I hope my rundown of some of the best Advent Bible studies around has been useful to you as you prepare to keep Christ central to all your activities and busyness this Advent and Christmas. Here is a resource which, whilst not technically an Advent devotional, does a good job of pretending. After all, what could be more appropriate in a season which is all about waiting than studying the lives of four Bible characters who ‘waited’? For those of us currently in limbo – perhaps waiting for a job, some news from the doctor, or a forthcoming marriage – this book would be especially helpful. I love the expert way Tanya Marlow combines imaginative storytelling with incisive Biblical commentary – sometimes it can feel like resources have to choose one or the other, but this does both. If you want to go deeper in your journey with God this Advent, but do it creatively, this is for you. Tracing Glory: The Christmas Story through the Bible (Sarah Rice, 2021) – devotional and ornament activity book If you’re looking for great family devotionals through the year, don’t forget to take a look at my recommendations here: 10 Best Family Devotions.) Advent study for small groups

If you want a book advent calendar that specifically features books you can read (instead of just book-themed gifts), then this 25 Days Book Christmas Advent Calendar is a great option! And there’s even some fun candy canes thrown in as a treat for while you read! So this book advent box is perfect if you’re looking to open a surprise book each day throughout the Christmas season. If you’re struggling this Advent, Contemplating Christmas is the devotional for you. Full of hope, it makes space for all the disappointments, bereavements and difficult situations we may find ourselves in as the year draws to a close. Each day includes the Bible passage in full, a reflection from Abby, questions to ponder and a breath prayer. I’ve long enjoyed Abby’s beautiful and sensitive writing style: nuanced with all the experience of one who has lived through difficult times, but never cynical, always hopeful that one day Jesus will come to redeem us and our fallen world. A gorgeous yet manageable devotional to guide you through Advent. Creation to Crib (David Sims, 2021) In a phrase: An imaginative “Dear Diary” style read to take you deeper into relationship with JesusThis is a book to use seriously, prayerfully, and determinedly during Advent. It is an urgent wake-up call to action. Sets of questions at the end of each “week” are ideal for church discussion and individual reflection.

If you’re a fan of Jane Austen or Pride and Prejudice, then another great book-specific advent calendar you’ll love is this Pride and Prejudice Advent Calendar! If you’re looking for a fun but more inexpensive book advent calendar option, then this Bookish Advent Calendar is the way to go! More than 30 years ago, Margaret Thatcher’s speech to the UN warned of the damage that we are causing to our environment through pollution and greenhouse gases. Some positive changes have happened since, but not enough nor nearly fast enough. Holtam quotes Gus Speth, arguing that our environmental problems are not primarily biodiversity loss, or climate change, but “selfishness, greed, and apathy”. This intriguing compilation from GodSpace features over 60 readings to take you from the start of Celtic Advent (mid-November) right through to Epiphany. The argument is that it’s good to start preparing hearts and minds before the busyness of December takes over, and I appreciate this. Each of the readings is more like a blog post than a Bible commentary: warm, relatable, sprinkled with personal stories and humour – and of course each one has a different flavour, depending on the author who has penned it. There is plenty of Scripture quoted and referred to, and I found myself pondering several interesting ideas as I dipped in. Redeeming Advent (Lucy Rycroft, 2019)This calendar features 12 days of Pride and Prejudice themed gifts, so you can open individually wrapped gifts daily in the last 12 days leading up to Christmas Eve! All the designs in this bookish advent calendar are newly released specifically for this box, and only a few of them are holiday themed so you can use the gifts all year round. It’s nearly the happiest season of all—Christmas! Which means it’s time to start thinking about ways to make this holiday merry and bright…and one of the best ways to do that this year is with book advent calendars.

Split into four sections for the four weeks of Advent, these practical suggestions and reflective meditations about climate change and the environment are set alongside beautiful fine art paintings relevant to the season.Buy the 12 Day Bookish Advent Calendar now! (or buy it on Etsy here!) 2. 25 Days Book Christmas Advent Calendar Once you have all the books or bookish items for each day’s gift, then wrap them in cute wrapping like this bookish wrapping paper or these printable storybook boxes. Or, if you prefer, get a whole Christmas Advent Box kit so all you need to do is add the items!

To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth is integral to being a Christian today… Advent calls us to wake up, pay attention, stay sober and be alert to God and to what is happening in the world around us. The behaviour of human beings is the major current cause of climate change, and has the potential to become the 6th major event to result in the mass extinction of life on planet earth. We know this, yet we are still in danger of sleepwalking towards catastrophe… we are being called to live as citizens of God’s kingdom in the here and now… we are sensing an opportunity to do things differently, and an Advent-like urgency is needed in making our response… we can run headlong into disaster or we can sleepwalk into it, but we can no longer say that we do not know the impact of the way we are living. It is only in facing the reality that we can find the way forward.’ This is an incredibly easy-to-read and fun devotional, with each day’s entry featuring a fictional excerpt from Mary’s diary (based on Scripture), a Bible passage, a challenging devotional and prayer ideas. I love how each day ends with a memo from Mary – a simple, short truth to remember during the day. This book definitely hits my sleep-deprived-mum criteria of being both accessible and challenging – great stuff! The Advent Creative Retreat Activity Book (Mary and Mark Fleeson, 2013)Nicholas Holtam was Bishop of Salisbury from 2011 to 2021 and the Church of England's lead bishop for the environment, chairing the Environmental Working Group from 2014 to 2021. A Durham geographer before training for ordination, he lives in Brighton and is married to Helen with 4 adult children. Nicholas is the author of The Art of Worship: Paintings, Prayers, and Readings for Meditation and A Room with a View: Ministry with the World at Your Door. Sleepers Wake! is his first Advent book.