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Christmas is coming - soon it will be time to wrap holiday gifts! Do you want to do something different with your gift wrap this year? Here are twenty five festive holiday gift wrap ideas guaranteed to make your gifts look just as special as...

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A Trio of Christmas Books to Share with Your Family

A Trio of Advent and Christmas Books to Share with Your Family By Lisa M. Hendey

With the approach of Advent and Christmas season, I look forward each year to sharing favorite Christmas books with my children and discovering new classics. This year, I'm happy to share three new family Christmas books with you and your family.

A Special Remembrance of One Holy Night

O Holy Night: The First Christmas (Pauline Books & Media, August 2005, hardcover) by Makoto Yamamoto is a timeless recounting of the events leading up to and including the birth of Jesus Christ. The opening pages of the book find young Mary in her home in Nazareth, receiving a surprise visitation from the Archangel Gabriel, who comes bearing special news. The book continues with Mary and Joseph's preparations and journey to Bethlehem. The birth of Jesus, the praise and glory of the angels and the visits of the shepherds and wise men are all retold in child friendly language.

My favorite aspect of this particular Christmas story is the illustration work done by Wakako Moritsu. Moritsu's soft, appealing artwork lends a glow and warmth to this timeless tale. This lovely, hardcover edition would make a wonderful Christmas or Advent gift for your special child or would be a true treat to share on Christmas morning. For additional information on O Holy Night: The First Christmas visit http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0819854409/catholicmomcom

Give Jesus a Gift from Your Family

It's never too late to begin a new family tradition, especially one which emphasizes the true meaning of the Christmas season. With her book A Stocking for Jesus (Pauline Books and Media, September 2003, paperback) author Suzanne Arruda shares the inspiring story of one little girl who remembered what Christmas is truly all about. Young readers and their parents will be inspired by the story of young Elise, who takes time amidst the holiday decorating to remember Jesus on the occasion of his birthday. Elise and her family create a new family tradition by giving gifts to Jesus in the form of acts of love, service and prayer. The family gifts are noted on


slips of paper and placed in Jesus' special stocking.

Along with the fun story and bright illustrations, this book comes complete with a ready-made family activity, enabling your child or family to create and fill your own "Stocking for Jesus". With its emphasis on the true meaning of giving, A Stocking for Jesus deserves a place in your family's holiday reading repertoire. For additional information on A Stocking for Jesus visit http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0819870765/digitalcropper- 20

Big News from Bethlehem

Around my home, we frequently speculate on how Jesus might have been received had He been born into today's culture. You can bet your mistletoe that Jesus' birth might have been covered on CNN if the right media source been tipped off in advance. A fun new children's Christmas book, A Christmas Interview: Reporting Live from Bethlehem! (Pauline Books and Media, August 2005, paperback), gives kids the chance to imagine what reporters might have asked had they been on hand for the big event in Bethlehem. The book, translated from its original Japanese version written by Father Yoshitaka Yoshiike, accompanies two roving reporters on their time-travel journey back to the original site of the birth of our Savior.

The kids have questions for each of the major players, including St. Joseph, Mary, the shepherd witnesses and even the Wise Men. Expressive illustrations by Fujio Tsuchiya lend to the fun of this fast paced, yet scripturally based, narrative on the nativity. The book might also lend itself to a dramatic representation by a family or classroom wanting to act out the events of that first Christmas. For additional information on A Christmas Interview: Reporting Live from Bethlehem! visit http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0819815721/catholicmomcom

Lisa M. Hendey is a mother of two sons, webmaster of numerous web sites, including http://www.catholicmom.com and http://www.christiancoloring.com, and an avid reader. Visit her at http://www.lisahendey.com



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A Trio of Advent and Christmas Books to Share with Your Family By Lisa M. Hendey