Best Christmas Advent Books, Calendars and Devotionals (2023)

This is hot off the presses, just arrived yesterday and I KNOW I am going to love this. Because humor is what gets me through life! That and my faith in Jesus, so what a great devotional for the holidays.

It’s the perfect Christmas devotional for the Christmas fanatic. You know, the one.

The person who―if they could―would celebrate Christmas all year round.

The one who unapologetically starts playing Christmas music in October and knows the words to every Christmas carol. (This is me!)

It’s written for the person who starts decorating for Christmas way before Thanksgiving.

This devotional is for the person who lives and breathes the holiday season and carries the Christmas spirit all year long.

More specifically, this devotional features 40 of the most beloved Christmas traditions and the history behind each one. And, that’s not all. With each tradition, award-winning authors and Christmas enthusiasts Michelle Medlock Adams and Andy Clapp unearth a biblical truth that connects the reader with the true meaning of the Season.

This four-week Advent study focuses on the experiences of four sets of often overlooked characters in the Nativity story. During this Advent season, Rachel Billups guides readers through the themes of hope, love, joy, and peace by sharing the stories of Elizabeth and Zechariah, Herod, the Magi, and the shepherds. Each set of unexpected characters has something to teach about living faithfully on the journey to Christmas.

I have been devouring this since last week. Beautifully written history of Advent written by one of my favorite authors, Tish Harrison Warren.

"Christians believe not just in one coming of Christ, but in three."

We tend to think of Advent as the season of anticipation before Christmas―and while it is that, it’s also much more. Throughout its history, the church has observed Advent as a preparation not only for the first coming of Christ in his incarnation but also for his second coming at the last day. It's also about a third coming: the coming of Christ to meet us in our present moment, to make us holy by his Word and Sacrament.

In this short volume, priest and writer Tish Harrison Warren explores all three of these "comings" of Christ and invites us into a deeper experience of the first season of the Christian year.

Just got this, and I KNOW I am going to enjoy this with a warm cup of tea snuggled on the couch with a roaring fire.

"O wondrous exchange!"

Of all the seasons of the church calendar, Christmas is the one most recognized and celebrated by our society at large. That means it's the season we're most familiar with―but that can also make it harder to see past Christmas's many cultural trappings to its timeless beauty.

At the first Christmas, God exchanged the glories of divinity for the vulnerability of human existence, uniting himself to us in order to unite us to God. In this short volume, priest and theologian Emily Hunter McGowin invites us into the church's celebration of that great exchange, in all its theological and liturgical splendor.

Probably one of my all time favorites, although any of Ann Voskamp's books always teach and speak to me!

I was caught in Hannah's introduction to the book, paraphrasing, she says, "perhaps you are like me and get caught up in the season, loose the book for two weeks, or just don't have time to sit down and enjoy it, feel free to pick it up at any time, binge read a few sections or read it in a more traditional liturgical style." I've got this one coming too!

A unique view into the promise of Christmas, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, "The Christmas Story as You've Never Heard It".

A long time family favorite of ours, this is great especially if you are making a long drive! Or take one Adventure a night and you will have a few weeks worth of exciting fun. Maybe drive around and see Christmas lights, light the fire and get in your PJ's and listen, make it an Adventure!

Shorter Advent devotional with scriptures, beautiful images and meaningful reminders of the reason behind the season.

The Christmas season is one of the busiest times of the year. But it is also a season of reflection and preparation for that special day when we mark Immanuel’s coming―the arrival of our eternal God in our own frail humanity.

That first Christmas, the world missed His coming. They missed worshipping the newborn King. Two thousand years later, people are still missing Him. What if you’re missing Him? But what would this Christmas be like if your heart was prepared to expect Christ? Expecting Christmas offers forty daily readings to help center your heart on the Christ of Christmas so you can respond to the peace, hope, and love made flesh in worship. This year let Christ fill your heart with the season of joy.

This year, don't let Christmas sneak up on you again.The wonder and awe of the Christmas season can easily get overshadowed by lights, tinsel, bows, and paper―not to mention last-minute trips to the mall and visits to the in-laws. In all the hustle and bustle, we often lose sight of what’s most important. This book of daily readings for the month of December by best-selling author Paul David Tripp will help you slow down, prepare your heart, and focus on what matters most: adoring our Savior, Jesus.

In the midst of your hectic Christmas season, Max will help you: 

• Rekindle your connection to the Christ of Christmas who offers lasting hope.
• Lay down your endless Christmas to-do list and receive what Jesus has already done.
• Heal your heartache by embracing the God who is always near you, always for you, and always in you.

As you curl up in a comfortable spot and look into the odd, wonderful story of Bethlehem, may you find enduring hope for all seasons of your life. 

A beautiful pictorial journey through Advent! By one of my favorite teachers and authors!

Every Christmas, Christians all over the world celebrate the Advent season, recognizing the love, hope, joy, and peace that is found only in Jesus Christ. Through this 30-day devotional, Max Lucado brings to light the many events in the life of Christ from birth to ascension that demonstrate His omnipotence and the gift that God has given each one of us to enjoy during this Christmas season. Experience each moment as our Savior becomes the center of this Christmas for you.

Another that our kids are now too old for, but Ann Voskamp always does a beautiful job!

From one of our favorite Children's Storybook authors comes the Christmas edition!

While we don't have this book, it appears to be a beautiful daily Advent storybook for kids (and I bet adults who read it to kids too!)

Our families favorite activity, information, kid friendly Advent book!