The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas by Ann Voskamp

About the author: Ann Voskamp married a farmer and then birthed half-a-dozen kids, whom she homeschools. She authored One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, which remained a New York Times bestseller for over a year. Voskamp also writes for DaySpring and speaks for Women of Faith. Christianity Today named her one of fifty women most shaping culture and the church today, and she’s been featured on the TODAY Show as well as in WORLD and Focus on the Family magazines.

About this book: This Christmas, Ann Voskamp invites readers into the rich and meaningful celebration of Christmas we all long for — a celebration of the complete love story that’s been coming for you since the very beginning.

She reaches back into the pages of the Old Testament to explore the lineage of Jesus — the greatest gift — through the majestic advent tradition of “The Jesse Tree,” each day featuring its own exquisite ornament highlighting the Biblical story (free download of each of the 25 ornaments available from Voskamp’s website, annvoskamp.com, when you buy the book).

Beginning with Jesse, the father of David, The Greatest Gift retraces the epic pageantry of mankind, from Adam to the Messiah, with each day’s profound reading pointing to the coming promise of Christ, so that come Christmas morning you find that the season hasn’t blurred past you but your heart’s fully unwrapped the greatest gift you’ve always yearned for.

Genre: Nonfiction/Religion/Christian Life/Devotional

Judge this book by its cover? Oh my, yes. So lovely, making it the perfect gift to give or receive this Advent season.

Reminds me of… Preparing my Heart of Advent by Ann Marie Stewart (for content, not style)

You’ll want to buy this book if… You’re looking to find moments of peace, joy and beauty in the busy days before Christmas.

Why did I read this book? For Tyndale for review.

Would I read another by this author? Can’t wait. Hope to find at least one of hers beneath the tree for me this year. (Babe, are you listenin’? 🙂 )

My take: One of the things I most appreciate about this book is its emphasis on God’s big story. Even better, Voskamp’s skillful exploration of familiar Bible stories allows us to not only recognize God’s overarching narrative, but how the chapters of our lives may be written into it.

Voskamp explains it this way in her introductory invitation:

When you open the pages of Scripture to read of His coming…before you ever read of the birth of Jesus, you always have the genealogy of Jesus. It’s the way the Gift unwraps: you have Christ’s family tree…before you have a Christmas tree. If you don’t come to Christmas through Christ’s family tree and you come into the Christmas story just at the Christmas tree–this is hard, to understand the meaning of His coming. Because without the genealogy of Christ…the love story of His heart that has been coming for you since before the beginning…Its meaning would be stunted. The arresting pause of the miracle would be lost.

The author’s prose reads like poetry, ethereal yet accessible, combining the perfect Christmas blend of Scripture, reflections, quotes, and daily objectives to help make readers’ passage through Advent more meaningful. I loved being able to read this book for review. Now I look forward to reading it again in the month ahead, savoring every rich insight and offering.

The Greatest Gift is a lovely little book to treasure and reread for years to come. Highly recommended as a treat for yourself or someone else this Advent season.

Thanks to Tyndale for providing me a free copy to review. All opinions are mine.

“There are gifts everywhere, the sky and fresh mercies over the farm are large, and all is grace.” Ann Voskamp blogs about such wonders and more at www.aholyexperience.com.