Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas
- Downloads：5481
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-11-05 06:54:23
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ann Voskamp
- ISBN：1414397542
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Based on the overwhelming success of "The Greatest Gift，" Ann Voskamp has expanded her presentation of the timeless Advent tradition of the Jesse Tree so families can celebrate together。 Each day， families can read the provided Scripture passage （in connection with the original book）， engage with a specially written devotion to help children of all ages understand the Advent theme for the day， and participate in suggested activities to apply the theme。This special edition is beautifully illustrated。 It can serve as a precious guide to help recapture the sacredness of the Advent season and to help the entire family understand and celebrate the epic pageantry of humankind from Adam to the Messiah。
Reviews
Heather Moore
，
I thought I’d refresh our Advent reader this year and was excited to find this one on sale。 However， I should’ve heeded the other reviewers。 As most complained that the text was too advanced for their younger kids， I assumed it’d be great to share with my 13 year old。 Turns out， it isn’t advanced text but rather is far too wordy with repeating flowery phrases。 We got where she was going with it， but it felt like the author was lost in the beauty but wasn’t able to take us there。 Christ’s lineage I thought I’d refresh our Advent reader this year and was excited to find this one on sale。 However， I should’ve heeded the other reviewers。 As most complained that the text was too advanced for their younger kids， I assumed it’d be great to share with my 13 year old。 Turns out， it isn’t advanced text but rather is far too wordy with repeating flowery phrases。 We got where she was going with it， but it felt like the author was lost in the beauty but wasn’t able to take us there。 Christ’s lineage is so interesting and the Christmas story is so compelling and beautiful on its own， it need not compete with verbose writing。 。。。more
Lauren
，
We use this book every year for our nightly advent reading together as a family。 Since our kids range in age from 14 to 3， it's helpful to read something that is accessible to all of us。 The content is excellent and sparks great conversations。 I'm always sad when it's over！ We use this book every year for our nightly advent reading together as a family。 Since our kids range in age from 14 to 3， it's helpful to read something that is accessible to all of us。 The content is excellent and sparks great conversations。 I'm always sad when it's over！ 。。。more
Dorothy Vandezande
，
2。5 stars。 Some really profound thoughts in this that I greatly appreciated， but using artistic license to play fast and loose with Scripture and putting words in God's mouth means a lot （LOT） of discernment is required。 I agree with the other reviews that say she's trying too hard to sound poetic and quite a few times ends up just sounding ridiculous。 2。5 stars。 Some really profound thoughts in this that I greatly appreciated， but using artistic license to play fast and loose with Scripture and putting words in God's mouth means a lot （LOT） of discernment is required。 I agree with the other reviews that say she's trying too hard to sound poetic and quite a few times ends up just sounding ridiculous。 。。。more
Robby Eckard
，
Well-drawn and does a good job guiding kids through the Old Testament with an emphasis on Jesus as it leads you up to his birth。 The writing style though can at times be odd and hard to follow， with an over-reliance on adjectives to make the point。 I would recommend it as a way to help kids understand the story of Scripture。
Amy
，
Loved it。 Listened to the audio but would love to have the book for my Christmas collection
Sadie
，
We loved the ornaments， her writing style was hard for my children to follow。
Lisamarie Landreth
，
The God & Glam Bible Study Christmas 2020！➡️ Join us on Patreon here: https://www。patreon。com/godandglamIf we want Christmas to really stand wondrous and full of meaning， the tree we really need to understand and be astonished by is the family tree of Jesus Christ。 Because， this is our story — your story。 Jesus comes right to your Christmas tree and says， "I'll be the Gift。" Who wants to wake up on Christmas morning with a heart that wants the Greatest Gift the most？ Who wants Jesus more than an The God & Glam Bible Study Christmas 2020！➡️ Join us on Patreon here: https://www。patreon。com/godandglamIf we want Christmas to really stand wondrous and full of meaning， the tree we really need to understand and be astonished by is the family tree of Jesus Christ。 Because， this is our story — your story。 Jesus comes right to your Christmas tree and says， "I'll be the Gift。" Who wants to wake up on Christmas morning with a heart that wants the Greatest Gift the most？ Who wants Jesus more than anything else？Come， and don't miss Jesus。 Come， and unwrap His story， the most unbeatable， unstoppable， unfailing love story — a story that is better than the best fairy tale， because it's all true。 。。。more
Tabitha
，
I looked through a few advent books for something good to be read aloud with （or without） kids。 I wanted to gift a book with daily readings to friends that could be enjoyed along with their kids （or their own） advent calendars。 For kids particularly， I thought the reading could be add to the anticipation of the treat。。。both the chocolate （truth is truth） and Christ's birth。 I gifted this to 3 friends and was told the KIDS made a point of reminding the parents to read it。 :） Pros: All readings 1） I looked through a few advent books for something good to be read aloud with （or without） kids。 I wanted to gift a book with daily readings to friends that could be enjoyed along with their kids （or their own） advent calendars。 For kids particularly， I thought the reading could be add to the anticipation of the treat。。。both the chocolate （truth is truth） and Christ's birth。 I gifted this to 3 friends and was told the KIDS made a point of reminding the parents to read it。 :） Pros: All readings 1） have a scripture reference （read theirs or your own preference） 2） are just over 2 pages long 3） have beautiful illustrations 4） have a tone similar to "The Jesus Storybook Bible" 5） Tell the overarching story of Jesus' family tree from Genesis through the prophets and ending at the birth of Christ （no spoilers there， right？）Bonus: You can craft an ornament to go with each day （simple coloring sheets or really pretty options are available）。 The coloring sheets are free online。 Or you can skip it and just try to read 2 pages while listeners await their chocolate。I recommend creating a pattern of reading the story and then getting the chocolate/toy/whatever from an advent calendar as a tiny reward and incentive。 I gifted this to families with kids from infant to age 10。 I got a lot of positive feedback with a consistent sense that this was great for kids ages 3 and up。 I read a copy （clearly a little slower than the daily advent schedule） and really liked it。 Cons: 1） The first day starts a little slowly。 The hook isn't quite where it might be optimal but every day can't blow you away with amazingness。 She's trying to set up why the book is structured as it is。 2） At certain points， the repeated affirmations with 5-7 adjectives about God's love seemed forced。 I think this might be deliberate。 Sometimes saying things aloud and hearing them can feel like its the verge of ridiculous to annoying but later they echo back。 It wasn't a huge deal to me but should be noted。Note: Be sure to read days 2 and 3 if you're curious for the overall feel of the book。 。。。more
Wendy
，
So many beautiful insights on the love of God shown to us。 Presented for children， but great for adults too！ Great read for Advent。
Rebekah Keiser
，
We completed this advent book together as a family。 I love Ann Voskamp and have read several of her books。 I created the advent ornaments and we hung them up daily （Dec。 1-25） on our Jesse Tree。 The book itself has nice pictures and gives a great background about Jesus’ heritage and family tree。 The text is a bit high for my five-year-old， but fine for my eight-year-old。 I am excited to incorporate this into our Christmas tradition。
Dan
，
I wish the illustrations were less juvenile to better complement the poetic style of her writing。 The illustrations are only suited to young children。 Writing is a little much for children and probably for adults who don't have patience for “overly scented” writing。 I enjoyed the flowery word picturing more than most middle aged men might。 But， with patience it would be a good devotional exercise to read contemplatively for men and their wives together， which we did。 I wish the illustrations were less juvenile to better complement the poetic style of her writing。 The illustrations are only suited to young children。 Writing is a little much for children and probably for adults who don't have patience for “overly scented” writing。 I enjoyed the flowery word picturing more than most middle aged men might。 But， with patience it would be a good devotional exercise to read contemplatively for men and their wives together， which we did。 。。。more
Harmony
，
The writing style is too verbose to effectively sustain the attention of my two boys （8 & 5。） Last year we gave up on it， this after editing out whole sentences/sections to keep the writing lean。 This year we stuck it out and read it almost everyday （and doubled up on days we were behind） but it was more of a duty than a delight。 I wanted to love this book and I really appreciate the creative connections she makes between Old Testament stories and Jesus。 Still， this was too flowery and the run-o The writing style is too verbose to effectively sustain the attention of my two boys （8 & 5。） Last year we gave up on it， this after editing out whole sentences/sections to keep the writing lean。 This year we stuck it out and read it almost everyday （and doubled up on days we were behind） but it was more of a duty than a delight。 I wanted to love this book and I really appreciate the creative connections she makes between Old Testament stories and Jesus。 Still， this was too flowery and the run-on sentences got hard to communicate out loud—even I got confused and I read aloud regularly。 。。。more
Sarah Wiley
，
An amazing love story for all！ My children and I loved listening each day up to Christmas。
Jennifer
，
True to form， Voskamp's poetic prose is braided with truth and beauty。 Paula Doherty's original cut paper illustrations complement the text。 My heart skipped a beat when I read December 7th's entry entitled Here I Am: "Worry is always belief gone wrong。 Because you don't believe that God will get it right。 Peace is belief that exhales。 Because you believe that God's love is everywhere--like air。" This truth at once pierced and provided balm for my soul！ In an age where anxiety is endemic， the Pr True to form， Voskamp's poetic prose is braided with truth and beauty。 Paula Doherty's original cut paper illustrations complement the text。 My heart skipped a beat when I read December 7th's entry entitled Here I Am: "Worry is always belief gone wrong。 Because you don't believe that God will get it right。 Peace is belief that exhales。 Because you believe that God's love is everywhere--like air。" This truth at once pierced and provided balm for my soul！ In an age where anxiety is endemic， the Prince of Peace prevails！ A timeless， must-read family advent devotional for everyone， everywhere！ 。。。more
Adriana Bosma
，
A great book！ I enjoyed how it started from the Garden of Eden unto Christ's birth， death and resurrection form the dead。 A great book！ I enjoyed how it started from the Garden of Eden unto Christ's birth， death and resurrection form the dead。 。。。more
Judy Ginter
，
This is a beautifully illustrated book that will add to the Christmas Celebration。
John Rimmer
，
I picked this book up for Advent due to many recommendations online。 Lesson learned regarding online recommendations。 I would not recommend this， especially if you have sons and plan on reading it to them。 I have four sons， and found myself cringing while reading many of the selections， even stopping mid-sentence several times and closing the book to finish the stories extemporaneously。 Even my wife laughed out loud several times due to how ridiculous some of the language is in this book is。 It I picked this book up for Advent due to many recommendations online。 Lesson learned regarding online recommendations。 I would not recommend this， especially if you have sons and plan on reading it to them。 I have four sons， and found myself cringing while reading many of the selections， even stopping mid-sentence several times and closing the book to finish the stories extemporaneously。 Even my wife laughed out loud several times due to how ridiculous some of the language is in this book is。 It is excessively flowery， emotional， and sappy。 In a few sections it also felt wrong （the section dealing with Noah comes to mind）， requiring me to apologize to the kids for what I had just "said" to them because it wasn't true。Parts also felt like a not-so-subtle attempt to mirror the language of the Jesus Storybook Bible， but without the theological underpinnings that made Sally Lloyd-Jones' book work so well。I did like many of the questions and activities that followed each daily reading， which is why I gave the book two stars instead of one。 。。。more
Kathie
，
A different concept for Advent。 By why not begin at the beginning？
Kelley
，
We enjoyed Voskamp‘s lessons as a family。 A few stayed with me through the whole day - which is a a feat with material so loved and rehearsed as the Christmas story！ And the illustrations in this book are beautiful。 But her style is a little hard to follow when read aloud - and sometimes too clunky for our taste。 This was a good addition to our advent celebration this year， but I don’t know that it’s one we will use again。
Katy
，
Excellent。 This book has depth for adults as well as children。 The book itself is beautiful and the pictures attractive。 It would take about 10-15 minutes to read each section， but add time for discussion。 It goes from Dec 1-Dec 25， so not exactly Advent， but frankly my life is enough of a mess that I'm going to start this book next year on Christ the King Sunday （one Sunday before Advent） and not stress if I miss a day here or there。 There was nothing this Catholic found troublesome and everyth Excellent。 This book has depth for adults as well as children。 The book itself is beautiful and the pictures attractive。 It would take about 10-15 minutes to read each section， but add time for discussion。 It goes from Dec 1-Dec 25， so not exactly Advent， but frankly my life is enough of a mess that I'm going to start this book next year on Christ the King Sunday （one Sunday before Advent） and not stress if I miss a day here or there。 There was nothing this Catholic found troublesome and everything I found beautiful。Some reviews I read complained about it not being for kids。 Okay， if you want to read it out loud to your 2 and 4-yr olds and not discuss， absolutely。 Here's what I suggest--have younger kids sit and color the Jesse tree ornament pages from Voskamp's website as you read （or just color Bible coloring pages from the scene you are reading about）。 They may not get it all， but they may well remember their mama being moved to tears as she read or have a little line about Jesus' love stick in their hearts。 They don't need to understand everything。 Children ages 5+ are going to best follow。 But there are discussion questions at the end of each reading （easy for all ages） and "family activities" （excellent for the very small ones and very "practical" life application）。 So everyone could come away having had their heart moved or touched somewhere along the Advent journey。 If I ONLY had kids under 5， I might choose a different book for Advent until a few were a bit older。 But this book is so good for a mixed ages crowd。 。。。more
Tiffany
，
This book is among our family’s favorite Christmas traditions。 Our kids adore the stories， the artwork， and putting the ornaments on our Jesse Tree。 As a few readers have noted， sometimes the wording does get a little awkward for reading aloud— we simply modify the text as needed。 But it’s a beautiful addition to a contemplative Christmas season。
Marlo
，
This is a beautiful， meaningful way to reflect upon the Advent season。 As a family， we read this each day， printing off the Jesse Tree ornaments， and adding them to our Jesse Tree。 The illustrations are gorgeous and the wording poetic。 For the very young， the language may be confusing， but it worked well for my 10 year-old and teens。 It was a terrific tool to encourage us to slow down and focus on the reason we celebrate Christmas。
Kerri Burr
，
This is part of our family's advent tradition- we adore it。 Such beautiful artwork and stories。 This is part of our family's advent tradition- we adore it。 Such beautiful artwork and stories。 。。。more
BJ
，
Our family reading this past Advent season ‘17。 Worth picking up。
Katelyn Barnes
，
Is a lovely read， especially for families and children。 I will say The wording is a little much， but I think it would be great for a child？ The illustrations are beautiful and there are activities included。 It totally pointed me to Christ throughout the Advent season！
Kendra Roehl
，
This was a family favorite， we will read it again every year！ The simple way Ann explains God's love for humanity is comforting。 Our kids could grasp the message and it only took a few minutes a day to complete。 It was a wonderful way to focus our attention on Christ throughout the Christmas season。 This was a family favorite， we will read it again every year！ The simple way Ann explains God's love for humanity is comforting。 Our kids could grasp the message and it only took a few minutes a day to complete。 It was a wonderful way to focus our attention on Christ throughout the Christmas season。 。。。more
Melody
，
The illustrations in this book are beautiful， as are the downloadable ornaments to use with it。 However， the writing is way too wordy/poetic to be understood by young children。 Also， she presents a very unbalanced view of God （all about love， without taking into account any of His other attributes）， making it a very self-centered gospel （it's all about me， not about the glory of God， if that makes sense）。 The illustrations in this book are beautiful， as are the downloadable ornaments to use with it。 However， the writing is way too wordy/poetic to be understood by young children。 Also， she presents a very unbalanced view of God （all about love， without taking into account any of His other attributes）， making it a very self-centered gospel （it's all about me， not about the glory of God， if that makes sense）。 。。。more
Cole Ramirez
，
The subtitle is "a family celebration of Christmas" but I can't fathom what type of family this book would actually work for。 I love the Jessie Tree concept and the illustrations are beautiful， but the language is far too flowery to appeal to any man I know and the word pictures too advanced for young kids。 Just as an example， on day 1: "And in failing God， they fell away from closeness with God。 They failed and fell and were like a fallen tree。 Their family was like a fallen tree。 When their fa The subtitle is "a family celebration of Christmas" but I can't fathom what type of family this book would actually work for。 I love the Jessie Tree concept and the illustrations are beautiful， but the language is far too flowery to appeal to any man I know and the word pictures too advanced for young kids。 Just as an example， on day 1: "And in failing God， they fell away from closeness with God。 They failed and fell and were like a fallen tree。 Their family was like a fallen tree。 When their family tree crashed to the ground， it crushed all of their hearts。 The stump - and all of their days - felt utterly hopeless。 Like their hearts had been cut right out of them。" Call me optimistic， but I hope my kids can't identify with utter hopelessness， the feeling of their hearts been cut out of them， or "tears of sadness flood（ing） the world" for many， many years。 The idea that little children in loving， Christian homes （or any home， for that matter） would read about "some horrible， awful， miserable， very bad days" and know exactly the feeling the author is talking about is depressing。 An adult woman may appreciate this book （if they like the flowery） but this is NOT A FAMILY DEVOTIONAL。 On the other hand， we did like doing the daily scripture readings， so if you skip over everything Voskamp wrote， read the scripture， look at the pictures， and explain the stories in your own words， the book could provide a good structure to following the Jessie Tree with your family。 。。。more
Jeremy
，
Voskamp's writing is strained， as if she's trying too hard to sound profound/creative。 I'm not always convinced of the interpretations/applications either。 The cover is cool， and the illustrations are okay。 Some of the days were actually pretty good， but they were the exceptions。Invitation: I prefer the approach of Lewis， who says that the Gospel isn't better than a fairy tale， but rather the best one， because it's true （see Day 17）。1 （stump of Jesse）: I like the unpacking of the stump of Jesse， Voskamp's writing is strained， as if she's trying too hard to sound profound/creative。 I'm not always convinced of the interpretations/applications either。 The cover is cool， and the illustrations are okay。 Some of the days were actually pretty good， but they were the exceptions。Invitation: I prefer the approach of Lewis， who says that the Gospel isn't better than a fairy tale， but rather the best one， because it's true （see Day 17）。1 （stump of Jesse）: I like the unpacking of the stump of Jesse， an image that isn't always immediately clear， even though we read Is。 11 frequently during this time of year。 I wasn't sure how that passage connects to helping poor or lonely people。 Also， I'm not planting wheat today。 Sorry。2 （creation）: Sounds as if God the Son （or his voice） hovered over the depths before creation。3 （fall）: Not sure about God's howl of "Where are you？" for Adam and Eve after they sin， but I did like the connection between the first question of the OT and the first question of the NT。4 （flood）: Emphasis on the flood as God's tears seems to minimize God's wrath。5 （call of Abram）: Still emphasizing God's tears。6 （birth of Isaac）: Laughter！ Soda pop！ Fizzy！7 （Abraham/Isaac）: Sacrifices aren't just "love gifts。"8: Jacob's ladder and Christmas trees。9: Joseph's coat of many colors and Gen。 50:20。 And spinning。10: The Ten Commandments are "love rules。" I think I missed reading this one and the next one with the girls11 （Rahab）: I like the connection to Jesus。12 （Ruth）: I'm so confused about whether or not Ruth is morally upright in this story。 I was probably in my late 20s when I first heard that there might be some funny business going on。13 （David anointed）: "People aren't really bodies; they are really hearts。 For all our skin， people are really souls。" SMH。 I just read Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz and realized that the "You don't have a soul。 You are a soul。 You have a body。" comes from there and elsewhere （but not from C。 S。 Lewis）。14: People walk in darkness， but Jesus came like exploding sunbursts， and now children can light up like candles。15 （Elijah and prophets of Baal）: "Now every heart beating in every person is made and wired to worship something。"16 （Jonah）: "Nineveh？ Where there are the meanest people evah？" Just whisper sorry and you too can have the best day evah。17 （birth of Jesus）: My favorite entry by far （true fairy tale）。 Bethlehem as the back door of the universe。 Clear echoes of Lewis and Tolkien。18 （Esther）: Somehow this story has to do with starving children in India。19: （Habakkuk's watchtower）: "Just like the cold can move you closer toward the fire， hard things can move you closer toward God。" This book is really hit or miss， but this was a hit。20: Zechariah and Elizabeth have a child。21: John the Baptist prepares the way。22: Mary becomes a safe space。 We can be safe spaces too！23: Something about hammers。24: Jesus born in a manger。25: Never-ending Christmas。 。。。more
Amanda Rogers Torres
，