The Best Christian Books and Devotionals to Give This Christmas
Michael MaioShare
Books outlast every other gift under the tree.
The sweater will fade. The gift card will get spent and forgotten. The candle will burn down to nothing. But a book sits on someone's nightstand for months, sometimes years. It gets picked up on hard mornings and slow Sunday afternoons. It gets passed to a friend who needs it more. It starts conversations that a gift card never could.
If you want to give someone something that actually shapes how they see God, give them a book.
This guide covers the best Christian books, devotionals, journals, and Bibles for every person on your Christmas list. Some are from our own Love1614 collection. Some are handpicked from other authors and publishers we trust. All of them are the kind of gift that earns a permanent spot on a bookshelf, not a trip to the donation pile in January.
If you are looking for apparel, mugs, candles, and other gifts beyond books, check out our full Christmas Gift Guide. For everything under $20, see our Christian stocking stuffers list.
For Her
Do Everything in Love: A 365-Day Devotional ($17.99)
One verse. One reflection. One prayer. Every single day for a year. This devotional is built for the woman who wants to be in Scripture daily but does not know where to start, or the one who has tried and keeps quitting by March. It is not overwhelming. It is not preachy. It is just enough to anchor her morning before the rest of the day pulls her in ten different directions. If you have ever wondered how to actually use a daily devotional, we wrote a guide for that.
Get the 365-Day Devotional on Amazon
Christian Gratitude Journal for Women ($8.99)
Gratitude rewires how you see your life. Not in a self-help way. In a God-is-already-doing-more-than-I-noticed way. This journal is designed specifically for women, with daily prompts rooted in Scripture that help her slow down and name the good. It pairs perfectly with the 365-Day Devotional for a morning routine that actually sticks. Read our guide on how to start a gratitude journal for the full breakdown.
Get the Christian Gratitude Journal for Women on Amazon
Christian Mom Journal ($8.99)
For the mom who pours into everyone else and never stops to fill her own cup. Guided prompts rooted in Scripture. No guilt, no performance pressure. Just space to be honest with God about the beautiful, exhausting thing she does every day.
Get the Christian Mom Journal on Amazon
Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst (~$11)
For the woman who struggles with feeling left out, overlooked, or not enough. Lysa TerKeurst writes about rejection with the kind of honesty that makes you feel less alone in it. If someone in your life carries that weight, this book meets her there and points her toward a love that never uninvites. Pair it with the Women's Gratitude Journal for a gift that covers both the hard and the hopeful.
Fervent by Priscilla Shirer (~$14)
A practical, strategic guide to prayer that does not pull punches. Priscilla Shirer treats prayer like what it actually is: the most powerful thing you can do, not the last resort when nothing else works. For the woman who is ready to stop praying politely and start praying on purpose. If she is also building a prayer habit, this book gives her the framework.
Jesus Calling by Sarah Young (~$13)
Over 46 million copies sold, and for good reason. Written as daily reflections from Jesus' perspective, based on Scripture. It is the most popular Christian devotional of the last twenty years, and it remains one of the best gifts for any woman who wants a quiet, grounding start to her day.
CSB She Reads Truth Bible ($35-50)
If she does not have a Bible she loves, this is the one. Beautifully designed, readable, and filled with devotional content and reading plans created by and for women. Not pink. Not dumbed down. A serious Bible in a stunning package. We did a full breakdown in our Bible buying guide.
Get the CSB She Reads Truth Bible on Amazon
For Him
Stand Firm: A 365-Day Devotional for Men of Faith ($15.99)
The same daily structure as our 365-Day Devotional, built specifically for men. Direct, honest, grounded in Scripture, and written without any of the softened language that makes most men's devotionals feel like they were written for someone else. If you want to know why every man needs a devotional, we wrote a whole post about it.
Men's Prayer Journal ($8.99)
Most men will not buy themselves a prayer journal. That is exactly why it makes a great gift. Straightforward, not flowery, with guided prompts that help men get honest with God. No pressure to write paragraphs. Just space to pray on paper. Pair it with Stand Firm for a daily devotional and prayer combo that covers the whole morning.
Get the Men's Prayer Journal on Amazon
A Father's Legacy Journal ($8.99)
A guided journal for dads to record their faith, their stories, and the wisdom they want their children to carry long after Christmas morning is over. Prompts walk him through his life, his beliefs, and the things he wants the next generation to know. The kind of gift that becomes a family heirloom.
Get A Father's Legacy Journal on Amazon
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (~$10)
If he has never read it, fix that this Christmas. Lewis lays out the rational case for the Christian faith with the kind of clarity that makes you wonder why nobody explained it this way sooner. Originally broadcast as radio talks during World War II, the book remains one of the most powerful introductions to Christianity ever written. Pairs well with The Screwtape Letters if you want to give him two books that will change how he thinks.
Get Mere Christianity on Amazon
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer (~$17)
For the man who is always busy, always running, and never quite at peace. John Mark Comer makes a compelling case that hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life, and that slowing down is not laziness; it is obedience. Practical, honest, and written by a pastor who learned the hard way. A great read for the guy who struggles to rest without feeling guilty.
Get The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry on Amazon
ESV Study Bible ($35-50)
For the man who wants to go deep. Over 20,000 study notes, maps, charts, and theological articles. A library in one volume. Our Bible buying guide walks through when to choose this one and what makes it different from every other study Bible on the shelf.
Get the ESV Study Bible on Amazon
For Kids and Teens
Do Everything in Love: A Story for Little Hearts ($14.99)
A picture book that introduces children to the message of 1 Corinthians 16:14 in language they actually understand. Beautiful illustrations, simple words, and a message that sticks long after the story is done. For ages 2 to 6. If you want to know more about how to teach your kids about faith, we wrote a guide for that.
Get A Story for Little Hearts on Amazon
The Jesus Storybook Bible ($11.99)
Over 3 million copies sold. It retells 44 key Bible stories and shows how every single one points to Jesus. For ages 4 to 8. This is the best children's Bible available, period. It belongs on every child's bookshelf, and Christmas is the perfect time to put it there.
Get The Jesus Storybook Bible on Amazon
NIV Adventure Bible ($19.99)
The number one selling Bible for kids ages 8 to 12. Full color, engaging features, and a translation kids can actually read on their own. Our Bible buying guide explains why we recommend this one over other children's Bibles.
Get the NIV Adventure Bible on Amazon
The Ultimate Christian Puzzle Book ($16.99)
300 faith-building puzzles: word searches, crosswords, trivia, and brain teasers, all rooted in Scripture. For the kid (or adult) who learns by doing. It keeps them off a screen while teaching them something that matters.
Get The Ultimate Christian Puzzle Book on Amazon
Do Everything in Love: A Christian Coloring Book ($12.99)
Original designs paired with Scripture. Works for older kids, teens, and adults. It slows them down, gives them something quiet to do with their hands, and puts Scripture in front of them while they do it. Pairs perfectly with colored pencils and a rainy afternoon.
Get the Christian Coloring Book on Amazon
For teenagers, see also Deep Water in the "Hard Season" section below, and the She Reads Truth Bible and ESV Study Bible listed above. Teens are old enough for real books about real faith. Do not give them the watered-down version.
For New Believers (or Someone Exploring Faith)
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (~$10)
The best starting point for someone who is curious about Christianity and needs it explained clearly, logically, and without religious jargon. Lewis was an atheist before he became a Christian, which is why this book connects with people who are not convinced yet. Listed above in the men's section, but this book is for anyone.
Get Mere Christianity on Amazon
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis (~$10)
A senior demon writes letters to his nephew, coaching him on how to lead a human away from God. Funny, brilliant, and deeply uncomfortable in the best way. It exposes the subtle ways we drift from faith, and it does it through a story you will not be able to put down. For the reader who loves sharp writing and does not want to be preached at.
Get The Screwtape Letters on Amazon
Do Everything in Love: A 365-Day Devotional ($17.99)
For someone who is ready to start reading Scripture daily but does not want to open a Bible cold and figure out where to begin. One verse, one reflection, one prayer. Every day. It is the gentlest, most practical on-ramp to daily faith we know how to build. If you want to know how to start reading the Bible, start here.
Get the 365-Day Devotional on Amazon
For the Person in a Hard Season
Deep Water: When Strong Runs Out ($13.99)
I wrote this book for the person who believes in God but is drowning anyway. It is honest about pain, faith, doubt, and what happens when your strength runs out and something else has to take over. If someone in your life is in a hard season, or coming out of one, or trying to figure out where God was in the middle of it, this is the gift that says "I see you, and you are not alone." Read more about why I wrote it.
After Amen: A Prayer and Listening Journal ($10.99)
Most prayer journals give you space to talk to God. This one gives you space to hear back. Two columns on every page: one for your prayer, one for what you hear in the quiet after. For the person who is praying hard and waiting for an answer. It turns prayer from a monologue into a conversation, which is exactly what a hard season demands. If they are also learning how to build a prayer habit, this is the tool that makes it stick.
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (~$11)
A retelling of the book of Hosea, set during the California Gold Rush. A story about a woman who has been used, broken, and abandoned, and a man whose love refuses to let her go, because it is not really his love at all. It is God's. Over a million copies sold, adapted into a major film, and still the most powerful fictional depiction of unconditional love many readers have ever encountered. For anyone who needs to be reminded that nothing can separate them from the love of God.
Gift Sets That Tell a Bigger Story
Any book on this list works on its own. But the right combination says something a single book cannot. Here are five gift sets that make sense together:
The Morning Anchor Set (Under $30): 365-Day Devotional + Women's Gratitude Journal. She starts every morning with a verse, then writes what she is thankful for. Two habits that compound all year.
The Men's Starter Set (Under $30): Stand Firm + Men's Prayer Journal. Devotional and prayer, together, for a year. No fluff. Just faith on paper.
The Deep Gift (Under $30): Deep Water + After Amen. For the person in a hard season. Honesty about where God is in the pain, and a journal to keep the conversation going after the book is done.
The Little One's Foundation (Under $30): A Story for Little Hearts + The Jesus Storybook Bible. One teaches love. The other tells the whole story. Start here.
The Explorer Set (Under $40): NIV Adventure Bible + The Ultimate Christian Puzzle Book. For the kid ages 8 to 12. The Bible gives them the Word. The puzzles make them work with it.
Why a Book Is the Best Gift You Can Give This Christmas
Here is the thing about a great book: it does not stop working when the wrapping paper hits the floor.
A devotional sits on someone's nightstand for 365 mornings. A journal gets filled with prayers that become a record of how God showed up. A memoir gets handed to a friend who needs it more. A puzzle book turns a lazy Saturday into an hour of Scripture. A children's Bible gets read at bedtime for years.
Every other gift competes with a thousand distractions. A book invites someone to sit still, be quiet, and listen. And in a world that rarely stops talking, that is one of the most loving things you can put under a tree.
If you want to go deeper into what makes a gift genuinely meaningful, we wrote about what "do everything in love" actually looks like on a hard day. Because the best gifts are not about the price tag. They are about saying "I know who you are, I know what you need, and I picked this because it matters."
Keep Going
If this list helped, you will love our other gift guides:
- The Love1614 Christian Christmas Gift Guide for apparel, mugs, candles, and the full holiday rundown
- Christian Stocking Stuffers That Actually Mean Something for everything under $20
- Christian Gifts for Women Who Actually Want Something Meaningful
- Christian Gifts for Men Who Are Impossible to Buy For
- Christian Gifts for Kids That Will Actually Shape How They See God
- Christian Gifts Under $50 That Actually Mean Something
- Which Bible Should I Buy? for every reader, every budget, and every stage of faith
Browse the full Love1614 collection for apparel, books, and journals that start conversations about faith.
Let all that you do be done in love. (1 Corinthians 16:14)
Read next: The Love1614 Christian Christmas Gift Guide: 18 Faith-Based Gifts They Will Actually Love