It’s Christmastime! The snow is falling, the lights are up on houses and trees, the nativity is on display, and the world is filled with goodness and light… right?

Okay, maybe I went a little bit overboard, but that’s the ambience we need for this post… even if it is still summertime in the United States. Today I’ll be sharing my review of A Merry and Bright Adventure by Katie J. Trent: author, baker, speaker, church planter, and homeschool mama, amongst many other things! I previously reviewed her book, Recipes for a Sweet Child, as a member of her launch team and I feel blessed to join the launch team for her newest release as well.

What Makes it a Merry and Bright “Adventure?”

Just as her previous two books were part-devotional, part-cookbook, so too is this newest book, but I feel like it takes it a step further. A Merry and Bright Adventure: A Christmas Devotional for Family, Faith, Food, and Fun still includes devotion and recipes for families to experience together, but its purpose is to explore holiday traditions and link them to their Christian origins. From the first chapter about ornaments being linked to Adam and Eve and the forbidden fruit, to later chapters about December 25th and the nativity, the focus of this book is unique to its predecessors.

Not only do we explore the origins of each tradition, but there is an accompanying activity that brings it together. These activities are often arts and crafts, though Katie includes a variety of activities so it doesn’t feel repetitive. From there we move on to a recipe that relates to the tradition (such as “What’s the Fruit? Smoothies” for the first chapter).

How to Use this Book

This book was made to use during Advent, hence the Advent-ure of it all. There are 25 chapters that can be read/explored one per day from December 1-25, or you could start it on the first Sunday of Advent (coincidentally December 1 in 2024) and do 6 chapters per week (plus Christmas!) since Katie split the book into 4 sections to represent the 4 weeks of Advent (Hope, Peace, Joy, Love). As each chapter includes an “Adventure” (usually a craft) and a recipe, you can choose to be ambitious and try to do all the things during the busy holiday season, or be a little more discerning and choose some to do this year and some to do in the future.

As noted above, each chapter focuses on a Christmas tradition through:

• Bible Verses relating to the tradition – cited so you can easily find the verse in the Bible of your choice
• Stories to explain the history of the tradition, complete with citation to allow for further research
• Prayer for the family
• Family Discussion Questions to encourage reflection on the tradition and its history in an open conversation
• Family Adventure – a fun craft or activity
• Baking Buddies Conversation Connection – a short explanation of how the recipe relates to the tradition and/or its history
• Recipe for a breakfast, lunch, snack, or beverage named to relate to the tradition and/or its history

A Merry and Bright Adventure: My Thoughts

Sometimes when you read a book, you notice that there are things that could be done to improve it or make it easier to utilize. Unfortunately, that’s usually where it ends. Katie J. Trent takes the next step and improves her books for the future. As someone with copies of both Dishing up Devotions and Recipes for a Sweet Child, I can share that A Merry and Bright Adventure has several additional sections for the benefit of the reader.

Right at the beginning of this book, Katie added in a Homeschool Adventure Guide to give us homeschooling parents ideas for expanding the chapters, applying them to our tracking system, or potentially creating a unit based on each chapter (something I could easily see based on her descriptions, but I would not recommend if going straight through the book in 25 days). There are also easily accessible grocery lists in the appendix, along with supply lists for the Adventures. An added bonus is a gift countdown list with small gifts or trinkets related to the topics to give your child(ren) each day – like the idea of an Advent calendar. Each of these sections add to the value of the book and ease our way as parents to more easily utilize it.

Overall Review

Although I can’t picture my family going straight through this book in 25 days, or even through the 4-week Advent season, I see much value for the family that has the time and discipline to do so. With a 5- and 2-year old this year, I think that we will more likely use it as a supplement to our learning—something we can bring out once or twice a week. We can choose chapters based on the traditions or the recipe and go from there. I think it will also make for a good reference text. When my children ask why Christmas is in December, we can look at Chapter 3 for a quick explanation and check the references for more information. We can reflect on the discussion questions and read the prayer, then we might do the craft or make the pancakes to reinforce the lesson. This would also be a great chapter to share if you choose to celebrate Christmas in July.

I think the best part about this book is that it can be used in so many different ways. You don’t have to go straight through and do every part of every chapter. You can make it work for your family. Another nice benefit of this book is that the majority of the recipes can be made at any time of year. I got to be a baking buddy for this book, which means I received several of the recipes in advance to test for taste, ease, and clarity. We tried out our recipes in October of last year. They didn’t shout “Christmas recipe,” but were absolutely delicious. 

Interview with Katie

Hi Katie! Can you share a little about yourself and what you do for my readers?

Hi friends! My name is Katie J Trent and I build strong, faith-filled families by making discipleship easier–and deliciously fun! I’m the bestselling author of 3 interactive devotionals: Dishing Up Devotions: 36 Faith-Building Activities for Homeschooling Families, Recipes for a Sweet Child: Creative, Bible-based Activities to Help Your Family Thrive, and A Merry and Bright ADVENTure: A Christmas Devotional for Family, Faith, Food, and Fun. I’m also the founder of Family Faith-Building Academy–a six-week digital discipleship course for Christian parents. You may have encountered my resources online or heard me speak at one of your favorite homeschool conventions. 

You mention in the book that you didn’t celebrate Advent growing up. What inspired you to write an Advent devotional?

Several years into our family discipleship journey, I began encountering Advent resources. We had already been counting down the days until Christmas with various activities, paper chains, book countdowns, etc. so I began exploring what Advent was. I had been seeking new ways to point my children to Jesus throughout Christmastime and I loved that Advent was all about preparing our hearts for the coming King. That began our journey of incorporating new Advent traditions into our routines each year and ultimately led to me writing my own Advent devotional. I wanted something our family would enjoy and I knew many others would too.

Thank you for allowing me to be a baking buddy for this book! The recipes are delicious. I’m curious… what came first when you were writing this book, the recipes or the traditions? And how did you choose which to pair together?

I started by writing out the 25 traditions I wanted to focus on for the book, and then as I studied out the history and wrote out the devotions, I began incorporating recipes that would pair well with the lesson I wanted to leave my kids with.

Unlike your previous books, this book is meant to be read and applied in one month instead of 36 weeks. What changes did you make to allow parents to get through a chapter each day with their kids?

Yes, this is the first family-style daily devotional I’ve written (though definitely not my last!). The devotions are brief and interactive to keep your kids and teens attention. And since you’re going through it daily, the recipes are more varied. I included breakfast items, snacks, desserts, and fun family holiday beverages–because even I don’t want to bake every day in December! I also provided 31 recipes instead of 25 to give you more options, including healthier alternatives and ideas if you’ve got allergy sensitivities.

I’ll be honest–our family never makes it 25 days straight with completing our Advent books–and that’s totally okay! We do what we can when we can, and we don’t worry about the rest! This is a book you can enjoy over and over with your family. We’ve got various activities and recipes, but everything is meant to be super simple and stress-free! We’ve even included grocery and supply lists to make prep a breeze!

How can my readers connect with you online?

I’d love to connect with you! You can find me and my resources online at KatieJTrent.com or on social media @KatieJTrent

Thank you so much for your time! And thanks for joining us In Our Homeschool!

Katie has kindly donated a copy of her book, A Merry and Bright Christmas Adventure, to be given away to one lucky reader!
CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Terms & Conditions apply:

Void where prohibited by law. Open to U.S. residents only. Must be at least 18 years of age. This giveaway is in no way associated with or endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest. No purchase necessary for entry. Odds are determined by the number of entries. Selected winner will have 24 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be drawn. No substitutions on prizes. One winner will receive a paperback copy of “A Merry and Bright Christmas Adventure.” Entry into this giveaway will subscribe you to the In Our Homeschool email list. You can unsubscribe at anytime. Giveaway ends September 24, 2024 at 12:00am EDT.

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