The Women of Christmas: Experience the Season Afresh with Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna

by Liz Curtis Higgs

God Reached Down from Heaven with the Best Gift of All

A sacred season is about to unfold for three women whose hearts belong to God.
Elizabeth is barren, yet her trust in God remains fertile. Mary is betrothed in marriage, yet she is willing to bear God’s Son. Anna is a widow full of years, yet she waits patiently, prayerfully for the Messiah to appear in the temple courts.

Following in their footsteps, you too can prepare for the Savior to enter your heart, your mind, and your life in a vibrant, new way. Best-selling author Liz Curtis Higgs explores the biblical stories of Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna, unwrapping each verse with tender care and introducing you afresh to The Women of Christmas.

*Includes a downloadable PDF of the study guide from the book

Genres: Christmas, Christian, Nonfiction, Christian Non Fiction, Holiday, Religion, Book Club

Audible Audio

First published September 17, 2013

About the author

Former Bad Girl, grateful for the grace God offers. Happy wife of Bill, one of the Good Guys. Proud mom of two grown-up kids with tender hearts. Lame housekeeper. Marginal cook. Pitiful gardener. Stuff I love? Encouraging my sisters in Christ—across the page, from the platform, online, in person. Unpacking Scripture. Traveling wherever God leads. Listening to His heart. Leaning into His embrace.

Reviews

[Jennifer Lambert · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a quick read, only took me a couple evenings. I love her conversational style of writing. It's like she's just telling me a story. I want to curl up on her sofa with some tea or coffee and just chat.

This is not the typical advent study. It does discuss Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna, but it's so refreshing to hear this spin on it.

These women are brought alive in the books as we ponder each verse, each event, the omissions as well as the details. Even thought I've read the verses in the Bible numerous times and taught them to my children each holiday during our advent studies, I learned so much and prayed through this book that it would touch my girls' hearts this season. I plan to read a chapter or so each day for my girls. I just know they'll love it!

Each chapter open with a beloved Christmas carol or hymn and those set the themes for the chapters. Love this! I'm also fascinated by the description of the angels and the important they play in the Christmas story. Interspersed are encouraging and enlightening quotes from women from Liz's online Bible study. Women just like you!

Silence is just as important as shouting in the Christmas story and in our Christian lives. The ultimate theme in the book for me was the difference in voices, all important to God in their own way: struck silent, singing, praising, shouting, praying, pondering, worshiping.

I love how God uses the ordinary in extraordinary ways. We idolize people in the Bible stories, imagining they were so different and we could never do that, but oh, yes we can! These women were faithful. Elizabeth's husband questioned. Mary's betrothed worried. Despite it all, they were obedient. I pray that I could be obedient and faithful too. God can use anyone for His purposes.

Eight wondrous chapters tell the tales of these three ordinary women surrounding the coming of Christ as a babe. A study guide helps us on the journey to celebrate this event with joy.

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredible. The amazing writing, the details in the Christmas story that I had never caught before, the rawness and realness of Mrs. Higgs... So good!

I read it last December/January (another Mom-recommendation! ;D), and I really enjoyed it. The writing is so eloquent and even lyrical.

The author dug deep into the lives and hearts of these three women of Christmas through the little we're told about each of them. She truly succeeded in bringing Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna 'to life' through her beautiful words.

Absolutely amazing. <3

[Michelle Cotnoir · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely book. I'm so glad I took the time to read this over the holidays, though it is a good read any time of the year. It takes you verse by verse through Luke 2 and a few other passages and really digs down into what Elizabeth, Mary and Anna (as well as Zechariah, Joseph and Simeon) could have been thinking and feeling, what kind of people they were, as well as their response to God and His Word. It was thought-provoking and edifying. I liked the author's conversational style of writing, however there were a few instances where I felt she may have taken some artistic liberties in describing what the characters were thinking - there are some things that we just can't really know because the Bible is not specific in that area. Besides that, I really enjoyed the book and plan to read it again.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I enjoyed getting to know Elizabeth, Mary and Anna better, details of their life. This book helped keep my focus on Christmas and the true meaning. This will be an annual December read for me.

2023 — Second reading, I had no intention of waiting 5 years.
This is a meaningful book for the season. I enjoyed it more the second time around. A beautiful read.

[Sherri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her conversational style made it seem like shes across the table having coffee with you. Gave me a more intropective look and thought to the women of the Bible.

[Lisa Lewis Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've done much better at keeping Jesus in focus this year, and "The Women of Christmas" by Liz Curtis Higgs has had a lot to do with that.
If you've ever been blessed to hear Liz speak, you know she has a verse-by-verse teaching style. This is exactly how the book is set up, going through the birth narratives in Luke 1-2 and Matthew 1-2 verse by verse. I find this method helps to slow me down and really ponder what Scripture is teaching.

The book starts by focusing first on Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, then Mary, mother of Jesus, and finally the prophetess Anna. The details Liz provides give new insight to what for many is a familiar story. For instance, Elizabeth's husband was unable to hear or speak throughout the duration of her pregnancy, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months (Luke 1:24). Imagine how happy she was to receive Mary into her home and have someone to talk to! And think of what a blessing for Mary to hear Elizabeth declare she was carrying the Messiah (Luke 1:43) when she may not have been sure herself if she was pregnant yet. I can imagine Mary traveling to Elizabeth and going over and over in her mind what she could possibly say to Elizabeth to explain what God was doing in her life. What a gift for Mary to hear Elizabeth's declaration! And who could understand Mary better than Elizabeth, and vice versa?

"The Women of Christmas" consists of 8 easy to read chapters (the first chapter took me 12 minutes to read) and has a study guide with discussion questions at the back of the book, making this great for groups as well as individuals. This book is well worth the read regardless of the season.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice quick little read about the three women in the Christmas story in some way. I liked how the author told the story but I wasn't a huge fan of all the breaks in between each verse she choose to talk about.

I felt she could have put more verses together and limited all the talking at times because it made the book feel slow at times when it really wasn't.

[Deanna Gottreu · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Women of Christmas by Liz Curtis Higgs is a wonderful book for the Christmas season or for any time of the year. The book covers the lives of Mary, Elizabeth, and Anna in the months before the birth of Jesus and a few weeks after His birth. Each woman is presented through Bible scriptures and the narrative of the author. Mary is newly betrothed but she is pregnant, Elizabeth is old and barren but she also becomes pregnant, and Anna is old, widowed, and lives in the Temple waiting for the arrival of the Messiah. Of course the story also includes Joseph a carpenter who is betrothed to Mary, Zechariah a priest who is the husband of Elizabeth, and Simeon also a priest and living each day waiting to see the promised Messiah. The one thing that all three women have in common is that their hearts belong to God. And Mary and Elizabeth are blessed to have husbands that love and obey God.

Liz Higgs does an excellent job in presenting the story of these three women and showing the involvement in and contribution of each of them in the Christmas story. The style of the writing made for easy reading and enjoyment. Liz wrote a paragraph or two to introduce each woman and then a verse of scripture was given and Liz would then give her interpretation of that verse, another verse was given, Liz would interpret, and this style of writing was continued throughout the entire book.. This form was also used for the three men in the story. This style of writing made the Christmas story so easy to understand and brought new thoughts to mind even though I have been hearing and reading the Christmas story for decades. A study guide is presented at the end for individual or small group study. This is a small book but it packs a big punch.

I definitely recommend this book to all who would like to know more about Mary, Elizabeth, and Anna and their participation in the Christmas story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers through their Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

We read this for adult Sunday School class. It has interesting background information (though the pastor pointed out that some of that information is subject to debate), and some good spiritual insights. I have not read anything else by Higgs, and this may not be all that typical of her style, but I didn't particularly care for it, especially her use of so many Bible versions, repeating the same phrase in multiple translations. (There are probably some verses where that is helpful, but she does that so much in this book that I found it annoying after a while.) Another reader said this is good devotional reading and that is probably true. But I would have preferred something deeper, and covering material that I haven't heard Christmas after Christmas for decades.

[Dr. Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a gift from my sweet neighbor, so I felt compelled to read it before Christmas this year. It’s been out for sometime (2013), and I have loved the title and wanted to spend time with it. First and foremost, “The Women of Christmas” is a misleading title. The book is more of a “Christmas Story Study with Guide.” Knowing this, the book will be more meaningful to the reader well into January. Also, read page 181 first! It should have been the lead-in for the book — a how-to guide. The book is so choppy with Bible verses interspersed throughout as well as the first readers’ comments! Throw in footnotes (why not just list the passage for these too?) and you can understand that you will be disappointed if you think you’ll pick this one up as a. Interesting read.

[Amy Cummings · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's nothing really *wrong* with this, but the whole thing is like dessert- enjoyable, but with little in the way of nutrients. As a devotional, it's fine, I suppose, for helping get your thoughts centered on the birth of Christ in preparation for Christmas, but there's not much theological content to really sink your teeth into. It might be really lovely to do with a teenage daughter, or someone new to celebrating Christmas as a Christian, but for me, I found it a bit fluffy. I did not find it to be doctrinally in error, which is important to note. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

[Kaylyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received as an Early Review from LibraryThing. An excellent book for a Bible study or small group. I love Liz Curtis Higgs' writing style. Very easy to read and enjoy. It was interesting to think about what the women and their husbands must have thought and felt.

[Donna Kremer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like I was in an uncomfortable Bible study with people I didn’t know, trying to be polite, when all I wanted to do was “go to the bathroom” so I could slip out the front door and drive away really fast.
2-1/2 stars

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Liz Curtis Higgs!

[Donna Tunnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Christmas book!

[Jana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was actually looking forward to this book. I thought it would be written more like a storytelling. It would have been so much better. Instead it read like a Bible study lesson and Facebook post which I did not enjoy.

[christianchicklit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some Interesting Insights On The Stories of Elizabeth, Mary and the Birth of Jesus.

Liz Curtis Higgs is one of my favorite authors! I thoroughly enjoyed her recent book The Girl's Still Got It which told the story of Ruth in great detail by dissecting line by line of the scripture. She brings this same writing style and in-depth analysis of the story of Elizabeth, Mary and the birth of Jesus. Maybe because these stories are more familiar to me, I didn't get as much added insight into the stories as I did with her writings on Ruth.

However, Liz puts such a great amount of research into writing her books, that you do learn some interesting tidbits along the way about the people, the geography, the culture, etc. For example, the shepherds were among the first people to see the baby Jesus, but I never knew that they were despised in the culture and were regarded as thieves. Liz mentions that because shepherds were seen as unreliable, they were not even permitted to give evidence in court. This type of detail does give new dimension to the fact that the shepherds were among the first to hear the news of Jesus' birth and to seek out the newborn baby.

This is a fast read and is an interesting source to immerse yourself with the Christmas Story as we head into the holiday season. There are also tips at the end for how to use this book in a small group and a discussion guide is included.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this a chapter a week with a group of FB friends and we wrap it up this week.

Liz looks past the obvious traits of three women of Christmas and the men around them. She shares her research and her own thoughtful insights. This book has enriched my understanding of the Christmas story.

This is a book to go back to every Christmas to capture the true meaning of Christmas.

[Darlene Franklin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed in this book by one of my favorite nonfiction authors (favorite fiction author, too, actually). Perhaps because I'm so familiar with the Christmas story, I have pondered many of these points before. The best part were the comments from Liz'z Bible study group, how the study had changed them.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Très bonne façon de se plonger dans l'esprit des fêtes en explorant le rôles des femmes dans l'histoire de Noël.

Great way to get into the Holiday spirit by exploring women's role in the Christmas story.

[Rebecca Ketterer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, easy read we did at a church Bible study before Christmas that highlighted Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna. It did bring out some different points I had glossed over in the Bible before and I liked how they brought these women to the forefront. Great to read before Christmas.

[LeAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ive read this book twice (again in 2021). Although the writing is simple, the “analysis” of the roles of Elizabeth, Mary and Anna in the Christmas story is deep. It is my favorite Christmas read.

[Crystal Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great look into the hearts and lives of Mary, Elizabeth, and Anna. Every woman should read this. This is an inspiring journey into the real meaning and purpose of Christmas.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am glad I read this book! It was positive and uplifting. However, I did not enjoy the writer's style and the constant commentary from other women, which ruined the flow of the book for me.

[Gay Idle · Rating 5 out of 5]

In following the familiar stories of three women surrounding the birth of Christ, Liz Curtis Higgs gives us a fresh look at their lives and their hearts as revealed in scripture. I found myself particularly drawn to the story of the old prophetess Anna. She was old and bold. "When no-one else in authority was proclaiming the birth of the Messiah, this old woman was telling the world." She was not afraid to speak up and speak out what God had revealed to her heart.

I've been doing a lot of 'pondering' this Christmas season and was wondering about some of my own personality traits. Anna's story gives me hope for my own journey into being the old and bold woman...bold but filled with God's grace and wisdom. I'm encouraged to allow God to temper my rough edges while speaking His love and His message to others.

I'm thankful that Liz points to David, who once wrote these words...
"The Lord announces the word, and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng."

You can read this book quickly, but I would encourage you to slow down and really savor the message of what God is doing in and through each of these women of Christmas.

I think this would make a great book club read for the Christmas season. There is a short study guide in the back of the book that would be useful for this.

This is a book that I will revisit year after year.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Lord announces the Word, and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng.”
—Psalm 68:11

•••••••••••

“By the power of the Holy Spirit, the women of Christmas...Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna...did their part, anticipating the Lord‘s advent, dedicating their lives to His service, and honoring His sacred name even before He was born.

Now it falls to us, two thousand years later, to follow in their footsteps. To tell everyone we know everything we know about Jesus. To see the light of Christ shining through the ages and lift our candles to light the way for others. To join the heavenly host singing, ‘Glory, Glory, Glory! Glory to God in the highest!’”

[Tina "IRead2Escape" · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have heard so much about Liz Curtis Higgs and her amazing gift of writing but this is the first I've read for myself. I was captivated from the very beginning. First of all her gift for making it feel like you are just sitting there listening to her tell you about her views on the Women of Christmas is definitely God-given. Every time I opened this book I just felt warm and snuggly.

We've all heard the story of Mary, the virgin mother. And I'm pretty confident most of us have even heard about Elizabeth, John the Baptist's mom and Anna the faithful widow that served out the rest of her life in the temple. But, I venture to say this book will make you look at them in a different light and renew your appreciation for these Godly women and the lives they led.

Whether you are a new christian or familiar with all parts of the Christmas story I truly believe this book has something to offer you.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book during the Christmas season. Learning more about Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna gave a new, refreshing look at the events leading up to Jesus’ birth, when He was born, and the days right after His birth. The Lord used each of these women in a profound way and they were all faithful servants of the Lord! To have the patience, commitment, and love of these ladies is what I desire!

[Carol Sente · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a Liz Curtis Higgs fan and have read her Bad Girls of the Bible series. I enjoy how the author inserts her own conclusions about the life of biblical characters and brings them to life for me, which she did in this book too. It is a nice collection about three women; Mary (Jesus’s mother), Sarah (John the Baptist’s mother), and Anna (the elderly female prophet who recognized baby Jesus as the Messiah). For whatever reason, and I’m not sure I can explain, I preferred the other books a little better. Yet this was still a nice Advent season read to prepare my heart for Christmas.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best thing I like about this book is the details that one never thinks of while reading the Christmas story over and over, year after year. Some of us read it because it's the thing to do at Christmas, tis the season. Liz brings out many quirks to question and discuss, some of which can be pretty surprising. I highly recommend this book.