The Adventure of Christmas: Helping Children Find Jesus in Our Holiday Traditions

by Lisa Whelchel, Jeannie Mooney (Illustrator)

The ADVENTure of Christmas is a guide for moms concerned that their children are losing sight of Jesus in the midst of the distractions the holiday season brings. Lisa Whelchel was such a mom, but instead of abandoning the traditions of Christmas she rediscovered their original meanings, which were intended to remind people of God’s unfathomable gift. Hanging lights on the house, wrapping gifts, and decorating the tree have become opportunities to teach her children about how they relate to Jesus’ birth. With The ADVENTure of Christmas, mothers can redeem what’s been lost from the very symbols that are gentle reminders of the true meaning of Christmas.

Have you discovered that Jesus sometimes gets lost in the middle of the hustle and bustle of His birthday party? Would you like to be able to keep your children's focus on Jesus and also join them in the wonder of the celebration?

For each of the twenty-four days preceding Christmas, The ADVENTure of Christmas serves as a fun and handy guide that describes the significance behind your favorite traditions. Hanging lights on the house, wrapping gifts, and decorating the tree will become opportunities to share how these customs relate to Jesus' birth. The ADVENTure of Christmas recaptures the true meaning of this beloved season, giving reasons to celebrate for years to come.

Story Behind the Book

Feeling like Jesus had gotten lost in the frenzy of the holiday season, I asked the Lord to show me what I could do to teach my children the true meaning of Christmas. I was caught off-guard when He simply replied, "Don’t do anything differently. Look in the middle of the celebration and you will find Me." He was right. There was no need to orchestrate moments to pontificate about "the commercialization of Christmas." Instead, Jesus is beckoning us to come to the party and bring the kids. In doing so, we run into Him at the mall, the movies, even at school. He hides in the lights, the carols, and the cards. He is there when we dress the evergreen tree, when Dad dresses up in a red suit, and even when we eat turkey and dressing!

Genres: Christmas, Parenting, Childrens, Christian, Holiday, Nonfiction

72 pages, Hardcover

First published September 9, 2004

About the author

Lisa Diane Whelchel is an American actress, singer, songwriter, author, and life coach. She is known for her appearances as a Mouseketeer on The New Mickey Mouse Club and her nine-year role as the preppy and wealthy Blair Warner on The Facts of Life. In 1984, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Inspirational Performance for her contemporary Christian album All Because of You. In 2012, Whelchel participated as a contestant on the CBS competitive reality series Survivor: Philippines and tied for second place. She was also voted fan favorite and was awarded $100,000.

Reviews

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

We use this book every year in the month leading up to Christmas to focus on the meaning behind the familiar symbols and traditions of Christmas. It's a beautiful, practical, well-laid out book with great ideas and suggestions for all ages.

[Ella あいみ M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been in the family for years and is one of my mom's favorite Advent books. Each section has a lesson (which are all very easy to understand), an activity, and some questions for reflection. The art is really cute, too.

[Elizabeth Van Tassel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you always wondered about the origin of certain holiday traditions or been stumped when your children ask why we have a tree in the house and red and white candy shaped like a hook this time of year? Since I write about parenting issues, I'm often asked how to gently encourage our kids to find more meaning in the mayhem of holidays. This is a super tool not only to explain the history, but also to bring meaning to the enchanting moments like the advent wreath, the colors of Christmas, the real St. Nicholas, and more. Lisa Whelchel's recipes and kids activities are super. We did this with our kids when they were small and I think we may revive some of the fun activities now that our kids are tweens and teens, too. It's also a great gift since you're giving a family a set of fun and memories to make together.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! I may need to buy it because I doubt I can remember all the information. It shows all the ways that Christ really is in everything at Christmas and little projects to do with our kids and teachable moments to make it real for them. Many of the ideas I'm going to try and present to our MOPS group.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for keeping the celebration of Christmas centered on Christ. It covers many traditions, giving the history if applicable, along with suggestions for teachable moments and an activity to do together. Very practical and easy to follow.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a neat book put together for adults and children. It gives a small story about various things about Christmas from candy canes, to trees, etc. Then it gives you questions you can ask your child to coorelate that item with Christianity. And it has various arts and craft ideas as well.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has some great ideas about creating traditions and keeping God the center of it. Not as extensive as I thought, but still good.

[Chelcey · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's all about Christmas traditions, so naturally, I love it! Also has some neat conversation starters with kids relating to the tradition and recipes to try out.
And I love the illustrations.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has some really sweet traditions and crafts and ideas for the holidays. Has some very basic stuff so don't look to be blown away but you will be pleased with this book, I think.

[Janet Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ideas of things to do for Advent and how to explain some of our Christmas traditions to and with your kids.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, but hard to find. I found one of two copies at Hearts at Home conference.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I pull it out around Thanksgiving, and try to start a "new" tradition with the kids each year. I recommend it!

[Hailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is awesome it talks abought Jesus and what Christmas is all abought, it's not abought presents and Santa and all the other stuff it's abought when Jesus was born!
;)

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fiction; Juvenile
4 stars

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Redeeming the meaning of Christmas

Our family was looking for a devotional to accompany the Star Wars Lego Advent Calendar (fun, but somewhat lacking in spiritual emphasis). We stumbled on this and were not disappointed. The entries were paced well, were well written in explaining the past and informing the present, and a variety of fun activities. My favorite part is how Ms. Whelchel takes the individual icons surrounding the holiday and ascribes deep meaning to each one.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this every, single year during Advent. Even my teen still looks forward to it and loves the tradition.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for families to use while celebrating Advent/Christmas season. Gives history/info about where some traditions come from and suggestions for activities to do together.

[Margret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun

[Carol Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading this little book every year during Advent prior to the Christmas holidays. It reminds of a lot of the traditions of Christmas that I forget about during the year.