Product Description

A treasury of ideas and activities for celebrating the days before Christmas, and also things to do after the Christmas tree is taken down. Specific activities, including crafts, service projects, and family worship ideas, are included for each day in Advent and through the twelve days of Christmas. In addition, each day offers a Bible passage for reading together. Full-color illustrations bring the text to life and make completing the activities a snap!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #96805 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 64 pages

From the Author
Advent, the four weeks before Christmas, is a rich season often swallowed up by the world’s commercialism. In the same way, the season of Christmas, the twelve days from Christmas Day to Epiphany on January 6, is also lost as people return to ‘business as usual.’

Many of the people I know and have met through my Advent workshops have echoed my thoughts – there must be alternatives to the hectic pace of this time of year. If you have thought the same thing, this book is for you. Through family activities, family time, and family fun, this book gives direction to help us focus more on the true meaning of the days before and after Christmas.

When we take time to prepare, reflect, and renew ourselves during Advent, we eagerly await the birth of Jesus, God’s greatest gift to us. These four weeks help us truly celebrate the gift of God’s Son on Christmas Day and the days following.

Although this book is intended primarily for families, anyone will benefit from using it, especially those who work with children. It contains information about the history and traditions of the seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, as well as symbols and their meanings, the stories of the seasons, and activities for each day up to Epiphany.

Read through the entire book, then decide how you will use it. For instance, if you have small children you may want to extend activities to more than one day. Or you may want to switch activities from one day to another, depending on the amount of time you will have and the type of activity. Don’t feel you have to do everything! There are enough ideas here to keep a family busy for several Christmas seasons.

About the Author
Debbie Trafton O’Neal is the author of MY READ-AND-DO BIBLE STORYBOOK, THE ADVENT WREATH, AN EASTER PEOPLE, HANDBOOK FOR CHURCH NURSERIES, BEFORE AND AFTER EASTER, and 101 THINGS TO DO FOR CHRISTMAS. She is also a professional teacher and parenting specialist, appearing regularly on regional and national television. She lives in Federal Way, Washington, with her husband and three daughters.

David LaRochelle is a writer and illustrator of children’s books from White Bear Lake, Minnesota. He illustrated the best-selling and award-winning book, PRIME TIME TOGETHER…WITH KIDS, as well as MORE PRIME TIME ACTIVITIES…WITH KIDS, BEFORE AND AFTER EASTER, AND MY MOM IS DYING.

Customer Reviews

O'Neal's craft books are excellent and based on scripture
I am a former art teacher with an M. Ed. in Art. I also am a church librarian. In answer to my Sunday School teachers' need for craft resource ideas, I selected Trafton's books "Before and After Christmas" and "Before and After Easter" for them to use as resource books. These satisfy a real need for Sunday School crafts based on scripture. Each craft lesson is laid out with a Bible verse, followed by a tradition or a legend which illustrates the verse. Then follow the materials list and directions to complete the project. The books are well-designed, the directions easy to follow and nicely illustrated. I'd suggest you use them if you need additional ideas for Sunday School.

A treasure trove of educational Christmas fun!
Written by Debbie Trafton O'Neal this book offers something for every day of Advent through Epiphany. The content is broken into daily sections. With the exception of December 25th, these are not dated, but rather numbered, so that readers may skip around if they choose. Each "day" includes a Bible passage (one to three verses, all quoted in the New International Version), a reading and an activity.

The readings cover a multitude of topics associated with Christmas: legends, traditions, signs and symbols, historical accounts and international customs. The author crosses denominational boundaries by providing stories from Protestant, Orthodox and Catholic tradition.

The activities are always related to the reading. These range from crafts and recipes to songs and service projects. Each activity encourages family interaction. It also prompts readers to internalize the story with personal application.

David LaRochelle provided the illustrations. Simple watercolors embellish stories and offer diagrams for various activities. As a bonus the book includes two punch-out ornaments that readers may hang on their tree or in a window.

What I Like: This is a great book packed with information and ideas! I like that most of the crafts and activities may be done with items already found in most homes. No special shopping trips required. I like the inclusion of Scripture with each "day." The author includes fascinating, lesser-known stories. I like that she makes clear distinctions between traditions, legends and biblical facts. Children can quickly become confused when hearing so many stories. They can learn a lot from these stories, and it's important that they know which are true and which are just stories.

What I Dislike: Nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Tanya -- Christian Children's Book Review

Excellent resource for family Advent celebrations
This book and the author's "Before and After Easter" are among my favorite resources for creating special family worship opportunities during Advent and Lent. I began using them with Sunday School children, and when I had children of my own, began incorporating them when our oldest was three years old.

The activities are all fairly simple. Most of them are easily adaptable for varying age levels. Despite simplicity and adaptability, they are very meaningful and create many opportunities for further discussion/ exploration by even the youngest participants. Bible readings/ quotes/ concepts are integrated seamlessly.

I think one of the nicest features of this little book is the gentle illustrations that appeal to children. The pictures are not cartoonish, but are simple and beautiful. My children love to flip through the books. They find pictures and request project based on what they see.

Bottom line -- this is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to expand family worship of Advent!