Manger in Danger by Grant and GraceAnna Castleberry

This Family Christmas Devotional includes a hardcover book, a small toy manger, a scenic backdrop, and a toy baby Jesus in swaddling clothes. Each day a parent hides the manger and the children search for it. Once found, the family reads the daily devotional together, including a Scripture reading, the author’s thoughts, and discussion questions. Instead of hiding the manger on Christmas morning, place baby Jesus inside for your children to find. There are 25 devotionals which each last approximately 10 minutes.

Best for children ages 12 and under.

Several Advent devotionals have attempted to take the game element from Elf on a Shelf and marry it with a Biblical view of Christmas. While some have succeeded in creating a cute game, this is the first of its kind to take great care in creating a theologically rich devotional to accompany it. The desire is clear: to convey to children Christmas’s true, life-changing reality, pointing from the Christmas story to the Gospel.

“The Lord Jesus’ humble birth reminds us of why He came into the world. He did not come to sit in palaces, He came to save the lowliest of sinners. There is no one too low. There is no one too far off. There is no one too poor. There is no one too unimportant. The manger reminds us that the Son of God in Heaven came all the way down to where we are in order that He might live and die for us and bring us to Heaven. In this way the manger symbolizes wonderful news! Jesus came to save sinners, just like you and me.”

Overall, this is a lovely and Biblical resource for families who want a Christmas tradition that is fun, interactive, and points to Christ.

Things to note:

-The author conveys a literal six days of creation (with which I agree).
-Jesus is said to be born in a stable.
-St. Nicholas, the actual historical person, is spoken of.
-God’s covenant name, Yahweh, is used often instead of LORD.

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