25 Days of 5-minute family Christmas devotionals for older children
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The Christmas season is a busy one. As we work to keep up with everything on our to-do lists, we can miss out on connecting with our families. That’s why a family Christmas devotion book is a great way to help families connect and remember the reason for the season. And having devotionals that only take about five minutes is even better!
And that’s why I put together the original “A Family Christmas” devotion book. It released last year and is filled with 5-minute devotions for Dec. 1 through 25. The first volume was written simply for young children to really understand. This year, my own family was ready to go a bit deeper and so “A Family Christmas, Volume 2” was born.
How the family Christmas devotion books are the same
Both devotion books help families connect throughout the Christmas season in only five minutes a day. With one or two daily Bible verses from Dec. 1 through 25, you’ll read through the Christmas story. Each day includes follow-up questions and a prayer as well.
Volumes 1 and 2 both offer flexibility for whatever works best for your family. Take turns reading the verses, the questions and saying the prayer. Or have one person do it each night. Talk as much or as little as your family wants to. Some days you may talk longer and other days you may not.
Both of the family Christmas devotion books have questions designed to help your family apply the lessons of the Christmas story to your own lives. My family had some great discussions as a result of these questions last Christmas!
The devotion book is great for dinnertime, your children’s bedtime or whenever works best for your family. Both volumes of “A Family Christmas” are written with busy families in mind — because my family is busy during December, too. My goal was to write a simple Christmas devotion book that we could use for a few minutes a day to connect with one another, slow down and keep our focus on Jesus. And that’s what both devotion books are all about.
How the family Christmas devotion books are different
The original “A Family Christmas” devotion book is geared toward preschool through early elementary children. The Bible verses all come from the International Children’s Bible. Each day has one or two questions. The prayers are straightforward and simple. My own family often added to our discussions, which is how the book is designed.
“A Family Christmas, Volume 2,” is geared toward upper elementary through teens. It still has a Bible verse or two a day to go through the Christmas story, but the verses come from the New International Version. Daily there are a couple of questions and a bit of additional text as well. Each day also has a new section called “Go Deeper” that includes more in-depth questions for your family to delve into.
While both books ask questions to apply the lessons of the Christmas story to our own lives, volume 2 goes a bit deeper. For example, some days include questions about why God did things a certain way in the Christmas story. The questions let older kids get into discussions about the significance of certain elements of the Christmas story while also relating it to their own lives.
What formats are available
When “A Family Christmas” released last year, I released it only for Kindle. But with “A Family Christmas, Volume 2,” I wanted to give the option for a paperback version. So I added a paperback version for both through Amazon!
And, here’s the other good news. The Kindle version is a part of Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited service. If you aren’t familiar with Kindle Unlimited, for a monthly fee, you have access to more than a million books that you can read on your Kindle or through the Kindle app on your device. (My son and husband use the Kindle app on their tablets. I use the Kindle app on my phone when I’m away from home.) You can have up to 10 titles at a time.
My husband gifted me with Kindle Unlimited for Christmas a few years ago. I was a bit dubious, but I love it and continue to subscribe. I’m an avid reader and I’ve never had an issue with finding something to read.
However, if you aren’t sure, you get free 30-day trial. I mean, technically, you could sign up in time for December to read either volume of “A Family Christmas” for free. And then if you don’t like it, you can cancel. But it is really a great service to have if you like to read. The selections include children’s books as well. My entire family has found books to read on Kindle Unlimited.
Connecting at Christmastime
Overall, both volumes of the “A Family Christmas” devotion book are written to help your family connect at Christmastime. It’s a great way to be intentional about spending time together throughout December.
Don’t miss these other ideas for your family this Christmas season as well! If your family isn’t ready for a devotion book, yet, be sure to check out “8 Simple Christmas traditions to bring your family closer.” It includes a free printable version of Bible verses for kids to go through the Christmas story in the month of December.
Looking for more from Families with Grace? Don’t miss our products page that includes lots of FREE resources as well!
