A Story for Advent

Christmas time is always a fun time of year.  When I think of Christmas I think of family and friends, gifts and trees, lights and cozy fires, snow on the ground (maybe not this year?), cookies and treats, wreaths and bows, red army kettles and toys for tots and most of all the birth of our Savior.

Most of these things are easily incorporated into the holiday because they are everywhere, but how do you celebrate Christ amid all the other stuff?  That has been a top priority in this house and I'm always searching for another way to show or tell the kids that Jesus is the reason for the season.

One great way we've been able to do this the past couple of years is by reading a story for advent.  This year we are reading Bartholomew's Passage by Arnold Ytreeide.   It is the sequel to Jotham's Journey that we read last year.  The story unfolds day by day until Christmas, and the boys just love it.  They look forward to these stories more than decorating the tree or eating the christmas cookies.