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Storybook Advent Calendar
Stories 1-12a |
Below you'll find a
short description of each of the stories in the Storybook Advent
Calendar. This page covers the first 12-days. On
page two, you'll find the descriptions of the other twelve days.
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Descriptions of the
Stories
in the Storybook Advent
December 1-12
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What is God, Mommy?
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Original Story
by Lewis Brech
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Borrowing from the ideas presented
in 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 about the nature of love, this
story covers a conversation between a mother and son about
what God is, what He means and also what He is not.
The Kingdom principles presented
in this story, written in a prosaic form, instill basic ideas
that can be used throughout a lifetime to solidify
relationships and pave over stormy issues by bringing thoughts
and prayers back to love and to God.
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Photo from Knightshayes Court, England
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The Road
Not Taken
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Poem by Robert
Frost
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The beloved poem about not doing
what is expected and achieving the extraordinary.
Short, sweet and to the point,
Robert Frost captures the essence of being Christian.
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The Little
Match Girl
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Story by
Hans Christian
Andersen
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Hans Christian
Anderson is a genius at taking simple ideas and creating
enduring stories. The Little Match Seller (original title)
remains one of his most memorable short stories.
A little girl
in Victorian England must sell matches to earn a living. She
comes from an abused family and becomes stuck outside in the
cold. She is freezing and afraid to come, yet God is with her
and, in the end, she finds her way.
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Christmas
Bells |
Poem by Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow
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Buckfast
Abbey in Devon, England,
illustrates this
hopeful poem which plays on the 7th Beatitude -Blessed are the
Peacemakers. Longfellow uses the ringing of bells to mirror the
arrival of the Messiah and how, through His life and death, a
new Kingdom is born. A Kingdom without war, without hate and
where good ultimately prevails.
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The Cobbler's
Guest |
Story by
Anne McCollum Boyles
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An
illustration of Matthew 25 which will bring tears to your
eyes.
Set in the
mid-nineteenth century in Marseille, France, the story tells
of a humble cobbler on Christmas Eve who dreams of meeting
Jesus. An angel comes to him and tells him he will be visited
the next day, only what he expects is not what he gets. In
fact, he discovers, it is even better.
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The Foolish
Fir-tree
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Poem by
Henry Van Dyke
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If this is
your first time reading Henry Van Dyke, you are in for a
treat.
The Foolish
Fir-tree is a whimsical poem about being thankful for what you
have. With perfect timing, it uses humor and wit to get the
point across. Without doubt, in our time the curse of
Christmas consumerism is taking its toll. This poem brings
Christmas back to the basics. It is a blast to read and
children will absolutely adore it!
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Matthew, Mohammed
& Micah,
Parts 1 & 2
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Original Story
by Lewis Brech
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Why don't
Christians celebrate Hanukkah? What is Eid? How are Islam,
Christianity and Judaism similar... and how are these three
faiths different? Join Matthew, Mohammed and Micah, three
teens, as they discover each others' faiths and learn to
appreciate their similarities and differences. Included in
this story are the basics and a few of the common
misconceptions about all three faiths we've encountered
traveling the world.
Due to the
complexity of the issues, this story is recommended for
children 8-years of age and older.
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Alternate Story
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The First Journey with Reindeer
Parts 1 & 2
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Story by L. Frank Baum
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Baum is the
author of The Wizard of Oz and a number of other
children's books. This is an excerpt from his novel 'The Life
and Adventures of Santa Claus'.
In this story,
Santa is in a quandary. He needs transportation to deliver the
toys he's made but can't seem to sort it out until two
reindeer from the woods, Flossy and Glossy, come up with an
idea. The rest, as they say, is history.
This story is
provided as an alternative to Matthew, Mohammed and Micah.
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On the
Morning
of Christ's
Nativity |
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Poem by John Milton
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This beautiful
short poem by the author of 'Paradise Lost' captures the magic
of Christ's birth and its meaning to the world. We chose to
place it on December 9, the poet's birthday.
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Thomas
& The
Christmas
Orange
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Original Story
by Lewis Brech
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This
charming story about giving and the simple things in life was
inspired by a folktale about that orange that seems to appear
in Christmas stockings each year.
Thomas and
his parents leave England in 1824. Tragedy strikes and despair
and destitution follow, but warmth and love are returned from
a simple orange.
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The
Christmas
Spirit
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Story by
Louisa May Alcott |
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The author of
'Little Women' and 'Little Men' brings this tale of Christmas
magic to life. Effie always thought being a beggar was the
greener pasture greener on the other side. Soon she finds
herself to be one and the romantic idea chills in the face of
a bleak reality until one day, while alone in the woods, she
comes upon a beautiful little girl who she soon discovers is
the Christmas Spirit. Excerpt from the novella, 'A Christmas
Dream'.
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While Humble
Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
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Poem by
Nahum Tate
& Nicholas Brady
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This short
poem speaks to the moment the angel came down from heaven to
announce the birth of Christ to the shepherds in the
field. Later the poem was set to music and is now a popular
Christmas Carol.
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"Stunning,
heart-warming and thoroughly enjoyable!
Thank
you Lewis Brech for putting together this wonderful book!"
Rachel Anne,
Los Angeles, California
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Purchase
the book, carol collection or both together.
Start Enjoying it in
minutes
Whether you choose digital or paperback, you can begin
sharing Storybook Advent Calendar within five minutes. Our free gift
to you is a downloadable and printable PDF version of this book in
Classic Black & White.
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You can begin reading tonight or share with relatives,
regardless if you purchase the paperback edition or
non-printable digital editions for iPad, Sony Reader,
Kindle or other digital format. You receive both!
This is a limited time offer, so don't wait.
Merry Christmas!
NEXT PAGE
Stories
12b - 24 |
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