Description
Music can powerfully communicate to our minds and hearts the truths of the gospel. During the Christmas season, parents can use the sounds of the holiday to impart truth to their kids—that’s where this book comes in.
The Stories Behind the Music walks families through the story of Christmas using 15 traditional Christmas carols:
- O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
- O Little Town of Bethlehem
- Away in a Manger
- Go, Tell It On the Mountain
- Angels from the Realms of Glory
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
- O Come, All Ye Faithful
- Silent Night
- What Child is This?
- Angels We Have Heard on High
- God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
- The First Noel
- We Three Kings
- The Holly and the Ivy
- Joy to the World
Christmas should be a special time for families to come together as we worship Jesus. If you’re looking for a memorable way to engage your family and keep the focus on Jesus, The Stories Behind the Music will give your family something to look forward during the Christmas season.
Each lesson includes:
- A story about how the carol was written
- Lyrics to the carol
- A scripture reading
- An explanation of the Bible passage
- Discussion questions for the family
- A short prayer
- Sheet music for each carol
- A craft that can be completed together as a family
Stephanie Rose –
My family is really enjoying The Stories Behind the Music. We’ve used it in place of our daily devotions and have really enjoyed it. We really loved the crafts.
Jennifer –
My kids like learning about the carols we sing. They love the history and stories behind the music. This helps us be better at explaining our faith. These crafts and stories are a great addition to our Advent traditions.
Wanda –
This book provides a useful resource for families to be intentional but not overwhelmed during the Christmas season. While there are many traditions during the Christmas season, like singing songs, we do not often know the background of them. The Stories Behind the Music provides these details, in a short, impactful way. Families can use the book as is or as a starter for more in-depth study. I found the crafts simple, easy to follow and often geared toward younger children but again you can use your own creativity to make it suitable for your individual family needs/preferences. As a former Sunday School teacher, I can see how this would be useful in churches as well.
Anna (verified owner) –
Absolutely love!!! I am a single parent waiting to adopt/be matched, and part of my “waiting” I have tried to be intentional to gather fun books, printables, activities, etc, along the road. Be “active” in my waiting! 🙂 I also, have a niece and nephew (6 and 3 years old) that love learning the stories, and listening to different artists sing the same song. But most importantly, the nature of slowing down, listening to the story, bringing meaning and bringing glory to God, all these things, have been lost in the busyness of family life. I firmly believe that it must change, and this resource (and honestly, all of the resources on this site), promote these core values of family! Thank you all!
Bethany (verified owner) –
Our family really enjoyed using The Stories Behind the Music as our advent devotional this year! It was great to learn more of the history and backstories of many of the favorite carols we’ve sung for years, and to learn ones new to us as a family. The devotionals were short enough to do in one sitting, and simple enough to hold our youngest child’s attention (restless 7-year-old boy!). Though our family is not super-crafty, we worked on a couple of the crafts over Christmas break and had fun making lasting memories and decorations for years to come. Great resource!
Jenny –
Loved it. Perfect for my kids aged 9 and 11. Some good and interesting background info about the carols, and a nice devotional to link the carol and explain Scripture. Loved how the carols were chosen to follow the events in the Bible text. Simple and easy to use. No prep needed (we didn’t do the craft. No time, and not that way inclined anyway). But as a family devotional to prepare our hearts for Christmas – ideal!
Erin Taylor (verified owner) –
This resource is amazing! I used it in the classroom with Grade 3 students and we enjoyed starting each day off with one of these devotions followed by listening to the corresponding carol. I highly recommend this resource!
Susie –
What a beautiful resource to use for Advent and the Christmas season. I’m using this with my preschool class. I love the little projects that go along with the hymns. Thanks for such a fantastic resource for my Christian preschool.