The Nativity fast in the Orthodox Christian Church begins on November 15 (Nov 28, if you are on the Julian calendar). This season in the liturgical year is rich with church services, special saints who are commemorated during this time, and a time a quiet preparation for the Nativity of our Lord. Whether you’re looking for resources for children, adults, devotionals/prayer, or edifying books to add to your Christmas book collection, here are our top recommendations! The books are all linked under the pictures to make them easy to find. You can also check your parish’s lending library and the local public library to see if any of these are available!
The Church prescribes fasting periods as a special time to focus on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Read the Scripture readings for the day, read the story of the Nativity with your children, and immerse yourself in the Word of God!
Welcoming the Christ Child is an incredible resource to return to year after year!
Pray the Akathist of Thanksgiving together with your family! The text is also available online for free, here.
The story of St Nicholas as a board book or hardcover.
We Believe and North Star: St Herman of Alaska
To learn about St Lucia’s Day!
The Light of Nativity and My First Christmas are wonderful board books for the Advent and Nativity season. The Nativity Mouse is adorable, and you can follow little mouse’s other adventures in The Pascha Mouse and The Theophany Mouse.
The Birth of Christ and Me, The Adventure of Fr. Evangelos, and The Nativity of Our Lord are all great books to add to your collection of Christmas books!
