Prepare for Christmas: Books for the Advent Season

Daylight comes late and ends early in November. The cooling temperatures and shorter days are harbingers of the looming winter, but also of the spiritual season of Advent.

This pre-Christmas period is a time of preparation, of “making straight” the path in the wilderness, focusing on the importance of the God dimension of our lives and its incarnation at Christmas in the birth of Jesus.

Novalis has had a tradition dating back decades of offering resources to help Christians of all stripes during Advent to prepare their souls for the holidays. For adults, we have numerous daily devotional booklets. One well worth mentioning is The Journey to Christmas, by Robert Riber and Michael Jermann. This elegantly illustrated book provides poetic texts and inspirational photography to accompany daily reflection. It is perfect for families, young adults and even high school students.

In Called to Pray: Advent and Christmas, the collects of the daily liturgy provide food for reflection to enrich your spiritual journey.

For children, our newest title is Living Christmas: Fun Activities for Advent and Christmas, by Mercè Segarra. This book offers dynamic and engaging activities that help children come to a deeper understanding of the real reason for the season.

And what would Advent be without delving into that ultimate source of Christian wisdom, the Bible? Children can have fun learning about the Bible’s most popular stories through Children’s Bible Games, Old Testament and New Testament. Each of these books is full of fun and challenging games to help the young appreciate Scripture.

For many of us, the Advent season is over-filled with shopping expeditions, frenzied social occasions and non-stop activity. But Advent at its best is a time of quiet, prayer, spiritual reading and meditation. May these suggestions help you make your Advent and Christmas a season of true joy.

-Joseph Sinasac, Publishing Director