christmas reading

Here are a few of our favourite Christmas books displayed on the top of the bookshelf in the lounge room.
Here is a quick review on a couple of them.

The candle in the window is a beautiful story about a shoemaker who has lost his family and is very sad at Christmas time, he is visited by some people (angels in disguise) who put a candle in the window of his shop and tell him that Christ will visit.

This leads to him get ready for a visit from Jesus, in the meantime he helps several people out but wonders when Jesus will arrive.
The angels return and explain to him that by helping those people he was helping Christ and he was indeed visited by the Saviour.
When I was shopping the other day I heard a song sung by Dolly Parton that was very similar to this story.

This is a beautifully illustrated book about 4 animals who are visited by an angel and asked to carry someone important to Bethlehem. 

As it turns out the one who carries the most important of all is the humble donkey.

This book uses the text of the King James to tell the story of the Nativity with fun illustrations by Julie Vivas.

This is a story of a little girl who "rescues" a cold baby Jesus from her churches Nativity scene.

This book is new to us this year, I bought it unseen after seeing it recommended somewhere.

While the story line has merit I didn't think the book itself was very well written.

 

Each year we read one of Arnold Ytreeide's books

This year we are reading Bartholomew's Passage.
Click on the here to go to a great link I found that tells about the three books in the series and gives some background information on the books.
These books were out of print but it looks like they are back in print.
If you click on the book it will take you straight to the book depository to buy the book.

For the last 3 years we have also had a Jesse tree, where we read a passage from the bible each day that takes us from Creation through to Christ, the quietest child gets to put the felt ornament onto the tree.

I have in the past used some bare branches made into a tree, but it didn't appeal to me this year and I didn't have a place to put it so I cut a branch off a gum tree and put it in a metal bucket on my veranda.