With just two months shy of Christmas, perhaps some of us have already started making plans for the holidays.

But for those of us who have children at home or serve in ministries for kids, this is also the best time of the year to share about the reason for the season. 

And yet… are we really prepared for all the questions that could come our way?

Why do we put up Christmas trees? How did Santa Claus come about? Where and when was Jesus born?

Anticipating this, The Treasure Box SG (TTB) is preparing to launch a Christmas storybook that will explore the many questions that kids (and adults) might have.

“The Christmas story has been told in many different ways. But we wanted to look at it through the eyes of a curious child,” shared Esther Foong, co-founder of the Christian children’s resource company.

While the story immerses readers in a familiar setting – a family sit-down dinner – this re-telling of the nativity story is unique because it answers questions about Christmas that are posed by siblings Ling and Ben.

“We intended for it to be a wholesome yet provocative read. Was Jesus really born on 25 December? How do we know? That’s the fresh take we’re going for,” explained Esther.

Revealing that the other objective of the book was to encourage kids to ask questions about the faith, TTB co-founder, Elvin, said: “We believe that an examined faith is a strong faith.

“In today’s postmodern, post-truth world, our kids need to be equipped with answers to their questions, so that they can continue to grow in their faith even when they face doubts or challenges.

“And they won’t find the right answers unless we give them the space to ask questions.”

A father-son collaboration

Unpacking big questions from little ones is not new for Esther and her husband, Elvin, who have two inquisitive children: Nathan, 12, and Phoebe, 10.

Earlier this year, TTB also launched a video series, I Have a Question, addressing questions that kids might have about God and Christianity.

But what is novel is how they have managed to creatively combine this question approach with narrative storytelling in the new book.

Even more interesting is how Was Jesus Really Born on 25 December? (and other questions about Christmas) has been co-written by father and son.

The heartwarming story is a labour of love by both father and son, who spent countless hours bouncing ideas off each other.

Research and a first draft was done by Elvin, while Nathan helped to fill in some of the drama and narrative descriptions in the story.

“He’s got a real eye for detail, especially when it comes to dialogue. He also served as our thesaurus, suggesting alternative words and expressions that really helped to bring the story to life,” said Esther of her son, adding that the 12-year-old is the resident proofreader for all of TTB’s resources.

“I can’t tell you how many times he’s saved us from potential embarrassment by pointing out typos and grammar mistakes!”

Serving together as a family has always been a way of life for the Foongs. From left: Esther, Phoebe, Nathan and Elvin

Although the book is mainly intended for children, Esther and Elvin hope that both young and old will walk away learning something new about Christmas.

“In writing this book, we had in our heads a picture of parents reading the book to their kids at bedtime. So it has to have mass appeal and relatability,” she said.

Hence the answers are presented in simple, child-friendly ways that avoid Christian jargon but are not over-simplified.

“We decided to write a brand-new story rather than reprint our previous (Christmas) book because we wanted to incorporate the question element, and to present the story of Christmas in a way that was fun, relatable and heartwarming,” said Esther.

“We do think that we’ve accomplished that with this book!” 

Timely message of hope

Another burden the couple had was to bring “the true meaning of Christmas back to the forefront of the collective consciousness”.

Observing how the season has become so commercialised, Elvin quipped that the Christmas story “literally has become the greatest story never told”.

“The Christmas story is timeless, and there’s never not a good reason to re-tell the wonderful story of how the King of the universe came to live among us,” he remarked.

With all the troubles and turmoil the world has seen with recent events, the book is an even more timely reminder of the hope that Jesus came to bring, Elvin pointed out.

“The Christmas story is so universal and moving precisely because the human soul longs for peace, justice and redemption.

“In a joy-starved world where everyone’s chasing temporary happiness, the story of Christ’s birth shines like a beacon of pure light in the dark.

“For non-Christians, we certainly hope that this will lead them to think more deeply about their need for a Saviour, and that they would eventually surrender their hearts to Jesus, the true reason for the season.”

Initial sketches for Was Jesus Really Born on 25 December? (and other questions about Christmas) by artist Wong Gin Ming (@artinmondays).

This belief – that the book has kingdom purpose – is why they have decided to crowdfund for a project for the first time.

“More than just to help defray the costs of production, we also wanted this book to be a kingdom project,” said Esther with conviction. 

“We wanted to invite people who believe in this book and its message to have a part to play in seeing it go out and impact many lives. At its heart, this is a missional project.”

But regardless of whether the funds come in, the couple are prepared to push ahead with production.

“The Lord has always provided for us since we started TTB in 2018. Between fearing lack and fearing that we’re not doing what God has called us to do, the latter truly ‘scares’ us more!” emphasised Elvin.

Divine provision

Reflecting on their journey so far, Elvin and Esther said it has been so encouraging to see the move of God in making this project a reality.

“There are so many stories, we don’t even know where to start!” exclaimed Esther.

For one, the couple had an illustrator in mind when they were conceptualising this book. They desired for the illustrations to exude warmth and homeliness, something they were sure that artist Wong Gin Ming (Gin) could pull off.

Esther had worked with Gin to produce a comic book for the school she was teaching in previously, but they were honestly not expecting her to agree since they had not been in touch for a while.

“To our surprise, she said ‘yes’ almost immediately! We also learnt that she was getting married, so this project became a little source of additional income for her,” said Elvin.

“It’s definitely God’s timing because we had tried to work with her back in 2018 for another project, but it just didn’t work out then!”

Elvin and Esther are fans of Gin’s whimsical art style and quirky sense of humour, and are thrilled that they could work with her to bring the story to life.

The couple also witnessed God’s provision most recently, even as they were preparing to go to print. 

“Within a week of us launching our crowdfunding campaign (through personal invitation and social media), the funds came in readily and we are almost 50 per cent funded out of a total budget of $9,800! Others have also expressed their interest in giving towards this project and other work we do,” shared Esther.

“It’s as if God is gently reminding us that we are actually not forgotten ‘missionaries’, but that there are fellow brothers and sisters in God’s big family who believe in and see value in what we do.”

But that was not all. After hearing about their campaign, a friend introduced them to agathos, a crowdfunding platform that aims to rally Christians to support the community.

“We sat down with the founder Daniel Long and his team, and they have been so helpful in giving us tips and advice about how to run a successful crowdfunding campaign,” said Elvin.

Spurred on by the belief that many more can come to know the true meaning of Christmas, this is the first time that The Treasure Box is crowdfunding for a project.

“We are hoping now that if more funds come in via agathos, we will be able to fully cover production costs,” added Esther.

Achieving this would enable them to reduce the retail price of the book since they need not worry about whether they can cover their costs, she clarified.

“This way, it can reach more people, and we will be able to put the book with more Christian stockists, which usually require a 40 per cent consignment rate,” said Esther, pointing out that they previously could not stock their books in some stores due to not being able to cover their costs.

“With the support of donors, we hope to be able to stock the books even in mainstream locations such as Popular and other bookshops, so as to extend the reach to more curious pre-believers.”

If there are excess funds from the crowdfunding, these would also help to cover at least two months of storage and rental costs, as well as the love gift for their volunteers and part-time help for the Christmas season.

For now, the book will be available for purchase on TTB’s website and their stockists. The couple have also registered the book with the National Library Board, and will be depositing a number of copies to be made available for reading and borrowing at public libraries.

The Treasure Box at the launch of their first Christmas storybook in 2018. Elvin and Esther are filled with gratitude as they reflect on God’s faithfulness over the last five years.

Looking ahead, Elvin said that being able to hold the upcoming book launch at the same place where they launched their first Christmas storybook (The Living Room Café at Zion-Bishan Bible Presbyterian Church) was greatly heartening.

“Without over-spiritualising it, we do think the continuity in the event location and the theme of the books do help us catch a glimpse of God’s hand at work in telling TTB’s story too,” he summed up.

“The book launch will be an invite-only event, especially for us to thank our donors and supporters. However, we are planning a series of book signings, story readings and family activities that will be open to the public, so do keep a lookout for the details of these events on our social media.”

If you’re interested in the book and finding out more about The Treasure Box’s fundraising campaign, head over to their agathos project page. To buy the book, visit this link.

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