I have always wanted the Christmas season to be beautiful and nostalgic for my children. My desire is for this season to mark their hearts with traditions and give them warm memories of togetherness in our home. Most of all, I want the Advent season to draw them to their Savior. Out of these desires, A Connected Christmas was born. A Connected Christmas is an invitation to gather your family and celebrate beauty and delight through festive carols, stories, poetry, art, baking, and handcrafts. It’s about family, it’s about Him. It’s about connecting hearts to the heart of Christmas-to the truth of Jesus coming to earth to seek and save the lost. A Connected Christmas is designed to be used with the whole family at the same time. It includes Bible, memorization, recitation, writing, stories, narration, and a plethora of beauty subjects (hymns, poetry, art, and handcrafts). A Connected Christmas was created for children Kindergarten-5th grade, but can easily be adapted for preschoolers and middle schoolers as well.

Each week your family will memorize a passage of scripture, worship together with a Christmas carol, enjoy a festive poem, and study a nativity-themed piece of art. Along with that, each day your family will snuggle together and read a holiday picture book and then enjoy a coordinating handcraft or baking project that reiterates a theme in the story. The foundation of the lesson time includes reading a passage of scripture aloud. These passages are studied in chronological order to complete the Biblical Christmas story by the end of the curriculum. Children orally narrate the passage and then complete a written narration in their “Christmas Story Narration Notebook.” Then they illustrate the day’s passage, completing a 15-page keepsake by the end of the season.

This guide is designed to be used five days a week for the three weeks leading up to Christmas, but can easily be moved around to fit into a four-day schedule or used as Morning Time plans. Related: Introducing A Connected Christmas: Around the World

Here’s what people are saying about A Connected Christmas:

• “We loved the daily rhythm of a connected Christmas. The books coordinated very well with the crafts! Looking forward to making this a Christmas tradition in our home.” ★★★★★ -Maija
• “Our family loved a connected Christmas, from the books, to the crafts, the Bible study and the art! We plan to make it a yearly tradition!” ★★★★★ -Mackenzie

We’re offering hard copies of A Connected Christmas as well as printed and bound copies of the Narration Notebooks, so you can have one for each child in your family. Watch a full walkthrough here: If you enjoyed A Connected Christmas, you may also consider using A Connected Christmas: Around the World, a three-week holiday advent that re-visits the nativity story alongside the beauty subjects, worship, recipes, and keepsakes. A Connected Christmas: Around the World also incorporates a global perspective on how the holiday season is celebrated throughout the world.