The following titles have been suggested by the staff at House of James bookstore in Abbotsford, BC, and the staff at Christian Book & Record bookstore in Edmonton, AB. Please support your local Christian bookstore. Find a Christian Bookstore near you, click here.
Kids:
The First Christmas
By NT Wright
Tommy Nelson
Keep Jesus in the centre of your family’s Christmas and Advent celebrations with this beautiful nativity storybook from N.T. Wright, one of the world’s most loved and trusted Bible scholars.
With the big-picture approach that readers worldwide have learned to trust, N.T. Wright weaves together the biblical accounts of Jesus’ birth into a thoughtful, hope-filled telling of the first Christmas, from Gabriel’s announcement to the family’s return from Egypt.
The First Christmas features
- a faithful telling of the nativity story;
- gorgeous painted art from award-winning illustrator Helena Perez Garcia;
- a resource page showing how Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in baby Jesus’ coming; and
- a deluxe book with a presentation page.
A beautiful keepsake gift for children and adults alike, The First Christmas celebrates Christ’s birth with authenticity, beauty, and joy.
God’s Big Promises: The Story of Christmas
By Carl Laferton & Jennifer Davison
The Good Book Company
Children will love learning the story and truths of the first Christmas with this faithful, vibrant storybook. Using the stories and illustrations from the popular God’s Big Promises Bible Storybook, The Story of Christmas takes youngsters from Gabriel’s visit to Mary to the coming of the Magi, showing both what happened and who Jesus is.
Makes a perfect gift for children aged 2-6 and for churches to give out at Christmas events for kids.
Little Drummer Girl
By Sheila Walsh
Baker Publishing Group
A Christmas Classic Like You’ve Never Heard It Told Before
· Whimsically illustrated, unique retelling of the Christmas story from the perspective of a little girl
· Delivers a message of humour, hope, and the power of God’s love
· Perfect holiday gift for ages 3-5
Isabella loves to dance and sing, so when she sees auditions posted for the Christmas pageant at church, she dreams of landing the perfect part – the Christmas angel with a sparkling halo, flowing white robe, and her very own wings.
But things don’t go quite as planned. She does get a part. The little drummer . . . girl? Drummers don’t wear sparkling halos, flowing white robes, or wings! Will this be the most disappointing Christmas ever?
Filled with witty rhymes and whimsical illustrations, The Little Drummer Girl helps children ages 3 to 5 understand how an awful day can turn into the greatest day of all. This unique telling of the Christmas story from the perspective of a little girl delivers an entertaining message of hope, humour, and the power of God’s love, as shown through his gift of Jesus – not just at Christmas but every day.
Busy Nativity (Campbell Books)
By Emily Bolam
Pan Macmillan
Busy Nativity introduces young children to the wonderful story of the First Christmas. Push, pull and turn the tabs to join Mary and Joseph on their long journey to Bethlehem, marvel as a host of angels appear and see beautiful baby Jesus in his crib.
The perfect gift for toddlers with inquisitive fingers and minds, they will love playing with the easy-to-handle mechanisms in this bright and colorful board book with gentle rhyming text and magical illustrations by Emily Bolam.
The Gift of All Gifts
By Melissa Kruger
Harvest House Publishers
This sweet and simple picture book by bestselling author Melissa B. Kruger reminds young children that Jesus is the greatest Christmas gift of all.
I see you peeking,
Searching to find
Something that’s yours,
Something that shines.
What are you hoping for
Under the tree?
What are you dreaming
That present might be?
Whether it’s toys, treats, building bricks, or board games, children look forward to unwrapping fun and exciting items from their Christmas wish list. The Gift of All Gifts helps children expand their understanding of a present, especially the greatest gift ever given – God’s son, Jesus Christ. In rhyming stanzas, children will experience the Christmas story in a new and special way, as Melissa Kruger also clearly explains how kids can accept Jesus’ offer of salvation. This beautifully illustrated book makes a perfect stocking stuffer or a welcome addition to a family’s collection of classic Christmas reads.
The Christmas Story Brick by Brick
By Rachael Hood & Joshua Whitehouse
The Good Book Company
This faithful rhyming retelling of the Christmas story will help Lego-loving children to engage with the Christmas story afresh, highlighting the surprise and excitement of who Jesus is and why he came. Fun rhymes make for a memorable and enjoyable read, while richly colored, glossy photographs of real brick builds will inspire kids to get creative!
Includes designs for five builds you can make yourself either at home or as a craft activity in children’s groups. Ideal for gifting kids 4+ years old; for use in children’s ministry (a great giveaway for outreach initiatives) or just helping kids to interact with the Christmas story.
When Santa Learned the Gospel
By Simon Camilleri
10 of Those Limited
An original Christmas fable about when Santa first learns about Jesus’ message of grace. Unexpectedly, Santa finds himself on a his own spiritual and philosophical journey full of humour, self-reflection, wonder and redemption. Complemented by the beautiful and engaging illustrations of Matt Boutros, this book hopes to inspire many a conversation about faith, philosophy and the messages of Christmas, between adults and children alike.
Little Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens & Joe Sutphin
Moody Publishers
Enjoy Charles Dickens’ beloved masterpiece, freshly imagined within an enchanting woodland realm.
In 1843, Charles Dickens penned a story – a classic Christmas tale full of ghosts and the endearing humbug Ebenezer Scrooge. That story – which has captivated readers for over 150 years – is now accompanied by the delightful illustrations of Joe Sutphin. With charming woodland characters and settings that families will adore, readers will be transformed by Little Christmas Carol. A tale of greed, regret, loneliness, reflection, compassion, hope, and a joyfully changed life, this beautifully illustrated edition will enliven the timeless classic for readers young and old.
For the perfect family read-aloud, make Little Christmas Carol a part of your family’s Christmas tradition. This new edition makes a wonderful gift.
It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself. – Charles Dickens
Little Christmas Carol Colouring & Activity Book
By Joe Sutphin & Erik M. Peterson
Moody Publishers
32 pages of fun activities for kids ages 6-10 that help them engage with Dickens’ classic tale, now reimagined with charming woodland characters
From the creators of the bestselling, beautifully illustrated Little Christmas Carol comes a companion activity and colouring book to engage young kids’ hearts, hands, and minds. Your kids will be delighted as they immerse themselves in the mazes, crosswords, word searches, and more. Imaginative illustrations are just waiting to be enlivened with color. These pages are filled with joyful activities that will help your kids to participate and connect with the classic Christmas story of the endearing humbug whose life of greed, regret, and loneliness is redeemed and joyfully changed.
Encouraging creativity and conversation, this coloring and activity book is designed to be used alongside Little Christmas Carol.
Humphrey’s First Christmas
By Carol Heyer
Hatchette Nashville
A beautifully illustrated Christmas story presented in paperback for the first time. We’ve all heard the story of the three wise men who brought their gifts to Baby Jesus. But what about the camels who carried them? Here is the story of Humphrey the camel and his long, cold journey to Bethlehem. Humphrey has lost his blanket and schemes to acquire a new one. When the party reaches its destination, Humphrey is so drawn to the love surrounding Baby Jesus that he finds himself selflessly giving his new blanket to the Christ child. Carol Heyer’s rich acrylic paintings showcase the quirkiness of the camel and add humour to the story. Here is a book that both entertains and informs without ever straying from the meaning of the holiday. Ages 4-8.
Fiction:
The Christmas House
By Beverly Lewis
Baker Publishing House
Beverly Lewis, the #1 bestselling author of Amish fiction, delivers a delightful Christmas novella of faith, romance, and heartwarming holiday traditions.
With the holidays approaching, Liz Lantz is dedicated to using her Hickory Hollow buggy tour business to share God’s love with the Englisher tourists who visit her Lancaster County community. But when her father and brother are called away for a while, Dat finds a young Amishman to assist her on the tours in her brother’s place, much to Liz’s dismay. Regardless, the popularity of her Christmas House Buggy Tour means she could use the help, so as the countdown to Christmas begins, she works alongside Matthew Yoder, who quickly takes a genuine interest in the tour customers – and Liz.
As an Englisher family in Hickory Hollow expresses their festive spirit with a lavishly decorated house for the second year running, Liz’s Amish community becomes increasingly concerned about attracting unwanted traffic and attention, and Liz wonders if there is any way to bridge the gap to help the new neighbours feel welcome. At the same time, she grapples with her growing feelings for Matt, whose position with her is only temporary. Can she find a way to bring harmony to Hickory Hollow in time for Christmas?
Beverly Lewis’s homespun Amish romance will draw in readers who love family, small towns, and Christmas festivities. This charming holiday novella brings cheer and faith for the winter season.
Once Upon a Christmas Carol
By Melody Carlson
Baker Publishing House
What will happen when a tropical escape from holiday blues turns into a snowy wonderland filled with joy and cheer?
Carol Langstrom hates Christmas. Growing up in a dysfunctional home, with a birthday on December 25 and too many dashed childhood expectations, she would rather avoid the holiday season. And working in the design industry where she manages seasonal decor for wealthy, entitled clients certainly hasn’t helped!
So, this year her goal is to flee to the Bahamas – by herself – bah humbug! But bad weather and God’s radically different plan redirect her flight to blustery Michigan, where she gets stuck on her aunt’s farm and discovers a different kind of Christmas – one wrapped in love, family, and holiday spirit.
Melody Carlson’s Christmas novella delivers all the charm of a holiday Hallmark movie, is rooted in Christian faith, woven with sweet romance, and features A Christmas Carol themes.
A Sea View Christmas
By Julie Klassen
Baker Publishing Group
The holiday stirs up excitement as fondly remembered guests come to stay and acquaintances grow into more. With a promise to her youngest sister, Sarah Summers declares that this year’s Christmas at Sea View will exceed all expectations. But an upcoming trip to Scotland – and the prospect of becoming reacquainted with dashing widower Callum Henshall – blows a flurry of doubts into her mind. Sarah had discouraged his attentions before yet soon finds herself once again torn between attraction and duty as alluring thoughts of a second chance at love weave their way into her practical heart.
Meanwhile, 17-year-old Georgiana eagerly anticipates the exciting Christmas of her dreams after last year’s dull, disappointing holiday filled with endless chores. She enjoys all the promised parties, music, and dancing, but is taken by surprise when young love comes knocking. Does the festive romance of a Sea View Christmas hold the key to a happily-ever-after for both sisters?
Spend the holiday season with the Summers sisters on the charming Devonshire coast, where family bonds are strengthened, love is rekindled, and Christmas joy abounds.
Julie Klassen’s heartwarming Christmas companion to the On Devonshire Shores series holds themes of friends to more, sisterhood bonds, and matchmaking that will fill you with holiday spirit. This novella can be read separately or along with the series and will appeal to fans of Jane Austen, English Regency romance, and Downtown Abbey.
The Christmas Ring
By Karen Kingsbury
Thomas Nelson
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. While searching for her family’s long-lost heirloom ring, military widow Vanessa Mayfield meets handsome antique dealer Ben Miller. The two are drawn to each other and forge a friendship that soon becomes a deep and breathtaking romance. But neither are sure that what they’ve found can last.
As Vanessa organizes her annual Columbus Cares Christmas Military Dance, she looks forward to her daughter’s return from college. But Vanessa hasn’t told Sadie about Ben. After all, Vanessa hadn’t anticipated finding love again after losing her husband. And now she wrestles with feelings that are becoming hard to ignore.
Just as Ben is about to declare his love for Vanessa, he learns more about her missing Christmas ring: her great grandfather found it in France on D-Day, and engraved on the band is a single meaningful word. The details confirm a terrible truth, one that Ben cannot ignore.
Certain he now knows where Vanessa’s ring is, Ben leaves town in a frantic rush. But can he stop a certain sale, or will Vanessa’s ring be lost forever? Days before Christmas, when all seems hopeless, Ben and Vanessa learn an important eternal truth: Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Made into a movie starring Kelsey Grammer, Benjamin Hollingsworth, Jana Kramer, and Jessie James Decker!
Non-fiction:
The Case for Christmas
by Lee Strobel
Zondervan
Who was in the manger that first Christmas morning? And how can we know for sure? In this completely revised and updated edition of The Case for Christmas – reflecting the latest scholarship and research – award-winning legal journalist Lee Strobel weighs the evidence to distinguish myth from truth about what happened in Bethlehem.
What can we know about the events of Christmas morning? And, most importantly, who was born that day? Some say the newborn baby would become a great moral leader. Others, a social critic. Still others view Jesus as a profound philosopher, a rabbi, a feminist, a prophet, and more. Many are convinced he was the divine Son of God. But who was he really – and how can we know for sure?
Evaluating and organizing the biblical, historical, and textual evidence, Strobel searches out the true identity of the child in the manger, analyzing:
- The latest, most up-to-date scholarship and research
- The historical reliability of the accounts of Jesus’s birth
- The evidence for the virgin birth
- The array of Old Testament prophecies fulfilled by the birth of Jesus
- The most common questions about the story of Christmas
Join Strobel as he invites us to push past the distractions of the holiday season and come into the presence of the baby who was born to change us and rewrite our eternal destination: the greatest gift of all.
With Heart and Soul and Voice
By Tim Chester
The Good Book Company
Witness the worship of Mary, Zechariah, the angels and Simeon as you dwell daily on their songs of wonder at the Savior’s birth this Advent. Designed to bring joy during the Christmas season, this 24-day Advent devotional will help you pause and ponder the marvel of Jesus’ birth. The short daily reflections will guide you through each song of praise that was poured out around the time of the incarnation. Written by Tim Chester, these devotions are clear and compelling, inviting your heart and soul and voice to sing in response. Through extracts at the end of each devotion, Chester’s voice is joined by Christians from the past, like William Young Fullerton, Phillips Brooks and Charles Wesley, whose Christmas hymns we still sing. You’ll be stirred to join in the praise as you reflect on the extraordinary truth of Christ’s birth.
Tim Chester and Emu Music have joined forces to set a version of the Magnificat to music with a song called “Holy Is His Name”. An audio file and sheet music are available to help you respond in praise like Mary to the good news of the gospel.
Everyday Gospel Christmas Devotional
by Paul David Tripp
Crossway
Celebrate Christmas with 25 devotions from Paul David Tripp that connect scripture to everyday life. Jesus’s birth isn’t the beginning of the Christmas story. The glorious narrative of redemption starts when sin enters the world and continues until Christ’s victorious return. In this special devotional, Paul David Tripp helps you celebrate your salvation by reflecting on biblical events – from Genesis through Revelation – that make Jesus’ incarnation so miraculous. Adapted from Tripp’s 365-day devotional Everyday Gospel, this condensed edition features 25 selected readings, each with study questions, making it ideal for personal study or family devotions. Count down to Christmas Day with Tripp’s heartfelt reflections and contemplate the beauty and significance of the Savior’s birth.
Manger Throne: Celebrating Christmas Through Song
by Tony Wood
Focus on the Family
“Glory be to You alone, King who reigns from a manger throne.”
During the holidays, Christmas music is everywhere we go – on the radio as we drive, at the mall as we shop for Christmas presents, and even at home as we carry out our various Christmas traditions. But how often do we stop to really listen to the music playing in the background?
Written by award-winning Christian songwriter Tony Wood, Manger Throne is a Christmas devotional to help you celebrate Advent. Each day thoughtfully examines lyrics from Christmas songs alongside Scripture and invites you to pause and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.
This 28-day devotional includes:
- Daily entries based on lyrics the author has written with, or for, well-known artists such as Michael W. Smith, Zach Williams, for KING and COUNTRY, and Phil Wickham,
- Scripture readings to help you meditate on the true meaning of Christmas,
- Written prayers to help jumpstart your conversation with God,
- Beautiful illustrations to accompany the text.
This Christmas season, take time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and embrace the invitation to join the angels in worshipping our Savior.
The One We’re Waiting For: An Illustrated Advent Devotional for Families
By Taylor Combs, Aedan Peterson & Natalie Peterson
B&H Publishing Group
Create meaningful Advent memories with the whole family using this gorgeous illustrated 25-day devotional.
The whole Bible whispers about a coming king. Every book before His arrival gives hints about what He might be like, and during Advent, families around the world gather to wait and prepare for the celebration of His birth. The One We’re Waiting For is a 25-day family experience that will help kids from one to ninety-two anticipate and celebrate Christmas. This book includes
- Daily Bible stories, taking families through the arc of the Old Testament
- Gorgeous illustrations by Aedan and Natalie Peterson
- Suggested songs for family worship
- Reflection questions to start meaningful conversations
- And cut-out ornaments to decorate your tree every day leading up to Christmas
Each day, families can read a story, discuss how they see Jesus in Old Testament narratives, sing songs together, and place an illustrated ornament on the tree so that every day of December leading up to Christmas is filled with eager anticipation for the King – the one we waited for.
Behold the Lamb of God Has Come
By Trillia Newbell
Harvest House Publishers
This unique Christmas devotional from bestselling author Trillia J. Newbell encourages families to make Jesus the focus of their holiday festivities.
“During the holidays, we sing, but do we savor? Yes, we read, but do we fully understand? Understanding the character of Jesus while celebrating His birth will bring that much more joy and wonder and praise to our holiday season.” – Trillia J. Newbell
Advent has historically been a time to anticipate Christ’s arrival – but for believers, He is already here. You, your family, and your friends are invited to spend 25 days celebrating and reflecting on the character and work of Jesus. Together you all will read and consider the themes of hymns, pray through and reflect on Psalms, dwell on who Jesus is, and pause to enjoy simple holiday recipes.
May God encourage you this season as you delight in the Savior, our Redeemer and friend!
Good Tidings of Great Joy
by Charles Spurgeon
Banner of Truth Trust
These 38 meditations on Christ’s incarnation from the pen of C.H. Spurgeon are an ideal companion in the approach to the Christmas season. Indeed, they point believers just as emphatically toward the second advent of Christ, and so are a valuable guide at any time of year. Brief, powerful, and vivid, each devotional sparks renewed wonder at the grace of God in the incarnation of his Son. ‘A glance at the titles of these meditations is enough to stimulate the Christian’s appetite. Here Spurgeon leads us from the angelic announcement of the first coming of the Lord Jesus to the Saviour of sinners, right through to the prospect of his second coming in majesty and glory as Lord and Judge of the entire world. In doing so her offers help and encouragement to all professing Christians.’ – Sinclair B. Ferugson in the Foreword
The Dawn of Redeeming Grace
By Sinclair Ferguson
The Good Book Company
As dawn broke on that first Christmas morning, the sun rose on a new era: God’s king had come to earth to bring about his kingdom. Join Sinclair Ferguson as he opens up the first two chapters of Matthew’s Gospel in these daily devotions for Advent. Each day’s reflection is full of insight and application and will help you to arrive at Christmas Day awed by God’s redeeming grace and refreshed by the hope of God’s promised king.
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