Celebrate Advent with these Books

7/22/2024

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ALONG WITH LINKS TO THIRD PARTY WEBSITES MENTIONED IN THE POST.*

Christmas in July - 2024

Welcome to day 2 of our Christmas in July celebration. All week long we are sharing some of our favorite posts, vlogs, and Christmas fun from over the years. Yesterday we kicked off the celebration with our 2023 living room decorating vlog. Today, we want to bring back a blog post that shares one of our most favorite Christmas traditions.

When the kids were younger, we read a set of books that helped us move through the Advent season towards Christmas. This series has become a treasure, having read each book with our kids. We continue to promote and share these books hoping that you and your family would come to love this Advent tradition.

Take a few minutes to read our original post from last November 2023. If the idea of these book encourages you, we would invite to you to order the series. Simply click on the book covers to over from Amazon. As you know, we are Amazon Affiliate Partners. When you purchase products that we recommend and share, using the links we provide, we receive a percentage of the purchase, at no additional cost to you.

Now, let's get to today's post!

A number of years ago, the Higham family was introduced to an exciting Advent tradition. While serving as the youth pastor, our friends from the church asked if we had ever read a book called, Jotham's Journey, by Arnold Ytreeide. Of course we had not. But they said that this beloved story was an Advent must for their families.

As the Christmas season approached, a family in the church shared their copy of Jotham's Journey with us. We started Advent and we began reading the first book of this 4 part series. Unfortunately, that year, our kids were still a little too young, and had a hard time finding interest in the story. The stories themselves included an intense glimpse of how life might have been during that time. There's suspense, drama, emotional moments, and cliffhangers that will keep the family on the edge of your seats. But by the next year, are kids were ready and we tried again. Success!

Advent is all about preparing for Christmas and the arrival of the Christ-child. From lighting candles to sharing in various devotions, the idea of having some kind of family Advent tradition is nothing new. But these adventurous storybooks help to reimagine the Nativity Story that helps the family prepare for Christmas morning.

Jotham's Journey was the first storybook we read as a family during Advent. Each chapter serves as a daily reading to be shared with the family. Each chapter stretches the adventure, leading both Jotham and the reader on an amazing journey. Within a couple of chapters our kids were hooked. Suspense, mystery, adventure, sword fights, good guys, bad guys, and edge-of-your-seat cliffhangers make this series an exciting must read Advent tradition. And it's been our tradition ever since.

We love these books and we want to share them with your family this Advent season!

Jothan's Journey

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The first book we read was the original, Jotham's Journey. It's the beginning of the story. We meet Jotham, a 10 year old boy growing up in Israel, who gets separated from his family. His adventure leads him to encounter thieves, robbers, and kidnappers, wise men, shepherds, and innkeepers until at last he finds the most treasured of treasures.

As this is book one, we would suggest you begin with Jotham's Journey. It really does kick off the adventure. Click on the book cover on the right to order your copy from Amazon.

Bartholomew's Passage

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Bartholomew's Passage, is the second book in the series of storybooks by Ytreeide. In this book we meet Bartholomew, a young boy who's village is destroyed by Roman soldiers. Like others from his village, Bartholomew finds himself a slave to a tyrannical master. But Bartholomew escapes and becomes friends with a man named Nathan. The adventure leads Bartholomew on an exciting journey that eventually crosses paths with our young friend, Jotham.

Like Jothan's Journey, you can expect some intense moments. Click on the book cover on the right to order your copy from Amazon.

Tabitha's Travels

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In July of 2010, Ytreeide released his third Advent book, Tabitha's Travels. Structured the same way as Jotham's Journey and Bartholomew's Passage, Tabitha's Travels, follow Tabitha and her family on their own amazing journey. Crossing paths with our friends, Jothan and Bartholomew, Tabitha experiences an exciting journey that leads her to the Messiah's birth.

Because this book intersects both Jotham's and Bartholomew's stories, we recommend you read Tabitha's Travel's after you read the other two books. You can order your copy of Tabitha's Travels by clicking on the book cover to the right!

Ishtar's Odyssey

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In 2015, we ordered the fourth book in the Advent series, Ishtar's Odyssey. Ytreeide, continues the adventure through the eyes of the ten-year-old son of a Persian wise man. Drawn by a new star in the night sky, Ishtar joins his father and the caravan as it sets out across the desert. Following ancient manuscripts and prophecies, along with the path of the new star, Ishtar learns of the arrival of a new king.

His journey eventually crosses paths with our friends Jothan, Batholomew, and Tabitha. This was such a great edition to the series, and brings a new perspective to the nativity story. Click on the book cover to order, Ishtar's Odyssey.

Advent is an important part of the Christmas season. It helps to prepare our hearts for the arrival of the Christ-child. This year (2024), Advent begins on Sunday, December 1st. It would be great to think through what your Advent will look like. Daily devotions, candle lighting, calendars, and LEGOs, there are plenty of ways to celebrate and prepare. If you would like to use the Jotham series with your family, now it the time to order your books. You can order using our Amazon affiliate links from this page. Because we are Amazon Affiliates, we earn a percentage of the sale without any additional cost to you. This percentage earned, helps to keep Life in the Higham House up and running.

If you have any questions about the series or Advent, or if you have a Advent tradition you practice with your family, we would love to hear from you! Please leave a comment below! If you are looking more Advent or Christmas ideas and fun, be sure to click on these links!

Christmas in the Higham House

Christmas Gift Ideas

LitHH 2023 Christmas Vlog

Thanks for reading!

- jay & amy