at my husband’s CrossFit gym a few years ago and my kids absolutely loved decorating the tree and checking up on it to see how many ornaments had disappeared off the tree.

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4 mg a day was my daily dosage of Xanax for four months. I was really worried about getting addicted to it, so asked my doctor if it was safe to get off the drug. He has worked out a scheme for me to reduce the dose gradually. It took me almost a month to stop taking https://tattargahealthclinics.com/xanax/. Now I feel fine, and luckily, GAD is controllable now.

This picture is of the woman who  is the head of the widow’s co-op that makes all the stuffed animal ornaments for O4O. The women in this co-op are the sole providers for their families and this work enables them to care for their children. Ornaments for Orphans is actually in the job of orphan prevention because the majority of Ugandan children living in orphanages actually have a living parent or relative. But women have to leave their children at orphanages because they are too poor to feed them. O4O’s work can keep vulnerable families united by providing an opportunity for dignified income. I love it!!

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I hope you use one of these great ideas to begin your holiday. I think it’s kind of a “firstfruits” thing like with tithing. When you give to God first, it sorta evens out everything else. If nothing else, put it to the test and see what happens when you give first this Christmas!

 

Truth in the Tinsel Atlanta Swap Party 2015: The Recap!

It’s been almost a month since we had our Atlanta area Swap Party. Why has it been a month since I’ve written about all the fun we had? Because the DAY OF the Swap Party was also the day we moved out of our house! (You can read more about that here.)

It was by far, one of the most stressful weekends of my life. Even still, the party itself was so fun, the women so encouraging and I left with a full heart that night!

If you’re not familiar with a Truth in the Tinsel Swap Party—think Cookie Exchange, only with craft supplies! We all come with bags of Truth in the Tinsel ornaments ready to make in little baggies. Then we line them all up on a giant table and each take one so we have the supplies for every craft ready to go! (You can read more about how to do your own swap here–there’s a few more helpful details + look at our new Printable Party Pack!)

My main goal in the Swap Party is to give mamas a fun night out with good food, good people AND get their entire Advent celebration organized in just one night! So, the basic order of the night went like this:

First: EAT.

I had the party catered by Zoe’s. If you don’t have Zoe’s in your area, I’m sad. We ate yummy chicken kabobs, rice, hummus, pita and a Greek salad that was so good my daughter took the leftovers to school!

Second: CRAFT

Now, I know a lot of you think you’re not crafty. In fact, Truth in the Tinsel scares a lot of people because it’s craft-heavy. Well, I am a firm believer in anyone-can-craft because the end result is not really the goal. It’s the process.

Anywhoo–tonight’s craft was SO INCREDIBLY easy and it turned about even cuter than I thought it would.

It requires only three supplies.

easy advent calendar copy

Each person needs 24 clothespins, a few colors of washi tape and some cute ribbon or twine. Then, all you do is put a piece of washi tape on the front of clothespin and hang it on the twine!

easiest advent calendar ever

Can you even believe how cute that is??? The washi tapes fits perfectly on the clothespin so there’s no measuring, cutting or messing up!

This is the ideal calendar for the daily clues included in the Truth in the Tinsel ebook because it’s so simple and small. We didn’t have enough clothespins for me to make one, but the kids and I are making one this week. I love it.

TNT swap atl 2

Party Planner Note: My bff, Staci was at the party helping out with this craft and she had a great idea for next year. Instead of having a table set up just for crafts, put all the craft supplies in the middle of each table and after everyone has eaten, they can simply begin doing the craft right where they sit. It doubles as a centerpiece! I’m totally doing that next year.

Third: TALK

tnt swap atl 3

I talked. It’s what I do, I guess.

I wanted to encourage everyone in not being tired this Christmas. I wanted them to see that Advent is parenting. And it’s making an eternal difference in the life of their children.

tnt swap atl 4

I hope you know this for yourself, too. You can do this Truth in the Tinsel-thing!

Party Planner note: Those beautiful Christmas chalkboard posters behind me are from Caravan Shoppe. You download them for about $5 and then print them at Staples for $7. It’s just paper–how cute are they??

Check out our new Swap Party Printables–including a swanky Truth in the Tinsel poster + more!

Fourth: GIVEAWAY

I had some fabulous, amazing and generous sponsors of this event. At every chair, there was a super cute bag from my good friend, Yancy. Yancy is a singer songwriter who loves kids and God’s Word. Not only did she give everyone a fun Yancy-bag, she also gave them one of her super cool worship DVDs. (Can I just say: CHRISTMAS PRESENT ALERT! CHRISTMAS PRESENT ALERT! You need to snag this stuff for your kids!)

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Also included in the cute little Yancy bag was the brand new Galaxy Buck DVD from Whats in the Bible?. The kids and I just watched it and I loved it so much! What’s in the Bible? also included a free month to Jelly Telly–where you can stream Bible-based kids’ shows and movies. (CHRISTMAS PRESENT ALERT!!!)

We’re not finished yet! My friend Tricia Goyer also included her book, Prayers That Changed History. It’s a family/kid devotional type book about famous people and the prayers they prayed–AND how God brought about miracles because of those prayers. (CHRISTMAS PRESENT ALERT!!!)

 

And if that wasn’t enough, we also had some fantastic door prizes!

Zonderkidz sent us so many cool Bibles and books from their Adventure Bible line. (It’s the Bible my daughter has!)

adventure bible

They even included lots o’ cute Christmas books and the Jesus Storybook Bible. (Which is literally, the best book I’ve ever read.)

zonderkidz

Yancy is so generous and gave away more CDs and devotional books. (My favorite is Roots for the Journey and Taste and See.

yancy faves

My friend Kam from One Girl Design Shoppe gave a beautiful tabletop block from her Holiday Collection. She hand paints signs (even gorgeous custom orders) on reclaimed wood. I can’t wait to put one in our new house!

Tabletop Block Christ Is Born Hand Painted Christmas Gift from OneGirlDesignShoppe.com

Jessica from OneTwentyOne Designs donated the cutest zip pouches I’ve ever seen. Jessica sews all kinds of lovely bags and other yummies from vintage fabrics with vintage buttons. Every thing she makes is adorable.

Vintage Fabric Zip Pouch Christmas Coupon from OneTwentyOneDesigns.Com

Last: SWAP

Now it was time for the whole reason we were there! We grabbed our little Yancy bags and filled it with all the supplies for every day of Truth in the Tinsel! Aren’t you jealous??

tnt atl swap 5

A big special thanks to my mom for letting us use her children’s church space at her church and for all the other bazillion things she did that night–including take care of my two kiddos and running the sound. Thank you to Staci, my BFF who is just well, really and truly the BEST. Thanks to my kiddos for being so helpful and obedient on a crazy hard day. And thanks to my husband who moved us into our new apartment while I hosted the party.

And of course, thank you to all the ladies that made their crafts, came to the party and generally loved on me knowing it was a stressful day for me. You buoyed my spirit and I had so much fun with you. I love you all!

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tnt swap atl 1

 

Happy Birthday, Truth in the Tinsel!

happy 5 anniversary tnt

Five years ago I went to a blogging conference and felt this blazing fire inside of me to release an ebook about the Advent activities I’d done with my kids. I had some bloggy friends look at it, encourage me and when I got home I rallied the troops (my mom, brother, husband and kids) to help me get this book ready for real people to read and use.

Since that time tens of thousands of families have experienced this little ebook during their Christmas celebrations. Did you hear that? TENS OF THOUSANDS. I seriously cannot even comprehend that number. God has taken a few pictures, a few words, a few experiences and used them to further His Word and His great love for the world. It’s literally a Christmas miracle.

Over these past five years a lot has changed. As I looked through the ebook, read emails and saw updates from mamas using the ebook, I realized it was in need of an update! My brother/designer from Buzzhive gave the paper chains an update, there’s been some more tightening and editing AND a few crafts have been tweaked.

In fact, it was a news story from July that really pushed me to spiffy up some of the crafts. What happened in July? Bubble Wrap began it’s departure. (Can you even believe that?!!) On day 3 of Truth in the Tinsel, bubble wrap is an integral part of of the craft and lesson. It was one of my favorite crafts of the whole month, actually! *sniff*  But never fear, it’s merely been updated–not done away with! And the idea came from all of you smart mamas who over the years substituted buttons, duct tape and band-aids for the hard-to-find bubble wrap!

zechariah collage

I also decided to update day 7 about Mary’s Song. In the ebook, we decorate a CD to remind us that Mary sang a praise song to God. With Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music and all manner of streaming, I began to wonder if kids even equated music to a CD. Not to mention, we don’t get sample CDs, promo CD-ROMs in the mail or taped to cereal boxes like we used to in the early 2000s. (Man, we’re old!)

marys song collage

Instead of a CD, your child makes a sweet thumbprint craft of music notes. I love handprint and fingerprint crafts and I think this will be a treasured ornament from your sweet kiddos!

Whew. That feels like I’m giving a State of the Union address. I just wanted you to know about these changes for two reasons:

1. If you’re doing a Swap Party, some people will have the 5th anniversary version of the book while others will have the classic edition. The lessons remain the same, it’s just the craft that’s altered. It doesn’t matter which version you do, which version they do. You don’t need to buy the 5th anniversary edition if you already own the ebook! If you have any questions about it, you can email me.

2. I really think about what it’s like to do these activities in your home. I want this to be a peaceful, empowering experience for you. Not something where you are worried you’re not doing right or confused because you can’t find the supplies. I also want your kids to understand and identify with what’s being done on a daily basis.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing all kinds of fun Truth in the Tinsel tips, Christmasy ideas, giveaways, fun traditions, deals and more on the Truth in the Tinsel Facebook page. Plus, I’ll be doing weekly live Facebook live broadcasts so we can chat about the ebook, Advent and all manner of Christmasy-ness. Make sure you’re locked in with my on Social Media so you don’t miss any of the fun!

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Happy almost Christmas, friends! 

 

The Answer to the Santa Claus Dilemma

This post includes affiliate links. If you click through these links and purchase anything, I make a small commission. Thank you for supporting Truth in the Tinsel!

source: Kevin Dooley

source: Kevin Dooley

When I  had my daughter, my husband and I decided there would be no Santa in our Christmas celebration. Neither of us had believed in Santa and I just didn’t want it mixing up our Jesus-is-born holiday.

I was pretty strict about it and basically didn’t say the word “Santa” for two years. Even when my daughter would point out Santa hats on people we’d say, “Oh, look! They have a Christmas hat!”. We didn’t even listen to “Santa Claus is Coming To Town” because I just didn’t want those words in her mind (“He sees you when you’re sleeping…he knows when you’re awake…”).

On my daughter’s 2nd Christmas, she saw a tall traditional, velvet-y, fur clad Santa statute at a store and pointed at it yelling, “Noah!!” As in “and the ark”. Yeah, I did a good job shielding her.

As she got a little older and we let her see Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and read The Night Before Christmas, we continued to push Santa as a fun, fictional character similar to Rudolph or Frosty or even Mickey Mouse.

One day on the way home from church when she was 3 she said to me, “I can’t wait for Christmas!”.

I said, “Me, too, baby! What made you say that?”

She replied, “Santa is going to come down our chimney and give us presents!”

I whipped around in my seat and said, “Who told you that?!”

She said, “My teacher at church said Santa comes down your chimney and gives you presents.”

I was dumbfounded. I looked at my husband with wide eyes and then back to my daughter and said, “That’s not true.”

I went on to explain who-knows-what about Santa but could not believe that in one second my daughter completely bought into the Santa story with a simple push from her teacher! I’m not blaming the teacher at all–she probably just said, “What’s Santa bringing you?” and got started on a conversation that my little girl had never heard before!

After this conversation, we started talking about the real Saint Nicholas and how his story morphed through the years. We’ve watched Veggie Tales’ Saint Nicholas and probably even read a book or two about the real guy. My kids (now 8 and 6) don’t believe in Santa and honestly are a little confused at kids who do.

I tell you this whole story (because I felt like I finally needed to get it out into the internet) but also because I’m not exactly sure the best way to tell your kids about Santa. My father-in-law says “for every mile of road, there are two miles of ditch”. And I think that’s how the Santa debate has been. There’s the group of people who pull off elaborate stunts to perpetuate a lie about a jolly man who comes down your chimney and the others who equate him to Satan.

Where is the balance and the real education–not skewed by tradition and personal feelings?

I think I found it.

Does that sound like crazy hyperbole? (I’VE FOUND THE ANSWER TO THE SANTA DILEMMA!!!)

If you’ve been around me for any amount of time you know I love What’s in the Bible?. They produce the most amazing (hilarious) DVDs that walk kids straight through the story of the whole Bible with real and rich details. It’s like a Bible college lesson rolled into a bite-sized piece for a kid.

Anywhoo, their Christmas DVD, Why Do We Call it Christmas? does the same thing with Christmas–addresses all the traditions and their histories. This year, Phil Vischer (creator of WITB and Veggie Tales) released a new picture book called, Why Do We Call It Christmas?.

why do we call it christmas book review 2

At first, I thought it was going to be a simple paper-and-ink version of the DVD. In fact, it’s quite different and really really good.

In the book, Buck Denver (famous news anchor and star of all the What’s in the Bible? DVDs) is confused about Christmas because it seems to be two different holidays–the Jesus holiday at church and the Santa holiday at stores.

Buck’s friend, Sunday School Lady uses her magic flannelgraph (see how funny this is?!) to explain the word “Christmas”. She then begins the story of “Saint Nick” and how the Catholic Church gives certain people their own special day, like Saint Nicholas Day.

She then explains that Saint Nicholas Day is on December 6 and since Christmas is on December 25 and other churches didn’t always celebrate these special saint days–but they liked the traditions of them (hello! gifts left in stockings!) they just combined the two days. And bad-a-bing bad-a-boom we have our American Christmas traditions.

So. If you’re familiar with the Santa story, this might not seem like new information. It’s not the Santa-background that’s so great in this book. I know lots of people that celebrate Saint Nicholas Day. I’ve read all the books that tell Saint Nicholas’ true story. Instead, this book gives the explanation of WHY we celebrate Santa and Jesus on the same day. I love the clear delineation of the two celebrations.

When I finished reading the book, it was like a breathed a sigh of relief. There was no dancing around the story, or trying to walk on eggshells about should-you-or-shouldn’t-you believe in Santa. It is simply the story of how the Santa legend has arrived to our modern world. Period.

why do we call it christmas book review 1

I think it’s so important to teach kids truth–in all circumstances. Not showing them too much, or inappropriate themes. But truth. This book will help you do just that–whether Santa is a part of your celebration or not.

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If your kids have been confused about Santa–maybe they don’t believe and don’t know why he’s not included in your celebration, or they aren’t sure what to say to their friends, or maybe they do believe and you want to tell them the truth, or maybe they believe and you just want them to know where Santa’s story all began–this book covers all those bases.

Truth in the Tinsel GERMAN

Last year a reader from Austria emailed me and asked if she could translate Truth in the Tinsel into German so she could use it with her kids and share it with the kids in her community. It took all year but it’s finally here!

It makes my heart squeeze to think about a little Christmas tradition with my daughter that has turned into a tradition for families literally around the world!

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Truth in the Tinsel German

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FREE Truth in the Tinsel Supplements

One of the coolest parts of Truth in the Tinsel is that it is so versatile. You can adapt it for any age and interest. Of course, I think doing it as is, is pretty fun and exciting but I love that people have come up with new cool ways to use it with their kids!

Fun FREE Truth in the Tinsel Supplements from REAL moms!

I’m going to share several free supplements and additions to Truth in the Tinsel made my actual Truth in the Tinsel alums. These are not alternatives to Truth in the Tinsel, you still need the ebook to do the devotions and have the conversations. These are simply fun additions or as I like to call them–Truth in the Tinsel hacks! Enjoy, the creativity:

1. Printable Mini Album from Pink Paper Peppermints

If you’re planning on doing our printable ornaments, Melissa has made the coolest printable for a mini-album to keep them in! You simply print, cut and staple the book together then glue your ornaments in as you go.


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You can even attach a ribbon and make them into an ornament. How super adorable is that?! If I ever travel during the holidays again, I’m doing this with the kids!

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2. Countdown Riddle Cards from Mama Jenn

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Included in Truth in the Tinsel are fun printable clues to introduce the theme and ornament of the day. Mama Jenn has taken it a step further and has made little riddles for each day and once the kids guess the riddle, they run through the house looking for the hidden clue!

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Isn’t that fun? And I love how she displays the clues like a Christmas tree!

3. Active Advent Exercises from Everyday Faith & Fitness

First of all, I have to tell you a little back story on this–a few weeks ago, a mom sent me a Facebook message and said asked if I had any  “games, challenges or physical activities” to go along with each day as her son isn’t really into crafts. There is a fun obstacle course suggested for the Joseph day, but besides that, I’d never ever thought about something like that.

THE NEXT DAY, Dawn from Everyday Faith and Fitness emails me and says, “As I was thinking about the Truth in the Tinsel activities for this year, all of these exercise-related ideas started coming to me (God is so cool!). I’ve got the whole Advent season sketched out with exercises that correlate with each of the days from Truth in the Tinsel.”

active advent truth tinsel

Isn’t that amazing? Dawn has created some fun exercises to go with each day of Truth in the Tinsel and I think she’s going to be adding some videos through the month so you can see how to do them with kids. The kids and I are totally doing these!

4. Truth in the Tinsel Tracing Cards from All Our Days

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This is another way to easily use our printable ornaments and keep them all in one spot. Cute, right?

5. Little Kid Hacks

I had to link to this post even if it is from my own blog! My friend Lindsey gives a TON of great ways to use Truth in the Tinsel with the littlest of kids.

6. Advent Snacks

Fun Food Supplements for Truth in the Tinsel!

Wanna add some yumminess to your celebration? Liz made up some fun food for each day!

7. Lego Ornaments

Lots of people have made Lego ornaments in lieu of the ornaments prescribed in the ebook. My friend, Tina (Cogs of Encouragement) took pictures of all the Lego creations her kids made to spur your creativity!

// // //

Are you inspired? I hope you’re inspired and not overwhelmed. The point of this post is not to make you do ALL THE THINGS this Christmas season. In fact, Truth in the Tinsel has the opposite goal–to help you slow down and focus on God’s Word and His wonderful gift of Jesus. These activities are how real mamas have done just that–whether it’s through music or Legos or exercise.

There’s no wrong way to do Truth in the Tinsel. Truth in the Tinsel works because you work. Truth in the Tinsel is a guide to help you lead your kids to Jesus. That’s all. I pray this Advent season will be one of fun memories and sweet times of communion with God.

If you still haven’t downloaded your copy of Truth in the Tinsel, do so now! Then you can create your own TNT hack! I’d love to hear about it!

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We Said No To Ho Ho Ho

This is a guest post by my hero and mentor, Jim Wideman, author of Tweetable Leadership. (Jim also wrote the forward for Truth in the Tinsel!)

Back in November of 1978, Julie and I began our lives together. It was a wonderful day; all the kids in our children’s church were so excited about attending our wedding. I’ll never forget one little fellow named Zack who asked us if he could go on our “moon ride” with us. I told him he couldn’t, and one day he would have his own “moon ride.” (He thought when his parents said we were going on a honeymoon, they said we were going on a moon ride.)

I had no idea all of the work involved in the two becoming one. You see, although Julie and I both love Jesus, our families, rock and roll, and each other; we soon found out we had come from two completely different parenting styles. As we began to talk about all of our differences, the big desire of our hearts was to train our children based on God’s Word more than our own family and cultural traditions.

no ho ho ho quote bro jim

I believe that just like the church needs a biblical vision for reaching children, so does the family. Have you ever asked God for what He wants for your family? God designed the family to put His Word into future generations. If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time. So if God gives you the desires of your heart, what are your desires and goals for your children? For me, I wanted our family to be close. I wanted them to love the Lord and the Word with all their hearts. In fact, I wanted them to love the Bible so much that it would be what they base every choice in their lives on.

Julie and I believe the Bible was and still is the benchmark of how we should view the world and how we should live. The Bible tells us we are in the world, but we are not of the world. The Bible also tells us to come out of the world and be separate, yet we are told to be salt and light to the world. Over the years, I have studied families and the different ways they parent. I’ve also studied churches and the different ways they do church. To me, the families and churches who have the greatest successes are the ones who have teamed together to join forces and develop in individuals a biblical view of how to live 24/7.

I have had the wonderful honor of raising two wonderful daughters. They are both successful, not only in business but also in their spiritual walks. My girls are as different as night and day: if I had not been in the delivery room with both of them, I would not believe they were kin. I have had to discipline them differently; I have to communicate and instruct them differently. But when it comes down to making choices and how to live, it was the same for them as it was for their mother and me—simply, what does the Bible say?

There are lots of voices that speak into our lives and challenge a biblical worldview. As a parent and as a pastor, I cannot block out every voice that speaks to my family and to my congregation, nor should I; but I have spent my life pointing out that God’s Word contains truth, and the truth of the Word is what will set us free. God’s Word is the filter we should view the world through. Years ago, I learned that a stronghold is just believing wrong information. When we take captive every thought and make it obedient to the Word of God, it produces right thinking that creates right actions.

no ho ho ho quote bro jim2

Our actions come from our thinking; that’s why we have to be intentional about the voices we listen to and the actions we do, regardless of our age. When my children were small, we limited the voices and the traditions we planted in our children. Just because a movie or TV show was animated or geared for children didn’t mean we allowed our children to feed on it.

This led us to the big question: what were we going to do about mythical traditions?

Julie and I both grew up in Christian households. Both of our families attended church on a regular basis. Our parents also told us about the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, and Santa Claus. We also both grew up watching all the Disney™ fairytale movies and reading traditional children’s books. When Julie and I found out that our parents were really Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, and the tooth fairy; it affected us differently. Julie just kind of went along as long as her parents wanted to play the game. I felt betrayed. It also made me question if Jesus was real, too, or made up?

One thing Julie and I knew was we wanted to do whatever we could to help our kids know the difference between fiction and truth. We decided to do something that might not have been popular, but we felt it was right for us as a family. We chose to not tell them there was a tooth fairy; daddy bought their teeth. Oh, we still to this day give our kids Easter baskets, but they don’t come from Peter Cottontail hopping down the bunny trail; they come from mom and dad.

But the most controversial decision we ever made was to no to “Ho Ho Ho!”

We never told our girls their Christmas presents came from the North Pole or that they where made by elves. We told them the stories as stories, not as truth. The truth was their presents came from mom and dad with love bought with money Father God provided to us because He loves His kids and wants us to love ours. We told our children that Father God started the whole gift-giving tradition by giving the first Christmas present—His one and only Son. 

I don’t think our girls could have been more excited about Christmas than they were growing up. They went to bed wondering what mom and dad were going to give them in the same way other kids were excited about presents from Santa. A funny thing that happened was when adults would ask Yancy what Santa was going to bring her, she would answer, “Nothing.” Those adults would look at us like we were the worst parents in the world. I’ll be honest with you; at first, I was guilty of being somewhat of a Santa basher. Some of you might have heard a song I wrote for an early Puppet Trax tape that says, “Santa Claus never died for anybody’s sin, and the Easter bunny never rose again.”

no to ho ho ho bro jim

I remember walking through the mall around Christmas time and seeing a mall Santa. I remember saying something about there he is, the god of this world; and I remember Yancy as a very little girl saying, “Dad, it’s just a man in a suit like your gorilla suits.”  After that, I just took a chill pill. We had done what we had wanted to do: we had taught our girls the difference between truth and fantasy.

My kids loved Disney™. They were big Snow White fans and big Little Mermaid fans. They loved puppets, all my full-bodied costumes, and clowns. They even have had their picture made with Santa. But more than anything, my girls love Jesus. They love their parents and are very close to us. Although we are not perfect parents, we have never told them a half-truth, a white lie, or a fantasy story as a true story.

Because of this, my children believed me about Jesus. When I told them about the hurt and pain from living contrary to God’s Word, they believed me. They didn’t need to experience the pain themselves; they learned from my mistakes and believed me because I have always told them the truth. I learned when I first started working with kids in church to always keep your promises to them. I never made a promise in children’s church that I couldn’t keep. If I did that at church, I needed to do that at home.

I have no regrets for telling my kids the truth. They still look forward to Christmas and seeing what they are going to get from mom and dad, but greater than that, they know the reason for the season is that God’s Son became a man and dwelt among us.

Jim Wideman is considered as an innovator, pioneer, and one of the fathers of the modern children ministry movement. He has trained hundreds of thousands of children’s and student ministry leaders from across the U.S. and around the world over the past thirty-five years. He has built strong ministries for families in five great churches. Jim and his wife, Julie, have two fabulous daughters and the cutest grandson ever born!

This article is reprinted with permission. ©2013 Jim Wideman Ministries, Inc.

 

How To Do Truth in the Tinsel Even If You’re Scared of Crafts

  How To Do Truth in the Tinsel Even If You're Scared of Crafts

Do you know how many people I have told about Truth in the Tinsel and they’ve shaken their heads and said, “No way. I’m not making a craft with my kid every day during December. Can’t do it.” (These are my friends, people!)

I really don’t get my feelings hurt. Honest.

I get it. The idea of sitting down with your kids every single day for 24 days in a row DURING the Christmas season AND making a craft AND having a spiritual discussion? It’s downright intimidating!

But guess what?

Truth in the Tinsel isn’t scary. In fact, it’s the opposite. I’ll even suggest that it’s empowering!

This little ebook may look like Just Another Thing to add to your never-ending, never-gets-done Christmas to-do list but it’s not! It’s something that will actually help ground the rest of your must-do’s this season!

Let me give you a few reasons why Truth in the Tinsel is so easy, so fun and so not scary. Ready? Let’s go…

1. Supply Lists

Included in the book are two supply lists. One is divided by day–you can see every single item you’ll need for each day’s craft.  The second list is divided by kind—the supplies you’ll find around your house, in your school supply pouch and even the few items you may need to pick up at a craft store. But I promise, you’ll be able to mark off a ton of the supplies before you even hit the craft store!

2. Hyperlinks

All the Bible verses you need to read each day are hyperlinked to BibleGateway.com. You can read it all off your phone or tablet! (I do think reading it out of your very own paper-and-ink Bible is a good idea, but so not mandatory!)

3. Easy Peasy Tutorials

The ornaments crafts you’ll be making each day only include 3-5 steps. This is because the point of the ornament is not a perfect ornament. The point is time for your kids to meditate and think about the story from God’s Word. So, placing the ribbon at exactly 1/4 inch below the top? NOT EVEN A THING.

 How To Do Truth in the Tinsel Even If You're Scared of Crafts

4. Templates

Some of the crafts include printable templates so all you have to do is print, cut and add the extras!

5. Alternate Schedules

In the back of the book there are 4 different schedules which include anywhere from 6-10 selected days and activities from the ebook. So, if you want to ease into this experience, these shortened schedules make it easy!

6. Printable Clues

My very favorite part of the Truth in the Tinsel ebook is the clues. Each day your kids pick a clue from their advent calendar or from the printable paper chain included in the book. This gets them excited about what they are about to learn and it frees you up from having to come up with 24 gifts to shove into that Advent Calendar!

How To Do Truth in the Tinsel Even If You're Scared of Crafts

My son holding a printable clue while wearing his Spiderman mask. #typical

7. And the very best thing included in the book?

Grace. You don’t have to do the ebook just like everyone else. You don’t have to sit down and have an hour long conversation, perfect craft and happy kids for 24 days! All you have to do is use the ebook to help you lay a foundation of Jesus-is-the-best-thing-we-do-all-December. All you have to do is facilitate fun, time and conversation around the greatest story every told.

If you don’t have all the supplies mentioned in the book–just substitute what you do have. If you don’t do any of the extra “do more together” sections, that’s ok! If you just do one craft a week or simply color the printable ornaments during breakfast, you’ve succeeded. I’ve said it before, there’s no wrong way to do Truth in the Tinsel. It is simply a tool to help you lead your kids to Jesus, help them understand what the gift of His life really means and to lead them in meditating on His Word.

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I pray you’ll jump into Truth in the Tinsel with both feet and do your very best to lead your kids in the way the book is laid out (because I think it’s really good and thorough) but the thing I want even more is for you to make Jesus great and famous this Christmas season! Let your kids know He really is the best present of all!

Buy your own copy of Truth in the Tinsel now! See a Sample Page and our FAQ here!

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photography by Jamie Worley

 


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