The Great O Antiphons, The Golden Nights + Giveaway
Ever since our oldest children were very little, we have been implementing an old monastic custom in our home by providing special treats, representing each of the “O Antiphons” on the days leading up to Christmas. The O Antiphon prayers begin on December 17th and end on the 23rd, which is the last Vespers of Advent, since the evening prayer on the 24th is the Vigil of Christmas.
The Benedictine monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose. If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one – Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia – the Latin words ero cras are formed, meaning, “Tomorrow, I will come.” Therefore, the Lord Jesus, whose coming we have prepared for in Advent and whom we have addressed in these seven Messianic titles, now speaks to us, “Tomorrow, I will come.” So the “O Antiphons” not only bring intensity to our Advent preparation, but bring it to a joyful conclusion.
Each night, following our family rosary, we pray the O Antiphon for the day, sing O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, which was inspired by this ancient tradition, and then give the children a special treat.
The “treats” have varied from year to year. Some years it has been little gifts or activities for the family, some years it is all food related, and some years it is a mix of both, depending on our schedule and budget. It doesn’t need to cost much or even anything at all! Be creative!
Sometimes the treats are a bit of a stretch, but my goal is try and find gifts that will either help increase our faith (Catechism books, holy family, saints, prayer, etc) or encourage family time (games, puzzles, going to look at Christmas lights, etc). You can find some of our past O Antiphon treats by scrolling through the archives and visiting Catholic Cuisine.
Our family loves this tradition. It is such a fun way to teach the children about these beautiful prayers of the church and also increase their excitement as Christmas gets closer.
Here are more details on our O Antiphon House and Blocks
In case you are looking for some inspiration, I’ve listed some of the treats I’ve given my family over the years (along with my picks for this year)… Special food ideas, activities and gifts (or you can simply decorate chocolate coins!) for each of the O Antiphons can be found below.
Once again I am hosting an O ANTIPHON GIVEAWAY! Seven lucky visitors here at Shower of Roses will receive gifts this year! Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for the details and to enter.
O Sapientia (O Wisdom) – December 17th
Since the symbol for wisdom is a book, I usually choose a new Catholic book for our family. This year it is The Holy Bible Adapted for Young Readers for the kids and Building a Wholesome Family in a Broken World: Habsburg Lessons from the Centuries for Sean and I both new releases from Sophia Institute Press (and available on Amazon as well here and here). *SAVE 30% with code XMAS30 at Sophia on orders of $25+
O Wisdom Ideas from Over the Years:
- Bible Cookies or Bible Candies
- Brain Food – Dark Chocolate, Deviled Eggs, Theo Christmas Bars… HU Chocolate are my current favorite!
- Patris Roasting Co. coffee would also be great!
- Play a Trivia Game (The Purgative Way, Christmas Trivia, Catholic Trivia, Cranium)
- Play SaintCards, Saint Memory, or Catholic Quiz games
- Pray and Play ABC Puzzle from Saintly Heart (for the little ones!)
- Outmatched from Institute for Excellence in Writing – One year I went with a game focusing on the time period most of our children were studying.
- Bookmarks or Holy Cards
- Family Prayer Book, Catechism, or other Book – The Christmas Book, The Catechism in Pictures with review here, Jesus Make Me Worthy, My Catholic Faith, A Catholic Child’s Picture Dictionary, Around the Year: Once Upon a Time Saints, etc… The possibilities are endless.
- Books including The Golden Key, as well as An Alphabet of the Altar, The Wonder Story and The Wonder Days from St. Augustine Academy Press.
O Wisdom that comest out of the mouth of the Most High, that reachest from one end to another, and orderest all things mightily and sweetly, come to teach us the way of prudence!
December 18th – O Adonai (O Lord)
One last new Christmas puzzle to start!
(Update: I ordered this puzzle from Puzzledy during a Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale. I had run across it and another one I really wanted elsewhere but it was out of stock and I had to hunt them down. Looks like they still have 5 or 6 in stock.)
In the past we would always emphasize the word “house” in this Antiphon, and have made our Gingerbread Houses or Gingerbread Cookies on this night. Now that we have two birthdays this week (and two birthday cakes to bake and decorate!) we usually wait until New Year’s Eve to decorated Gingerbread Houses.
O Adonai Ideas from Over the Years:
- Pull out the Smore’s Maker or light a bonfire and roast marshmallows, in reference to “Moses in the burning bush”
- Cookies made with this Gingerbread House Cookie Cutter or these cute 3-D Mini Gingerbread House Cookie Cutter made by Sweet Creations, emphasizing the word “house”
- Decorate Gingerbread Houses (my girls surprised me with this pan one year)
- Ten Commandment Cookies
- Make a Ten Commandments Lap Book
- Discuss the various names for Our Lady, including House of Gold! The Virgin Mary Around the World or any of the Marian dolls (Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Czestochowa, Our Lady of China, Our Lady of Vailankanni, etc) would be perfect.
- House of God: The Holy Mass: On Earth as it is in Heaven
- Wooden Mass Set from Shining Light Dolls (Save an extra 10% with SHOWEROFROSESBLOG)
- Father Leopold Lego Set or Architecture Blocks would also tie in nicely.
- Notre Dame 3-D Church Puzzle or Midnight Mass Puzzle
O Adonai, and Ruler of the house of Israel, Who didst appear unto Moses in the burning bush, and gavest him the law in Sinai, come to redeem us with an outstretched arm!
December 19th – O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)
Our 2024 Family Ornament will be wrapped up for the 19th! I also got the LEGO Poinsettia Set for the little kids to build today. A sweet friend gifted us with a beautiful live poinsettia already this year!
O Root of Jesse Ideas from Over the Years:
- Root Beer Floats
- Bake a Carrot Cake
- Roasted Root Vegetable, Hearty Healing Beef Stew or Hamburger Stew… Yum!
- Old Fashioned Root Beer Drops
- Assemble and hang a new family ornament. One year we also got this beautiful Poinsettia Ornament.
- Purchase a Christmas Poinsettia (In the past we have also incorporated other Poinsettias: 12 Red Glitter Poinsettia Ornaments, Miracle of the Poinsettia, or Poinsettia Cupcakes)
- Play some sort of Gardening or Nature Game as a Family (perhaps Grow a Garden Matching Game, Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Game, Gathering a Garden, or The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game!)
- Kid’s Vegetable Garden Seed Collection from St. Clare’s Heirloom Seeds
- Make a Root of Jesse Ornament
- One year I had a set of our family blocks made by Naturally Catholic!
- Bonus: You could even have a Jesse Tea! From Jesse, the shepherd, to Jesus, the Good Shepherd… Shepherds tie in nicely!
- Shepherd and Angel playlet from Shining Light Dolls
- Shepherd Puzzle Set made by Naturally Catholic
- Read The Shepherd at the Crib and The Cross
O Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people, at Whom the kings shall shut their mouths, Whom the Gentiles shall seek, come to deliver us, do not tarry.
December 20th – O Clavis David (O Key of David)
As St. Padre Pio, said: “Prayer is the best weapon we have. It is a key opening God’s Heart.”
Once again we are planning to take our children to Mass or Adoration. I’ll probably wrap up this “Trimming the Tree” candle since our college girl will be flying home and we’ll decorate our tree this upcoming weekend.
O Key of David Ideas from Over the Years:
- Key Lime Pie
- Special drink (Sparkling cider!) with dinner or for a family game night. Since this is initially a monastic tradition, and on this night, the monk in charge of the wine cellar would provide a special bottle of wine.
- Surprise the family with tickets (“key”) to something local – Christmas play, the Nutcracker, etc. One year I took our older children to see A Christmas Carol at the theatre.
- Key Puzzle/Brainteaser
- Play Escape from Colditz and “liberate the prisoner from the prison”.
- Tiny Saints Key Hooks – One year I purchased a couple key hook rails to use to hang our Rosaries. You can see them in our old home in this post.
- Incorporate Music “keys” with Catholic Songs for Children CD, Sheet Music Book or Children’s First Chants book!
- Advent At Ephesus or Caroling at Ephesus
O Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel, that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth, come to liberate the prisoner from the prison, and them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death.
December 21st – O Oriens (O Dayspring)
We’ll once again make hot cocoa and pile in the car to go look at Christmas lights downtown weather permitting!
O Dayspring Ideas from Over the Years:
- Sun Chips with lunch is an easy and fun treat.
- A Woman Clothed with the Sun (Oranges)
- O Dayspring Ice Cream, Non-Alcoholic Mimosas or Texas Sunrise with Breakfast
- Our favorite tradition for this O Antiphon is to pile in the car after dinner with hot cocoa and drive around to look at all the Christmas lights.
- Decorate a Christmas Candle (We use a tiny wax baby Jesus I purchased years ago along with Gold Decorating Beeswax from Stockmar.)
- Stargazing was the plan for the evening of December 21, 2020 when the planets aligned causing a rare Christmas star to appear!
- Candles from The Cloister Shoppe and these Sacré Cœur Beeswax + Essential Oil Candles made by a friend/local parishioner are on my wishlist!
- Our Lady of Fatima: The Graphic Novel (miracle of the sun)
- Grimm’s Casa Sole Stacking Blocks or the Gluckskafer Sunrise Arch
- New Christmas Pajamas
O Dayspring, Brightness of the everlasting light, Son of justice, come to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death!
December 22nd – O Rex Gentium (O King of the Gentiles)
Seek and Find Books from Ignatius Press… We already have the first in the series. So fun! (Also available from Amazon here.)
O King Ideas from Over the Years: (many are perfect for Epiphany too)
- Crown Cake, Cupcakes or Wreath Cookies
- Wreath Charcuterie Board
- Bake Cookies using the Wise Men Cookie Stamp from Rycraft, Inc
- Assemble a Three Kings Puzzle or Nativity Snow Globes Puzzle
- Listen to King of the Golden City CD
- One year I picked out one of the beautiful sets of Three Kings Gifts – we pull it out every Christmas!
- Read The Wise Men Who Found Christmas is great too!
- Twas the Evening of Christmas Picture Book – Our daughter received this one year on the feast of St. Nicholas. It’s such a lovely book!
- Three Kings Playset from Shining Light Dolls
- Three Wisemen Socks from Sock Religious
- Three Kings, Ten Mysteries
- Deluxe Christmas Nativity Wooden Playset
O King of the Gentiles, yea, and desire thereof! O Corner-stone, that makest of two one, come to save man, whom Thou hast made out of the dust of the earth!
December 23rd – O Emmanuel (O With Us is God)
My True Love Gave to Me: A Catechism for the Twelve Days of Christmas
(Currently out of stock at TAN Books)
O Emmanuel Ideas from Over the Years:
- Decorate Nativity Cookies to give as gifts or Cookie Cutters Tell the Christmas Story
- New Cookie Cutters from Shining Light Dolls (Save 10% with SHOWEROFROSESBLOG)
- Make a Chocolate Nativity Scene for Christmas
- Decorate Chocolate Christmas Coins using this FREE Printable
- Holy Night Puzzle
- Fill a basket to deliver to the nuns at Carmel. Fresh Fruit, Various Cheeses, Christmas Cookies and other goodies!
- Christmas picture books, coloring books including the beautiful Eucharistic Adoration: With Saints And Symbols Of The Eucharist coloring book, or the Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring: Christmas with The Dominican Sisters of Mary.
- Children’s Nativity Set – you can find some of our favorites in this post and more of our collection here (scroll down a bit)
- Also check out their Deluxe Christmas Nativity Wooden Playset and Christmas Nativity Wooden Cube Puzzle from Shining Light Toys
- A Child’s Christmas ABC Book (review here)
- 2020 Fontanini Ornament
- Nativity Icon from Clear Creek Abbey
- The First Christmas for Our Dear Little Ones from St. Augustine Academy Press
O Emmanuel, our King and our Law-giver, Longing of the Gentiles, yea, and salvation thereof, come to save us, O Lord our God!
Scroll through all the past “O Antiphon” posts here.
If you are looking for gift ideas, you can find my lists of Christmas Gift Ideas & Stocking Stuffers here (2015), here (2016), here (2017), here (2018), here (2019), here (2020), here (2022) and here (2023).
O Antiphons Giveaway
And finally here is the 4th and final of my blog giveaways for this year! This will be a quick one! Enter by 12/19/2024. I’ll draw names on Friday!
Prize #1 – Set of Cookie Stamps
Win a Set of 7 Cookie Stamps with recipe booklet to go along with each of the O Antiphons: Wisdom: #460 – Triune God, House: #214 – Home Sweet Home, Root of Jesse: #520 – Willow Tree, Key of David: #543 – Key to My Heart, Dayspring: #291 – Moravian Star, King: #448 – Norwegian Wedding Crown, and Emmanuel: #368 – Nativity sponsored by Rycraft Cookie Stamps ($90.93 Value)
Congratulations, Angela S!
Prize #2 – Deluxe Christmas Nativity Wooden Playset
Includes: Deluxe Christmas Nativity Wooden Playset sponsored by Shining Light Dolls ($84.99 Value)
Congratulations, Dee!
Prize #3 – Set of all four Seek & Find Books from Ignatius Press
Includes: Seek and Find Books – The Life of Jesus (Books 1), The Lives of Saints (Book 2), On the Way to Santiago de Compostela (Book 3), The Twelve Apostles (Book 4) sponsored by Ignatius Press ($59.96 Value)
Congratulations, Agnes!
Prize #4 – Two New Books from Sophia Institute Press
Includes: The Holy Bible Adapted for Young Readers and Building a Wholesome Family in a Broken World: Habsburg Lessons from the Centuries sponsored by Sophia Institute Press ($43.90 Value)
Congratulations, Rachel B!
Enter the Giveaway using the Rafflecopter Box below:
a Rafflecopter giveawayRead more about our family’s traditions here:
This is a beautiful tradition and way to incorporate the O Antiphons!
The nativity set and seek and find books look so neat!
I love all of these ideas and I’m looking forward to incorporating some into our home.
Great ideas! I would like a chance to win prizes #1 #3 and #4.
I look forward to each of your posts. Thank you for sharing!
So exciting we are this far along in advent!! We know we are getting close to Christmas when the O Antiphons begin!
This is our favorite Advent tradition! Thank you for introducing us to it years ago.
You always have the best ideas!! I’m going to have to see if I can fine a little house like that for next year!
I’m excited to celebrate/pray the O Antiphons this year. And I’d be happy with any of the prizes.
As always such a great selection of ideas. God bless you Jessica.
I learned this beautiful tradition thanks to Shower and Roses 10 years ago.
I would like to win prize #4 or #3.
Ok, I need to up my game for O’Antiphons! Great ideas, as always. I love all the prizes too.
Thank you for the giveaway and all of the ideas! My favorite prizes are 1, 2, and 3. – Kathryn B
So many great ideas. I’m doing well this year just getting the candles lit and reading the Mass readings, but I may try to add something like the O Antiphons House and blocks. That’s a really cool idea and I think the kiddos would enjoy it.
I think all of the prizes are lovely, but #1 or #4 would be my favorite. Have a blessed rest of your Advent!
Thank you for all the wonderful ideas you’ve shared over the years. I hope you have a Merry Christmas!
My first choice would be the Nativity Set and the second would be the cookie stamps.
These are brilliant ideas for the O’Antiphons!
I would really love the books from Sophia Press. Thanks for the giveaway!
Would absolutely love the cookie stamps then the sophia press books!! Thanks so mucj jessica!!! Hope to be a 1st time winner
Love your lists! Have been meaning to start observing this tradition. Maybe this is the year!
What a neat tradition and great suggestions! Do you have a link to the pictured puzzle right under the December 18th title? It looks so pretty!
Hi Maria! Sorry I missed linking that one. It has been such a busy week and I published the post before I had finished updating and adding links! 😅 I bought a number of puzzles from Puzzledly during BlackFriday/Cyber Monday sales including this one. I had seen it on another site and had to hunt it down. I think they still have a few more in stock. I haven’t seen it anywhere else: https://www.puzzledly.com/products/christmas-night-500-piece-jigsaw-puzzle
These are all such lovely prizes! I would be delighted to win any of them, but I would especially like the two new books from Sophia Institute Press. Thanks for the giveaway!
Such great ideas and links. As usual. Don’t know how you do it lady!
I finally made wooden ornaments for the O Antiphons this year! Your ideas are lovely.
Prizes 1-3 are my favorites.
Thank you for spreading word and ideas about this lovely celebration.
What lovely prizes! Prize #1 or #4 would be perfect. God bless you and your family.
thanks as always for hosting great giveaways!! Hope your Advent is a peaceful and happy one and that you have a beautiful Christmas with your family!
So many amazing ideas! I’m hoping to purchase that new Christmas puzzle, but I couldn’t find a link?
Sorry about that! I was in a hurry to finish up this post and get it published (and still ended up being 10 mins last to my haircut yesterday lol)… I bought a number of puzzles from Puzzledly during BlackFriday/Cyber Monday sales including this one. I had seen it on another site and had to hunt it down. I think they still have a few more in stock. I haven’t seen it anywhere else: https://www.puzzledly.com/products/christmas-night-500-piece-jigsaw-puzzle
Such good ideas! I like the cookie stamps!!!
Hi Jessica,
Wishing you a blessed Advent in these final days. May I ask where you got the puzzle in the photo for 12/18 with the three kings and camels?
Thank you.
Hi Ann – I’m going to update the post now with the link. I bought a number of puzzles from Puzzledly during BlackFriday/Cyber Monday sales including this one. I had seen it on another site and had to hunt it down. I think they still have a few more in stock. I haven’t seen it anywhere else: https://www.puzzledly.com/products/christmas-night-500-piece-jigsaw-puzzle
Thanks so much. A blessed and joyous Christmas to you and your family!
The O Antiphons are a big deal in our house too. I love seeing the list of so many different ways to commemorate them.
I would love to win the Ignatius PressSeek and Find books. We almost bought the Camino one in San Diego! And next the Wooden nativity set
Such beautiful ways to celebrate Tradition! Thank you!
Always such beautiful traditions. Thank you for sharing! I’ve gleaned a lot from you over the years. 🙂 I’d love the new books from Sophia. I’ve been eyeing the one about the Hapsburgs.
Prize #2! (Working on my Grammy toy collection) They’re all great prizes!
Each evening we turn down the lights and chant the antiphon before dinner by the light of the Advent wreath. Even if that’s all we do to incorporate them, it’s a deep and memorable experience anticipating Christmas finally coming.
Your ideas have been so inspirational over the years! I would like to win the cookie stamps.
May you have a blessed Advent!
These are all great ideas! I enjoy implementing your ideas into our home. If I win, I’d like to have the cookie stamps. 🙂
I always enjoy your posts. I would like a chance at gift baskets 2 & 3 for our family. Thank you.
Great ideas!
I’ll have to start this tradition next year! I love the cookie stamps and the Sophia books best!
Thank you for this giveaway! I like prizes #2 and #3.
Love all your traditions!
My favorite is #1 the cookie stamps!
Jessica,
Thank you for sharing your beautiful family traditions over the years. I’m not as talented at baking and decorating as you are, but I have enjoyed making some of these Advent traditions part of our family ‘s traditions. Our children enjoy looking forward to them each year!
There are so many wonderful ideas to celebrate the O Antiphons! We are aspiring to begin this tradition with our family.
Love the seek & finds and the stamps!
I would love the cookie stamps or the Seek and Find books!
Thank you for the giveaway! My first choice would be #4. Second would be #3.
I love the way you incorporate the O Antiphons into your preparations
for Christmas. Especially looking at Christmas lights for O Oriens.
Very Neat. I like #1
Truly lovely ideas! Thank you!
My mother-in-law shared your blog with me, and I am so excited to see your ideas for integrating the Catholic Faith into our daily lives, especially with our growing family!
My children would love the wooden nativity set!! So cute! The Cookie press set is amazing, too.
Thank you for teaching our family about the O Antiphons. We’ve come to live this tradition
Thank you!
Merry Christmas. Love the stamps and seek & find books