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Saturday Story Time: “The Story of Christmas”

The Christmas season is fast upon us and I would be remiss if I did not mention one of the most favorite traditions of the Johnson family. Nine years ago a friend introduced us to “The Story of Christmas” story book set and advent calendar. It is an Advent calendar with 24 miniature story books which tell the story of Christmas from the angel appearing before Mary through the journey to Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus. Each little book is threaded with gold cord to hang on a Christmas tree.

A mother who had teenagers in their home mentioned this calendar to me as the best lasting tradition and most treasured memories with her kids during the Christmas season. She mentioned that even as high school age kids they looked forward to and fought over who would get to read what day and where it would go on the tree. With that recommendation, I immediately sought this book out and am eternally grateful she told me about it.

When we started the four kids were six, seven, eight and nine. We started with the oldest going first. Isaac would pick out the book with number 1 on it and read it out loud at the dinner table on December 1. The next year would be John starting on the first book and so on. After he read it, each child would have to mention something from the reading(no one saying the same thing) so I knew they were paying attention. Then the reader would put the book on one of the three trees we had on display in our bay window.

If they had trouble reading someone would help, they would fight to be the first to tell about something in the story so nobody else would get their part. “An angel talked to Mary” Jessie would say, and the other three would groan because that was what they were going to say. Many family jokes and discussions have surrounded these comments and part of the tradition is trying to out do the next person with a sample from the story. One year Isaac decided to memorize the book that his sister was reading, then was the first to say something about the story and he just repeated the whole book.

As we are now in the teenage years of this tradition the kids are more adamant than ever that we do it. It is hard to find time each night with all the crazy schedules and basketball games but if we miss one night we do two the next. The kids still fight over who will get to have the last book, and come up with hysterical renditions of the story when they have to re-tell their part.

I now have three sets of the calendar and hope to find one more so that we can give them to the kids as they leave home. It helps us to daily focus on the true meaning of Christmas and has become the highlight of the Season for me. I am so thankful for that mother sharing this idea with me and I hope you too will find ways to draw your family together, create a tradition and enjoy the moments created because of it. As the back of the book set advertises “24 little books, one beloved story. Celebrate a new holiday tradition”

It is published by Workman Publishing with the ISBN 1-56305-547-3