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Christmas Gift Ideas
Editor’s note: BibleWise recommends I Love Bible Stories CD told by 3 year-old Nicholas, 4 year-old Katie, and 5 year-old Jacob. These stories were written for children to share. You can tell these children love Bible stories. They are told with childlike simplicity, enthusiasm, and love. Order a copy today.
Each year, BibleWise offers ideas for Christmas gifts. Author, Joan K. Snipes, offers some suggestions for the whole family.
Christmas in the Manger by Nola Buck and Felicia Bond. (HarperFestival, 1998) This is an excellent choice for a simple picture book for very young children. This board book has nice illustrations and easy to understand text. It begins: "I am the star that shines in the east, I light the stable for man and beast." Subsequent pages introduce the donkey, the ram, the ox, the shepherds, the wise men, Mary, and baby Jesus. I recommend this book for children two and under. It makes a great first Christmas present.
Easter: With Words from the King James Bible by Fiona French. (HarperCollinsPublishers, 2002) The stained-glass like illustrations and the King James text make this picture book appropriately sacred. Although the story is told briefly, many key details are nonetheless included. For example, the text mentions the last supper, doubting Thomas, and several of Christ Jesus' appearances after the resurrection, including the morning meal at the sea of Tiberias. This book is an excellent choice for parents and grandparents who want to be sure their children are biblically literate.
On Morning Wings by Reeve Lindbergh and illustrated by Holly Meade. (Candlewick Press, 2002) An adaptation of Psalm 139 for ages 4 to 8. The author is the youngest daughter of Charles and Anne Lindbergh.
Stories From the Bible. Illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger. A Michael Neugebauer Book. (New York: North-South Books, 2000) This is a beautifully designed, elegant art book with unusual, thoughtful illustrations. It is a wonderful collection of King James Bible passages for parents to read aloud to their children. I love the publisher's expectation that children CAN understand and enjoy the King James language. The excerpts are mainly from Genesis, Exodus, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, the four Gospels, Acts and Revelation. It makes a terrific addition to a child's collection of top-notch Bible books.
B is for Bethlehem: A Christmas Alphabet by Isabel Wilner. Illustrated by Elisa Kleven. Penguin Books, 1995. For ages 4 to 8. First is a wonderful book for children and families entitled, B is for Bethlehem: A Christmas Alphabet. It has rhyming couplets for each of the 26 letters of the alphabet and colorful, folk-art illustrations.
BIBLEOPOLY
Another wonderful gift is BIBLEOPOLY. Late For the Sky began producing BIBLEOPOLY in 1991. It quickly became one of the most popular Christian games of all time. The object of the game is to be the first player to build a church in one of the Bible cities. In BIBLEOPOLY, you cannot win by destroying your opponents. You can only be the winner by assisting the fellow players. This act of cooperation is what allows you to gain the things necessary to build your church and be a winner.
For 2 to 6 players ages 8 and up. It takes about 1 hour to play
See: www.boardgames.com or simply put Bibleopoly into a search engine. We bought this game for our nephew when he was just turning 5 years old. It was his very favorite Christmas present, according to his parents.
Baby Blanket with Bible Quotes
I still love the baby blanket with Bible quotes on it (produced and sold by the Talbot family), which we mentioned before on Biblewise. "There is a wonderful baby blanket made by a family in California. It has quotes from the Bible all over one side in a patchwork of blue, pink, and yellow. It's a perfect Bible/nativity/gift idea! There are 18 quotes from both the Old and New Testaments."
The link is: http://www.wrappedwithlove.com/company.htm.
Bible Bar
Finally, for the Bible lovers on your gift list, how about a fun stocking stuffer known as a Bible bar? Available from www.houseofdavid.net, this edible gift is very tasty. The creator of Bible bars got his inspiration from this passage from Deuteronomy, chapter 8:
For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass. When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.
Editor’s Note: We recommend the following two books:
- "101 Ideas for the Best-Ever Christmas" by Caryl Waller Krueger. This treasury of holiday activities, stories, and traditions emphasizes the true meaning of Christmas. It even includes a chart on how to get everything done with ease. To order this book visit shopbiblewise.com.
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. All six Herdman children had the reputation for being the worst kids in the history of the world. One church was shocked when the Herdman children showed up to be part of the Christmas Pageant. The Herdmans had never heard of the baby Jesus. What follows will touch your heart and give a fresh view to the Nativity Story. Available as an audio book and video at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.
- VeggieTales Bible Storybook - a book full of some of the best VeggieTales video stories. Zonderkidz, 2006.
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