by Phoebe Farag Mikhail

Yes, I know it’s not yet Thanksgiving, and no, I don’t have my Christmas decorations up yet. However, I’m also a planner, and lots of the items I’m sharing today need plenty of time to ship. Plus, I have giveaways and coupon codes for EACH of these items, and I need time to ship them to the winners before the holidays too! So please do enjoy this amazing collection of books and other wonderful gift items to consider for your loved ones this giving season. Imagine yourself wandering a tiny, cozy gift shop with a good cup of coffee in your hands and take a look—there’s even coffee in here!

To enter a giveaway, subscribe to my email newsletter and comment below (current subscribers need only comment) about which item you are interested in. You will gain an extra entry if you “share” the post on social media and tag @BeinginCommunity on Facebook, or @pkfarag on Twitter and Instagram. Let me know you’ve done so in the comments, too! Please note that some giveaways will only be shipped in the US, some only to Canada, and some are available to all of North America. Giveaway closes on Monday, December 9, 2019 at 11:59 pm.

First, grab your coffee.

Specifically, from Route 78 Coffee, a coffee company founded by my friend George Khalil. One hundred percent of this coffee company’s proceeds go to support organizations that help refugees. From now until the end of the year, all purchase proceeds are going to EthneHealth, a community clinic serving refugees in Clarkston, Georgia. From now until December 24^th, my readers get to use the coupon code COMMUNITY to get $2 off their 1 lb. bag of Route 78 blend coffee, which retails at $15 (Limit one per order). For this and other premium coffees that are responsibly sourced, including monthly coffee subscriptions, visit the Route 78 Coffee website and “like” the Facebook page for updates about the community organizations they will be partnering with. This is a great gift for the coffee lover in your life that gives two times over. I am eagerly awaiting my coffee bean package!

Now that you’ve gotten a cup of coffee, browse the books!

Drawing God by Karen Keifer, illustrated by Kathy De Wit

This beautiful children’s book is perfect for any child and family that is inspired by art and loves to create it. It tells the story of a girl who “draws God,” but every time she shares the pictures she draws, her friends don’t see God in them. After reading this book to my three kids they collaborated on their own “drawing God” picture and spent almost 20 minutes doing it without arguing! They won’t let me share their picture, but it included Jesus rebuking the Pharisees. This is also a good book to use for Sunday School or for a summer camp lesson. It includes activities to do with children at the end. Paraclete Press has provided me with a copy of this book to give away to one reader. To enter, subscribe to my email newsletter and comment below. US addresses only. Purchase on Paraclete Press, IndieBound (affiliate link), Amazon (affiliate link).

A True Princess: The Life of St Demiana and the Forty Virgins, by Sherry Fanous , illustrated by Angelique Assad

My seven-year-old daughter read this colorful book of the famous Egyptian martyr and said, when she was done, “I want to be like that.” I asked her what she meant, and she said, “When the emperor comes up to me and tells me to worship idols, I want to be like ‘no! no way! I’m not listening to you!’” I’ll take a story that channels a child’s rebellious streak into a stubbornness for her faith any day! I’ve blogged about St. Dimiana here before, and this is a wonderful storybook for introducing her story to children. St. Shenouda Press has provided me with a copy of this book to give away to one reader. To enter, subscribe to my email newsletter and comment below. US addresses only. Purchase on St. Shenouda Press, IndieBound (affiliate link), Amazon (affiliate link).

Twelve Days of Silent Nights by Peter Celano

 A lovely little book of history and meditation for the whole family, this beautiful gift book released in time for Christmas tells the story of the most famous Christmas Carol in the West: Silent Night. The story begins with its origins in Austria in 1818, continues to its arrival in New York in 1859, laments its misuse in Nazi Germany (changing some of the verses), and celebrates its 200^th year of being sung in choirs everywhere in multiple languages. In addition to the history, Twelve Days of Silent Night offers a twelve-day meditation on the hymn and on the Nativity in general, one for each of the twelve days of Christmas. Written mainly from the Catholic tradition, it also does draw from Orthodox and Catholic traditions in its meditations, to be read before singing the carol. This little beauty is a wonderful gift for all the music lovers (especially those Christmas music lovers) and the history lovers in your life, and might also kick start another Christmas tradition in your home. Paraclete Press has provided me with a copy of this book to give away to one reader. To enter, subscribe to my email newsletter and comment below. US addresses only. Purchase on Paraclete Press, IndieBound (affiliate link), Amazon (affiliate link).

Nativity and Me by Fr. Bishoy Kamel

This little book by Fr. Bishoy Kamel of blessed memory translated from the original Arabic is a joyful collection of sermons focused on the Advent, Nativity and Epiphany seasons, especially their meaning for each of us personally. Consider these words on Christ’s Incarnation:

“Its timeline is the Virgin’s Annunciation and the Divine pregnancy, for me, it is going through Baptism … Many of us hear about Baptism as just a memory, but actually, it is the beginning of my birth in the Spirit, it is the Divine Annunciation for me that I became a heavenly citizen, it is the start of my membership in the Body of Christ forever! Thus, Baptism Started its timeline in my life, is still going on and will never stop.”

This book is wonderful spiritual reading for Advent, and a great resource for Sunday school teachers as well. St. Shenouda Press has provided me with a copy of this book to give away to one reader. To enter, subscribe to my email newsletter and comment below. US addresses only. Purchase on St. Shenouda Press, IndieBound (affiliate link), Amazon (affiliate link).

Domestic Monastery by Ronald Rolheiser

I eagerly anticipated this little book and was not disappointed. This is a lovely gift for any parent in your life. It explores the beauty and holiness of family life and how it can very much lead to the holiness found in monastic life. Succinctly but deeply, Rolheiser points out that both the monastic and the parent have lives “set apart,” and that domestic lives, by virtue of the daily selflessness and self-sacrifice toward children, the time that no longer belongs to our control, can provide the same disciplines as the monastery. “To be a parent,” he writes, “is to be formed in the school of love.” I have post it notes everywhere in my copy. One of my favorite passages is in the section on “tensions within spirituality.” Here he writes,

“A healthy spirituality is not a question of choosing between Mary and Martha, but of choosing both—contemplation and action, soul craft and statecraft, loving and doing, prayer and service, private morality and social justice.”

– Ronald Roheiser, Domestic Monastery

This book is an encouragement for every parent, and the audio book for it is a great price at $2.77. Paraclete Press has provided me with one copy to give away to one reader. To enter, subscribe to my email newsletter and comment below. US addresses only. To purchase: Paraclete Press, Indiebound (affiliate link), Amazon (affiliate link), Audible (affiliate link).

Anaphora: New Poems by Scott Cairns

In September, thanks to encouragement by my friend Allison Backous Troy of The Shared World YouTube channel, I decided to read one poem a day. This is an easy resolution to keep when you have some great poetry on your shelf, such as Scott Cairns new collection, Anaphora: New Poems. Every poem in here must be read a few times, savored, and contemplated upon. Consider this poem, “Shoring Up and Shoring Down”:

With near-anaphoric repetition

the tedious Pacific yet insists

on pressing this our gritty beach

for further evidence. And look!

At intervals the shore concedes. And Look!

Here and there the cliffs

reveal the land has altogether

acquiesced, having shrugged

its shoulders, shedding heaps

of clay onto the grit.

With near-anaphoric repetition

the melancholic ebb and flow

repeat their endless question, just as we

interrogate the rock and clay

and fossil-bearing strata for a clue

regarding what has brought us here,

regarding what might lead us hence.

– “Shoring Up and Shoring Down” by Scott Cairns, from Anaphora: New Poems

I read this poem and I’m there, not just on a beach watching the Pacific waves hit the shore, but at that moment of repeated wondering and questioning about where we are from, and where we might be going. You can read a few more excerpts here. A beautiful gift for the readers and writers in your life,  Paraclete Press has provided me with one copy to give away to one reader. To enter, subscribe to my email newsletter and comment below. US addresses only. Purchase on: Paraclete Press, Indiebound (affiliate link), Amazon (affiliate link).

I Rejoice in My Chains: Memoirs of Bishops and Priests in Prison by Michael Kozman (translator)

“After I was stripped of all my belongings, including my hand cross, and the cross I was wearing around my neck, I was escorted to prison cell 11.” Bishop Benyamin of Al-Monfeya is one of several bishops, priests, and Coptic lay people who were imprisoned soon after the forced exile of Pope Shenouda III of blessed memory by the late Egyptian president Anwar El Sadat. The book provides the fascinating political context in Egypt that led to the exile and arrests, and then includes the first-hand accounts of some of those imprisoned during that dark period. Readers interested in modern Middle Eastern history will be fascinated by these firsthand accounts; everyone will be inspired by the faith and perseverance of these now former political prisoners. Consider these words from Fr. Boules Basili:

“The prison guards also confided in us that we were different to other prisoners that they had imprisoned before. They would get upset when they heard that a group of us was released, seeing that they would not be able to spend time with us. We used to keep them company, ease their sorrow and troubles, as much as we could from inside the prison cells.” 

– Fr. Boules Basili, I Rejoice in My Chains

St. Shenouda Press has provided me with a copy of this book to share with one of my readers. To enter, subscribe to my email newsletter and comment below. US addresses only. Purchase on: St. Shenouda Press, Indiebound (affiliate link), Amazon (affiliate link).

Priscilla: The Life of an Early Christian by Ben Witherington III

Lovers of history will also enjoy this historical fiction account by New Testament historian Ben Witherington III of Priscilla’s life, the Priscilla of the famed “Priscilla and Aquila” in Acts. The novel reads as a narrative of an older Priscilla telling her daughter her eventful life story, from her witnessing the Pentecost to her marriage to Aquila to their service with St. Paul. In addition to the story, it includes many explanatory historical footnotes, and my favorite features are the photographs of the various locations and inscriptions described in the story. This allowed me to visualize life for the early Christians of ancient Rome more easily. One of the reasons historical fiction is one of my favorite genres is that it gives me an opportunity to learn about different times, places and periods through the stories of people and their thoughts, dreams, emotions and relationships. This book does not disappoint. Intervarsity Press Academic has provided me with a copy to give away. To enter, subscribe to my email newsletter and comment below. InterVarsity Press has provided me with one copy to give away to one of my readers. To enter, subscribe to my email newsletter and comment below. US addresses only. Purchase on InterVarsity, Indiebound (affiliate link), Amazon (affiliate link), Audible (affiliate link).

Putting Joy into Practice: Seven Ways to Lift Your Spirit from the Early Church by Phoebe Farag Mikhail

During the joyful season heading towards Nativity, my book, Putting Joy into Practice: Seven Ways to Lift Your Spirit from the Early Church, makes a great gift. In it I explore seven practices that help us experience joy, from well-known practices like thanksgiving to more counter-intuitive ones like visiting the sick. Visit this link to learn more about the book, including links to me talking about the book on television and on podcasts.  Even better, from now until November 22, it’s on sale as an ebook for $1.99! Get the ebook for yourself and gift a hard copy to a loved one. I’ll give away one SIGNED copy of the book to one reader! To enter, subscribe to my email newsletter and comment below, US addresses only. US addresses only. Purchase on Paraclete Press, IndieBound (affiliate link), Kindle ebook (affiliate link), Amazon (hard copy).

Got your books? Head over now to the gifts section, with some wonderful options for all your loved ones!

More Heavenly Friends – Coptic Dad & Mom

Every day on their way into school, I remind my children, “remember who is on your team!” Their team includes their dad and me and their extended family, but it also includes God, their guardian angel, and their patron saints. These are the people who love them unconditionally, pray for them, and, in the case of God, the angels and the saints, are present with them, supporting them, rooting for them. Coptic Dad and Mom has created a wonderful resource to help children and families become friends with the saints. “Our Heavenly Friends” and now, “More Heavenly Friends,” each kit includes a workbook with the stories of nine saints, coloring pages, and two posters with two sets of stickers for each saint. One of my kids is getting More Heavenly Friends for Christmas! I’m looking forward to spending time with my children and each of these saints. Laura Michael is offering one set of “More Heavenly Friends” to one of my readers! To enter, subscribe to my email newsletter and comment below. US and Canada addresses only.  For more entries, subscribe to the Coptic Dad & Mom email newsletter and tell me you did so in the comments! To purchase More Heavenly Friends, as well as other great products, visit the Coptic Dad & Mom Shop.

Coptic Calendar Stickers, Nativity Advent Calendar, and Children’s Synexarium – We the Copts

We the Copts is now carrying one of my favorite Advent traditions to do with my family: the Nativity Advent Calendar. This calendar helps bridge “new calendar Christmas” on December 25^th with “old calendar Christmas” on January 7^th, increasing the joyful anticipation of the Nativity for my children, even as everyone else around them might be putting away their trees. Last year, I skipped using the calendar because of an unplanned house update at the same time, and my children missed it – my daughter has already asked me to please do the calendar this year! So I will be digging it out this December and enjoying it with my kids once again. You can use the code Holidays2019 for 15% off this or any other item in the We the Copts shop! One of my favorites is the Synexarium for Kids. Coupon good for one item only and expires on December 31, 2019.

I cannot wait to put my Coptic Planner stickers from We the Copts into my planner, and into my children’s wall calendar, for 2020! I prefer these stickers to premade calendars because they are a great way to talk about the church seasons and feasts with my kids as we put them on the calendar, and they’ll work with any type of paper planner. Even better that they are fun and colorful! We the Copts is giving away one set of Coptic Planner stickers to one of my readers. To enter, subscribe to my email newsletter and comment below. For an additional entry, subscribe to the We the Copts email newsletter (scroll to the bottom of the page) and tell me you did so in the comments! US and Canada addresses only please.

Foiled Orthodox Creed and Jesus Prayer Prints – Faith & Hand

Faith & Hand, a creator of inspirational hand-lettered items, has two wonderful prints that can be personalized for your loved ones. These prints were first hand-lettered or written in calligraphy by Monica Galla Iskander, digitized and then foiled to create a beautiful shine when passing by them.

The Foiled Orthodox Creed print is a unique and meaningful piece Monica created with The Orthodox Creed handwritten in the shape of a fingerprint. The Creed Print encompasses the identity of the Orthodox faith in a simple yet telling design. Prints are available in both black and white paper and you can add personalization for just $5 more dollars.

The Foiled Jesus Prayer shapes the ancient words of the most famous arrow prayer, “My Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner,” into a cross. The Jesus Prayer is repeated over and over as a means to bring comfort from the Lord, to ask God of His mercy, to plea to the Lord to forgive us our sins and as a cry for help. I’ve written more about arrow prayers in my book. The Jesus Prayer print is available on white paper. Faith & Hand is offering one of these two prints as a giveaway to one of my readers! To enter, subscribe to my email newsletter and comment below. US addresses only please. Gain an extra entry by adding Faith & Hand to your Etsy Shop “favorites” and “liking” her Facebook page. Tell me you did so in the comments! To purchase either of these prints, as well as other beautiful Faith & Hand items like personalized Christmas ornaments, visit the Etsy shop here.

Wooden Christmas Ornaments from Positively Coptic

While you’re on Etsy, check out these lovely hand-painted wooden Christmas ornaments by Positively Coptic. They come in sets of three or four and are hand-lettered with glowing colors. Soon, she’ll be offering personalized ornaments as well! These sets are perfect for your own tree and also make lovely host/hostess gifts to the homes you visit this season. I can’t wait to put mine up on our tree! Positively Coptic is giving away this set of ornaments to one of my readers! To enter, subscribe to my email newsletter and comment below. Canadian addresses only please. For an additional entry, “like” the Positively Coptic Facebook page and “favorite” her Etsy page. Let me know you’ve done so in the comments! To purchase these and other wonderful home décor items, visit the Positively Coptic Etsy Shop.

Hand-stamped Jewelry from Daisy Chains

Delicate jewelry is in season, and Daisy Chains has you covered with beautiful, hand-stamped pieces for everyone. Her newest item are hand-stamped Scripture necklaces, which include verses like “Be still and know that I am God,” and “I know the plans I have for you,” but you can also choose your own favorite verse or statement. Her Etsy shop also includes bracelets, teacher gifts, coach gifts, and ornaments. More items can also be viewed by following her on Instagram. Daisy Chains is giving away this gold-filled cross-stamped necklace to one of my readers! To enter, subscribe to my email newsletter and comment below. For more entries, follow Daisy Chains on Instagram, “favorite” her Etsy shop, and “like” her on Facebook, and let me know you did so in the comments! US addresses only please. To purchase this and other items, visit her Etsy shop or send her a direct message on Instagram.

Thank you for visiting my virtual book and gift shop! For even more gift ideas, you can visit previous years’ holiday gift lists on my blog (2018, 2017, 2016), as well as the socially conscious gift guide by my friend and fellow writer Allison Backous Troy that I posted in 2018. May you enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving and a blessed holiday season with all of your loved ones!

Some of the links above are affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase via those links, I will receive a small commission for referring you at no extra cost to you. You are under no obligation to purchase the items through my links, but if you do, you will be helping support the cost of running this blog and providing you with the writing and reviews you enjoy. Your support is much appreciated!