Advent Books

Jubilee Time speaks to me where I am right now, and welcomes me to continue into the rest of my life with joy, creativity and peaceful wisdom. Engaging this second half of my life is the adventure I have been waiting for, and this book makes those connections with myself and community tangible. Best investment for my future ever made.

"....For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy unto you." The Book of Leviticus. And so begins this inspiring book celebrating women entering jubilee. Jubilee is certainly a more uplifting word than cronehood! Each chapter of this book ends with an exercise relating to the theme of the chapter. Great though-provoking exercises for the individual; also very appropriate to use with support groups; counseling; classes, etc. I was given this book for my jubilee and is now the gift I pass on to all my friends to celebrate their jubilee.

Just 24 Days Till Christmas is a combination recipe, story, and activities book filled with things to do and make for each of the twenty-four days leading up to Christmas. MyLinda Butterworth has created a kind of 212-page advent calendar that parents can use to create Christmas traditions with their children, individuals can share seasonal comraderies with friends, and teachers can draw upon for classroom activities. From Cinnamon Crunch Nuts and German Chocolate Pie, the recipes are nutritious and delicious. From holiday banner decorations to Christmas ornaments for birds, the crafts-based activities are totally entertaining. The stories are inspiring and engaging. Just 24 Days Till Christmas is a welcome addition to any family, school or community library Christmas celebration ideas and references collection.

A wealth of information and holiday excitement! This delightful book is stuffed full of wonderful ideas and delicious easy to prepare recipes. It is a must have for all teachers and mothers of young children. I LOVED IT! Carol Elaine Powell, author of Along the Way

Beautifully designed "A Keepsake Christmas" is the perfect choice to take as a hospitality gift, give to a favorite teacher, tuck inside a friend's purse or buy for your own coffee table.

The preface begins with these words, "Twinkling lights drape across the mantel, a cozy fire crackles on the hearth, we turn a page on the calendar--and Christmas is here once more. This is the wondrous season when ordinary moments become extraordinary and when greetings of 'welcome home' moisten our cheeks with joyful tears."

Bursting from every page are wonderful new ideas, easy decorating tips, suggestions for stress-free entertaining, delicious recipes, tender ways to connect with others during the holiday season, and heart-touching true stories. Best of all, there is a golden thread lacing through all the pages that reminds us of the timeless message that Christmas was a birthday before it was a holiday.

Here's just a tiny sampling of the delightful treasures you'll find inside "A Keepsake Christmas": Different Ways to Count the Days, Candle of Hope, Family Advent Celebration, A Christmas Tea, Progressive Mug Party, Eggnog French Toast, Cherished Traditions, Follow the Star, Everyday Gifts of the Heart, Fireside Cappuccino, Simple and Sensational Centerpieces, A Light in the Window, Mini Gingerbread House, Create a Critter Tree, Twenty-five Ways to Simplify, Is There Room in My Heart?

This book was written especially for every woman who longs to create a meaningful and memorable Christmas.

Each Christmas it is a tradition that my husband purchase a Christmas book for me and I can honestly say this is the most pleasurable one ever. So many people enjoyed it, that I've had to purchase several more copies for family and friends. There is a little bit of everything to help make next years Christmas even more enjoyable than ever. Thank you Ms. Gray and Ms. Wales for all your hardwork and sharing some very fun and valuable family projects from soup to nuts.

We all have stories to tell. Poems to share. Davidson has a unique talent for telling the mundane in the most fabulous form. Poetry lends itself to historical epics and the smallest of tales. In this book he does it all. Enjoy and buy for friends, family, cab drivers. Hand it out to New Yorkers or leave in a cab way across the country. Stories are universal share them all. Thank you Davidson for your wonderful writing.

Off-beat and interesting poems (and a few anecdotes)all from the point of view of a New York City taxi driver. Every would-be actor and would-be poet should keep this book on a bedside table. The poems will encourage anyone who feels that the world is just too daunting to get on with it and go forward and keep striving to reach the goal that inspired them to begin with. Garrett has sprung back from EVERYTHING and writes poems about it!

This is an amazing new book from an amazing new author. It is a must have book for your holiday collection. Kissing Kringle is sure to be a classic. Not only is the story marvelous, but the illustrations are astounding, better than any illustrations I have ever seen in a children's book. This book is the perfect book to read to your whole family during the holiday season, and highly recommended.

This is an amazing new book from an amazing new author. It is a must have book for your holiday collection. Kissing Kringle is sure to be a classic. Not only is the story marvelous, but the illustrations are astounding, better than any illustrations I have ever seen in a children's book. This book is the perfect book to read to your whole family during the holiday season, and highly recommended.

This is not your typical Christmas story, as it reflects a child's life so effectively in capturing the bittersweet miracle that is Christmas. Ms. Howell is a natural story teller and carries the reader along on that midwinter train ride to the upper reaches of Norway's mountains with Laura and her family. As an adult I was fascinated and frustrated by the political fears and apprehensions that seem to haunt her parents, yet Laura obviously wise beyond her years knows how to cope and thrive in uncertain circumstances. The friends she meets upon that Norwegian mountain opens her heart to joy and universality of the Christmas experience. This is one Christmas book that avoids all the sentimental cliches that make similar books so mawkish.
This was such an enjoyable read that I have ordered Ms. Howell's "Beejum Book" in anticipation of more reading pleasure.

Another classic story from the author of "The Beejum Book", "Lara's First Christmas" is a lovely story about a lonely little girl who finds the meaning of friendship and Christmas in a snowbound little hotel in Norway. "Lara's First Christmas" is vividly written in simple prose that makes the story enjoyable and accessable even to a small child. But this sweet little book is not only for the little ones--the message of love, kindness and Christmas spirit can be heard and embraced by everyone, even an ancient 12-year-old, such as myself. "Lara's First Christmas" is absolutely charming, and I heartily recommend it.

I bought this boook, read through it, & went & bought 5 more for presents. It's a perfect gift. I found the text to really reflect the real meaning of Christmas, & the "wishes" in it were exactly what I'd wish for everyone on my Christmas list. I might even give 2 to each person, with the instructions to pass the second one on. This book should be sweeping our country this Christmas.

Every Christmas, I try to find a book that will reflect the true meaning of the holdiay spirit. Well, I found it in Mr. Morgan's book. In this world of trying to find the perfect gifts, we learn that the perfect gifts are those within us. Beautifully written and illustrated, the book is an easy read and a wonderful way to spread the true meaning of Christmas.

This book is easy to follow and written in the spirit of getting past the craziness of the holiday season. It's ideas can easily be tailored to fit children of all ages. I like that it has things to "ponder" that go with each day of Advent.

This Advent book has a Victorian look about it. It is complete with a Christmas Carol and a devotional for every day of Advent. The days are divided into the four weeks of Advent. People of all ages will be spellbound with the daily readings, and everyone will be enchanted with the beautiful full-color illustrations. Meaningful prayers are printed in gold with a deep red background at the end of each day's reading. The Christmas hymns are all familiar, but are presented in new format, complete with notes for four-part harmony. This book has really put me in the Spirit of Christmas. It has a special place on the tea table of our parlor.

If you are buying a bunch of books to learn more about passover and how to celebrate it , this is a good book to have in your library, but if you are only buying one this is not it.It does not have the right info in it to allow you to be createive or free from guilt to be more createive.

This is a beautifully and sensitively written Haggadah based on the Jewish customs of the Passover Seder. The fact that it was written jointly by a rabbi and a minister adds considerably to its breadth. For a Christian community whose members are already familiar with the basic structure and rituals of the Passover Seder, this Haggadah will add new layers of understanding as these same Jewish structures, rituals and symbolism are re-interpreted in light of Christian teachings. It is not intended for a mixed faith group of Jews and Christians together. It is directed at Christian groups who wish to better experience and understand this part of Jesus's life story and its underlying Jewish basis.

I LOVE this book. It is one of the books I check out every year from the library at Christmas. However, I have moved to Seattle and my library does not have it! I think I may have to finally buy it.

Researchers constantly find that reading to children is valuable in a variety of ways, not least of which are instilling a love of reading and improved reading skills. With better parent-child bonding from reading, your child will also be more emotionally secure and able to relate better to others. Intellectual performance will expand as well. Spending time together watching television fails as a substitute.

To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. A Letter to Santa Claus was one of her picks.

Charlotte was a young girl who was always keeping busy. The town she lived in was so small . . . it wasn't even a town. The child she had to play with was her baby brother. So, she was always learning by copying what the adults did.

If her Mother or Father wrote a note, she would beautifully copy the note and add some illustrations. The only problem was . . . she couldn't read what she wrote.

Since Christmas was coming, Charlotte wanted to send a letter to Santa Claus. She wanted him to know what she would like for Christmas and to warn him that she would be in her brother's room rather than hers. Her grandparents would be visiting, and they would be in her room.

Her Mother wrote out a letter for Charlotte to copy. And she did so. Then she copied out the list of what she wanted. But she got busy and knocked several papers on the floor. She picked one up and put it in with her letter to Santa. But it was the wrong one!

The rest of the story nicely develops around the theme of giving as the way to receive.

The illustrations in this book are very noteworthy for their lively pastel watercolors. They create a wonderful mood of loving and caring that you and your child will enjoy very much.

I especially like this story because the plot has the most original twist I have seen on the "letter to Santa" theme. The book also moves away from "how can I get more?" -- which permeates most letters to Santa stories.

Although the book appears to be out of print at the moment, I suggest you track it down anyway. You'll be glad you did, if you are like me in your enjoyment of this beautiful holiday story.

After you finish enjoying this book with your child, I suggest a project of writing a letter to Santa on behalf of someone who may not be remembered by Santa. Then, you can take the gift that arrives to be shared with others on Christmas Day.

May the true spirit of Christmas always be with you!