Books that focus on the real meaning of Christmas

The past few days I've been reading some of my favorite Christmas books to my boys. Okay, I really have at least 20 favorite books to read aloud at Christmastime, but here are some of the ones near the top of the list that focus on more of the reason for the season.☺

First, we started off with The Gift of the Magi which is a beautiful, classic story where a young husband and wife each gives up a most treasured possession to buy the other a wonderful gift. This is an inspiring tale that speaks volumes about the sacrifices we willingly make for those we truly love. It is a symbol of the true meaning of giving and also discusses how the wise men invented giving presents, after presenting their gifts to baby Jesus.

Next, we read The Legend of the Christmas Tree which explains the history of Christmas trees. You'll discover the wonderful story of how the evergreen tree first became a symbol of Christmas and a way to tell people about God. (One hint- the shape of the Christmas tree is also the shape to explain the trinity.)

Today we read  The Legend of the Candy Cane, which tells the story of the candy cane with much emphasis on Jesus. Children are always in awe when they learn about the symbolism of the candy cane. Read the poem below to see some of the symbols that are mentioned in the book.

Look at the Candy Cane.
What do you see?
Stripes that are red
Like the blood shed for me.
White is for my Savior
Who’s sinless and pure.
“J” is for Jesus My Lord, that’s for sure.
Turn it around
And a staff you will see.
Jesus my shepherd
Was born for Me!

After reading this book, I had my children make several candy cane art projects, such as these:

My kids also watched this video to learn how candy canes are made.

Make sure to check out last year's post on some more of my favorite Christmas books.

Now go warm up some hot chocolate and cuddle with your kids while enjoying your favorite Christmas books.