I have been wanting to do this for years and I finally got organized enough before busy season hit to actually pull it off this year.  I really enjoyed researching and looking for books that have a Christian, Jesus focused, tone to them.  I started buying books in September, a few a week to spread out the cost.  To save money, you could easily hit Half Price Books or other discount book stores.  I didn’t have a ton of time to enjoy the thrill of the hunt so I ordered most of mine online.  I ordered the number labels for each book from this Etsy seller.  Once all the books came in Jason and I sat down and wrapped them all in craft paper while watching a movie.  It really helped us to keep the focus on Jesus during such a busy time of year.  We had a total of 25 books, the 25th book being a children’s bible.  Both Ty and Taryn have their own bibles but Jude did not, so the 25th book was a specific gift for him.  Below is a list of the books we included in our advent.  Overall, it took a lot of planning on my part but it was so so worth it!  The kids really enjoyed it and so did we!   The best part is that come next Christmas we already have 24 books tucked away that we can enjoy again!

Room For A Little One

The Wonder of Christmas

The Little Shepherd Girl

What is Christmas?

The Something Wonderful

Mortimer’s Christmas Manger

The Little Drummer Boy

Song of the Stars

Christmas in the Manger

A Star for Jesus

This is the Stable

Christmas Angels

J is for Jesus

Humphrey’s First Christmas

Charlie and the Christmas Kitty

Mary’s Christmas Story

The Christmas Story

The Pine Tree Parable

Happy Birthday Jesus

Bear Stays Up

One Shining Star

The Animals’ Christmas Eve

The Best Thing About Christmas

Who Is Coming To Our House?

A Child’s First Bible

All the books lined up made for a festive mantel, even before we decorated it!