Reviewed by:  Reviewed by Megan Alms, a Professional Writing Major at Taylor University.

Introduction

Title: Messy Christmas

Author: Lucy Moore and Jane Leadbetter

Publisher: IVP Books

Publication Date: 2017

Format: Print book

Length: 93 pages

OVERVIEW

            Messy Christmas is a creative curriculum guide for children’s ministry leaders to use during the Christmas season. The guide is designed for three all-day celebrations: Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. Each section includes recipes and scripts to prepare before the event, and crafts and activities for the children as they participate in the celebrations. They also include take-home activities and prayer prompts to inspire a continuation of a celebration when families go home.

            Though this book presents a number of crafts and activities, many of them lack depth. For example, one of the suggested crafts was simply to decorate a notebook with cardstock and stickers. Another craft was making bath bombs, but the instructions included seeking out a recipe from the Internet. Whereas these crafts aim to make prep time easier, they are not explained in detail or are they overly clever. Conversely, many of the activities are complicated or expensive. One of the recipes actually calls for a trained chef. Some crafts involve upcycling furniture or building a small wooden stool. When planning a large church event, those organizing will prefer the convenience of simpler activities.

            However, Messy Christmas does have heart in the message of Christ. Many of the provided activities inspire thought about less fortunate people during the Christmas season. Some projects even make an active effort to help those in need, such as creating donation boxes. Messy Christmas does not venture from the biblical Christmas story in its effort to make scripture both accessible and entertaining for children.

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5)

3 stars

Suggested Audience

Church children’s ministry leaders

Christian Impact

The events outlined in this book will teach children in the church about Christmas traditions.

Other Information

Includes activity sheets that can be scanned and has an index.

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