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Happy Go Stuckey

Tethering Grace & Togetherness

Meaningful Christmas Books: Unwrapping the Greatest Gift

December 14, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey 2 Comments

Last year, Ann Voskamp’s book The Greatest Gift was a very important part of my own personal Advent celebration. The readings are short and begin with a passage of Scripture. Apart from just being a beautiful book, it is an excellent way to begin or end each bustling day in the Christmas season with quiet and rest.

When I discovered that Ann had also written Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas for the entire family, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy! Tyndale House Publishers mailed me a complimentary copy for our family’s enjoyment in early October and we began to enjoy it long before December arrived.

IMG_1815

We received the beautiful book just in time to take it along to the Mountains in October, and Lucy spent a lot of time stretched out on the floor of the cabin, looking at the lovely pictures and reading a few words.

Unwrapping the Greatest Gift is a large hardcover book- about 12×12- and has gorgeous full-color illustrations throughout. A similar format is used as the original Greatest Gift version, taking the principle of the Jesse Tree and exploring the elements of Advent as they all point to the coming of Christ. A passage of Scripture comes first in each day’s reading, followed by a part of the story. Each day (or chapter) puts one story in front of the other pointing along the way to the coming of Jesus.

Though the book is meant to be for Families to read together, if your family is made up of active toddlers, you will want to take that into account as you read. Those of you, (myself included) who struggle to get your almost three-year old to sit attentively for one small board book– may find yourself gritting your teeth through the pages of this book if you are hoping your kiddos will sit still and take in the beautiful lyrical text. That being said, I feel there is a lot of value in Unwrapping the Greatest Gift, no matter the stage of your family. It would be a great piece to read a small bit of each chapter, show them the photos and then build on as your children grow. The fact that the title suggests it is for families to experience together should not dissuade anyone from enjoying Unwrapping the Greatest Gift. I have enjoyed reading portions both by myself and with the little people in our home.

What I love most about this book is perhaps what I love most about Ann Voskamp’s writing in general, her ability to cross bridges and boundaries to bring the Hope and Joy of Christ right in front of you, no matter your season of life. And the gift of being able to share that with my children with wording and pictures they appreciate is just icing on the lovely, poetic cake.

I hope that in a rush of this December, you are enjoying a few moments of quiet peace. If you are looking for a tool in which to focus more of your attention of Jesus and the gift of His coming FOR YOU, I wholeheartedly recommend Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas.

Unwrapping the Greatest Gift was given to me by Tyndale Publishers to enjoy and review. I received the free copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

**The Amazon links to purchase the book are affiliate links. Thanks for clicking! 
Hope and Grief are not Enemies.
Things I Learned in 2014

Comments

  1. Linda Baker says

    January 4, 2015 at 1:25 pm

    Looks like a beautiful book!

    Reply
  2. Linda Baker says

    January 4, 2015 at 1:25 pm

    Looks like a beautiful book!

    Reply

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Hey There!

I'm Cynthia and I'm so glad you're here. I am an introvert with an extrovert's love of gathering people together. I love good books and capturing moments. Whether you visit me here or on my own front porch, I'll be the one holding the Iced Coffee for us both.

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happygostuckey

Some of the rhythms we took up in ‘20 we will co Some of the rhythms we took up in ‘20 we will continue to sigh into in ‘21.
Baking sourdough, watching it bubble and rise and fill our BlueHouse with the scent of a good, long, posture of patience— I absolutely need a second serving of this.
While we wait, and whatever it is that we wait for— may the space between be made sweeter by the knowledge that we never wait alone.
You can’t tell by their joy, but the day I snapp You can’t tell by their joy, but the day I snapped this photo was somewhat of a regular day.

What looks like a winter beach vacation was actually the tail-end of a masked lunch stop in the middle of a pandemic road trip.

This sparkling moment of sun-splashed fun was sandwiched between brutal conversations about regular life, especially the hard parts.

And this is how it is. 
These bits of life that we never see coming, they are enveloped between all that makes us tired, weary, sighing pilgrims in a world that was never really meant to be hospitable in the first place.

This photo reminds me to look again at our year, our season, our circumstances.

To look a second and third time.
To keep looking as long as it takes to see that the joy of our right now isn’t gone, it just might be hiding in the shadow of all that’s hard.

Brokenness is never vague. And we don’t have to search very long to see it both within ourselves and around us.
Sometimes the weight of that fact is crushing.
And then, sometimes it reminds us even more clearly of the light shining in darkness.

Joy is an act of defiance against despair and I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling rather defiant at the moment.✨✨✨✨

@hopewriters #hopewriterlife 
#feastingandforaging #hopelenses #getaftergrateful
Endurance can feel like standing still. Especially Endurance can feel like standing still. Especially if what we’re called to be about is the same as yesterday and last month. 
It’s difficult to meet each day with the same fervor and joy for what we are called to do, especially when at present, the progress seems small and immeasurable. 
But even then, perhaps especially so — our faithfulness matters.

When we cannot yet see the other side, the light at the end of this particularly long tunnel, we begin again.

Not because we will always wake with fresh energies and bright, sparkling hope for what comes next, friend. But because the God of Endurance (Romans 15:5) dwells within us.

“It is the grace of endurance granted to you by the God of endurance that provides you with everything you need to continue to be what he calls you to be and do what he calls you to do between this moment and the moment when you cross over to the other side. When difficulty exposes the weakness of your resolve and the limits of your strength, you do not have to panic, because He will endure even in this moments when you don’t feel able to do so yourself.” — Paul David Tripp, New Morning Mercies

#hopewriterlife
Stuckey, party of two. Always ready to run out for Stuckey, party of two. Always ready to run out for paper towels... especially if the store is in convenient proximity to a quick date for croissants and dirty chai for two. Love my forever coffee companion even more at the start of this new year. Wherever he’s going, I’m riding shotgun.
We have learned... The inestimable value of a goo We have learned...

The inestimable value of a good camp chair, for they have been used for everything from soccer benches and coffee dates to theatre seats and church pews.

What our neighborhood streets can offer in the way of an outing—from the colors of spring to the sparkle of Christmas.

To hold plans with the loosest hands possible.

To rejoice in things found. Time. Margin. ...and enough toilet paper to share with a neighbor.

To give grace and accept it for ourselves.

The hilarious joy of a group text complete with “have you seen this meme yet?” 

To pivot. And then pivot again.

To find more joy in candlelight closer to home, instead of the bright lights of traveled cities.

To perfect our pizza dough recipe and truly learn to prefer it over dinner out.

To work with yeast and flour again and again— until the message of waiting for something really good dusted our apron fronts and kitchen floors.

And in our house, we learned how to be unexpectedly unemployed. We learned how to honor that new found space with needed grief and desired hope. How to be grateful for true friends who prayed with us, held questions with us, and hoped with us. We were reminded of our true identity and that it will never rest in a job. 

In a year in which we’ve all lost quite a lot, you and I have been given so much as well. Some of what we’ve lost we have learned to be without. Some, we won’t go looking for again.

In 525,600 minutes and in all the things, found and lost and found again— there is far and away more to be grateful for.

And we choose joy.

✨Happy New Year, dear friends!✨
Not rushing too quickly into a new year over here. Not rushing too quickly into a new year over here. Though the one in our rear view window is one we wouldn’t choose to repeat, still it was one full of God’s nearness.

One day I’ll write it all down.
But for now I’ll just say,
we were not alone. 🕯
“Once in our world, a Stable had something in it “Once in our world, a Stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world.”
C.S.Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia

Joy to the World, friends.
Behold. The most apropos Christmas Eve 2020 desser Behold. The most apropos Christmas Eve 2020 dessert ever. Made from a wonky gingerbread cake that did not cooperate.
We shall not go quietly into 2021.
We will fight back with beauty and joy and candles... and fresh whipped cream made by an eleven year old with sparkly green eyes. 🎄❤️✨
Merry Christmas from the Fam! { 👉🏻 swipe for Merry Christmas from the Fam! { 👉🏻 swipe for Stuckeys in their natural habitat.) 🎄🕯❤️✨
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