9 Best Advent Devotionals for Adults and Families

Every December I watch the same thing happen in church families: the calendar fills up, the shopping list gets longer, and Christmas arrives before anyone has had a quiet moment with the One we’re celebrating. A good Advent devotional is one of the simplest ways to push back on that. Ten minutes a day is enough to turn the season toward Jesus.

Advent begins on Sunday, November 29, 2026, and most of these devotionals start on that day or on December 1. Order yours in early November so it’s on the table when the first candle is lit. If you only have a minute, start with my top three.

Advent devotionals compared

How I chose: I looked for devotionals that keep Scripture at the center, fit into a real December schedule, and suit the people reading them, whether that’s you alone with a cup of coffee or a table full of wiggly kids.

Best Advent devotionals for adults

1. Best Overall: Come, Let Us Adore Him

Paul David Tripp has a gift for saying big things in plain words. Each reading opens with one gospel-centered thought and then unpacks it, so you can read it in a few minutes and chew on it all day. He doesn’t let Christmas stay sentimental. He keeps pointing to why we needed a Savior in the first place, which makes the manger feel weightier and more wonderful. It also includes notes for parents who want to talk it over with their kids, so it works for a family table too. If you’re giving one Advent devotional to a friend this year, this is the one I’d reach for first.

2. Best Anthology: Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

Nancy Guthrie gathered Advent readings from preachers across the centuries, so one day you’re reading Martin Luther and the next you’re reading Alistair Begg. It’s a wonderful way to feel part of the whole church waiting for Jesus together. Each reading is short, but these are some of the finest minds and warmest hearts the church has known, and their words have a depth that’s hard to find in a typical devotional. It’s also a gentle introduction to authors like Augustine and Spurgeon for someone who has never read them, and a great gift for the reader in your family.

3. Best for Daily Scripture: The Dawn of Redeeming Grace

Sinclair Ferguson is a pastor’s pastor. These devotions slow you down, one day at a time, and help you see the wonder in a story you may have heard every December of your life. He spends time in the passages around Jesus’ birth, the people who waited, the promises God made and the songs they sang, and draws out what each one shows about God’s grace. The readings are short enough for a busy morning, but they’re rich, careful and deeply warm. If you want Advent to feel less like a countdown and more like worship, this is the one.

4. Best Fresh Perspective: The Christmas We Didn’t Expect

David Mathis asks what the first Christmas was like for the people who lived it, and how unexpected it all was. Nobody expected the Messiah to arrive in a feeding trough, to a teenage girl from Nazareth, announced to shepherds on the night shift. Mathis helps you feel the surprise again. The daily readings are short and easy to fit into a busy morning, and each one ends with something to carry into the day. It’s a good choice if you’ve read the same Advent plan for years and want to see the story with new eyes.

5. Best for Seekers: Hidden Christmas

This one isn’t laid out as a daily devotional, but it’s one of my favorite Christmas books to give away. Keller walks through the birth narratives and shows why they matter for anyone who has ever wondered whether Christmas is more than a nice story. He writes with the same clear, thoughtful voice that made him a trusted guide for skeptics in New York City, taking hard questions seriously without talking down to anyone. It’s short enough to finish in a week, and it’s a natural, low-pressure gift for a friend, coworker or family member who is curious about faith.

Best Advent devotionals for families

6. Best for Families: Unwrapping the Greatest Gift

Ann Voskamp traces Jesus’ family tree from the garden to the manger, one day at a time. Each day has a passage to read, a devotion written for families and a simple idea to act on. Her writing is lyrical and tender, so the readings feel more like an invitation than a lesson, and older kids and adults get as much out of them as younger children. The Jesse Tree approach helps kids see that Christmas started long before Bethlehem. Many families pair it with a set of Jesse Tree ornaments, so the children hang a new symbol each night.

7. Best Hands-On Devotional: Prepare Him Room

Marty Machowski connects the Old Testament promises to their fulfillment in Jesus, and each week adds a craft, an object lesson and a carol to sing together. It’s a good fit if your kids need to move and make things to stay engaged. Because it’s organized by week instead of by day, it’s forgiving when December gets busy, and you can spread the activities across a few evenings. The companion album from Sovereign Grace Music gives the family songs to learn together, which makes it easy for the season’s truths to stick.

8. Best for Little Ones: The Advent Storybook

This is the companion to The Easter Storybook, one of my picks in the best Easter books for kids. The stories are short, the art is lovely and the questions at the end of each story make easy conversation starters. Over 25 days, the stories trace God’s promise of a Rescuer from Creation all the way to Bethlehem, so kids see how Christmas fits into the whole Bible. It’s simple enough for a three-year-old to follow, and still rich enough to keep a curious eight-year-old asking questions at bedtime.

Best for small groups

9. Best for Groups: Advent Bible Study Book

If your small group keeps meeting through the holidays, a shared study keeps everyone on the same page. Subtitled The Weary World Rejoices, this Lifeway study looks at the hope of Christ’s coming through the lens of a world that badly needs it. Members do personal study between meetings, so group time can go straight to discussion and prayer. It’s an easy way to keep a group connected during a season when schedules usually scatter everyone. Looking for something after Christmas? See my guide to Bible studies for women.

How to choose an Advent devotional

• Who is reading? Adults alone need short, thoughtful readings. Families with young kids need stories, pictures and something to do.
• When does it start? Some follow the four Sundays of Advent (beginning November 29 this year), others run December 1 to 25. Either works; just know which one you’re buying.
• How much time do you have? Be honest. A five-minute reading you finish beats a 30-minute one you abandon by December 8.

My final picks

Advent is a season of waiting, and waiting well takes a little planning. Pick one devotional, put it where you’ll see it each morning or at dinner, and let it point you to Jesus all month long.

Shopping for more than one person? See my Christian gift guide and Christian Christmas books for kids.