Over the past number of years our children have enjoyed reading part of the Christmas story and doing a short craft each day. However, previous resources we have used have either had really long passages to read which the younger children can’t sit through or crafts which require all sorts of bits and pieces which we often don’t have to hand. I was half thinking of bypassing this tradition this year until I discovered the ‘Unexpected Gift’ from 10Publishing.

The pack consists of 2 parts, the Story Book and an Activity Book. The story book is a beautiful and accurate retelling of the Christmas story which can either be read all in one go or can be read one page a day in conjunction with the activity book. Each page is short enough that even the youngest child will be able to listen.

The activity book consists of 25 perforated card pages with a craft on each. These are simple crafts which don’t require any extras, although further ideas to take the activities further are included at the back of the book. Although we are keeping the book until December, my 5-year-old was very excited to give some of the crafts a go and was able to complete them without any help. There is also a Christmas bauble with a verse on each page, which when put together tell the Christmas story.

This really is a fantastic resource. In a year when parents have been stretched thin, this is a resource which has everything done for you- there is no last-minute dash to the shops required for glitter- simply read the page for that day and pull out the craft. Rather than getting caught up in the logistics of the resource it is my prayer that as a family we will focus on the fact that “… though God is huge and strong, he showed up as a tiny, helpless baby. God surprised us by becoming like us so that we can know him.”

The Story Book and Activity Book are available separately, or as a pair.

Suzanne Kane, First Portadown Presbyterian Church