Lucia, Saint of Light – Free Audio Book!
to give to our little Chiquita on the feast of St. Lucy. Since it was backordered, and didn’t arrive on time, I saved it to give her this year instead. Though we had listened to the audio version of this book before, the illustrations in the book are lovely! I just realized that the link I included to the audio download in Ideas for Celebrating St. Lucia Day! was incorrect. I updated the link, but thought I would post it for you here as well, just in case any of you would like to listen to it today:Ideas for Celebrating St. Lucia Day
Ideas for Celebrating St. Lucia Day
December 13th is the Feast of St. Lucy, also known as St. Lucia Day (Luciadagen) in Sweden.
In Sweden, the oldest daughter of a family will wake up before dawn on St. Lucy’s Day and dress in a white gown for purity, often with a red sash as a sign of martyrdom. On her head she will wear a wreath of greenery and lit candles, and she is often accompanied by “starboys,” her small brothers who are dressed in white gowns and cone-shaped hats that are decorated with gold stars, and carrying star-tipped wands. “St. Lucy” will go around her house and wake up her family to serve them special St. Lucy Day foods.” ~ Fisheaters
Since our second daughter celebrates one of her “namedays” on this feast, she and our oldest share the honors. 🙂
I just noticed that our St. Lucy links and ideas are scattered all over, between our past St. Lucia Day Celebrations (2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 Eve & Morning), our Little Flowers Meeting on St. Lucy, and “L Week” for the Alphabet Path, so I thought I would try and organize them into one post and add a few ideas from others as well.
Note: I’ve had this post in my draft file for awhile now, but just didn’t have a chance to finish it up… I think I have all the links I’ve added so far in place, but I will probably come back when I have time to add a few more. Happy St. Lucia Day!
RECIPES
- Bake Saint Lucia’s Braided Bread.
- Serve Cuccia, St. Lucy Wheat, for breakfast.
- Make St. Lucia Buns, Lussekatter. (I’d love to hear if any one has any tips on where to buy affordable saffron threads. I had to scratch it off my shopping list the other day when a small packet was priced at $19.99.)
- Bake Gingerbread Cookies. (We will be having some this afternoon while we color and read a few books!)
- Serve Coffee.
- For a quick and easy alternative, you can do like we did back in 2007 and serve donuts for as an alternative to the crown shaped sweet bread, or shape canned cinnamon roll dough into St. Lucia Buns.
SING
Sing “Santa Lucia:”
The silver star shines on the sea,
the waves are gentle,
the wind is favourable.
Come to my swift little boat!
Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia!
O dear Naples, o blessed land,
where creation was pleased to smile!
Come to my swift little boat!
Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia!
Sing the following to the tune of “Are You Sleeping?”:
O, Saint Lucia,
O, Saint Lucia,
Wearing white,
Lighting up the darkest
Lighting up the darkest
Winter night,
Winter night.
Print a Saint Lucia Puppet Song and Coloring Picture.
STORYTIME
In our Basket:
Lucia, Saint of Light is a new addition to our collection this year and it is such a wonderful book to own. However, we have listened to this story before. If you don’t have access to the book, you can download and/or play a podcast of it here! (Updated with correct link!)
From the Library:
Kirsten’s Surprise: A Christmas Story
Looks intersting:
CRAFTS & ACTIVITIES
- You can make a St. Lucia Day lantern using this pdf excerpt from Ann Ball’s Catholic Traditions in Crafts.
- Download a St. Lucia Paper Doll complete with two outfits – and of course – a crown!
- Hand-paint a St. Lucy Wooden Doll!
- I think I am going to paint a couple Star boys to go with our Santa Lucia Doll!
- Make Santa Lucia Peg Dolls.
- Make a Scandinavian Christmas Crown.
- Sew a beautiful St. Lucy Crown (As Cozy as Spring) out of felt or this one from JOYfilled Family.
- Print and put together paper Santa Lucia Crowns & Hats. (This is the first year we haven’t made these! Here is the link to our paper crowns.)
COLORING PAGES & COPYWORK
- Color St. Lucy of Syracuse and St. Lucia with Star Boy from Waltzing Matilda.
- Create a Saint Lucia Paper Dolls from Paper Dali.
- Fenestrae Fidei: A Coloring Companion for Catholic Mosaic also has a beautiful coloring page, if you own this great resource.
- Copywork Page I created at Writing Wizard using a quote from An Alphabet of Catholic Saints.
- Create a St. Lucy Notebook page highlighting the virtue of Loyalty.
PRAYERS TO ST. LUCY
Saint Lucy, you did not hide your light under a basket, but let it shine for the whole world, for all the centuries to see. We may not suffer torture in our lives the way you did, but we are still called to let the light of our Christianity illumine our daily lives. Please help us to have the courage to bring our Christianity into our work, our recreation, our relationships, our conversation every corner of our day. Amen.
O glorious Santa Lucia, who combined the profession of faith with the glory of martyrdom, help us to openly profess the truths of the Gospel and to walk in faith according to the teachings of our Savior.Oh Virgin of Syracuse, be thou the light in our life and the model for our actions so that, after following in thy footsteps here on earth, we can rejoice together with thee in the vision of our Lord. Amen.
Relying on Your goodness, O God, we humbly ask you, by the intercession of your servant, Saint Lucy, to give perfect vision to our eyes, that we may serve for your greater honor and glory. And we pray for the salvation of our souls in this world, that we may come to the enjoyment of the unfailing light of the Lamb of God in heaven. St. Lucy, virgin and martyr, hear our prayers and answer our petitions. Amen.
Sancta Lucia, Ora Pro Nobis!
Santa Lucia Day in the Morning!
On the Eve of Santa Lucia Day
My children are all so excited to finally use the lovely gifts they received last year from our sweet friend Emma and her family, who live in Norway!(Authentic Swedish St. Lucy Crowns, a Maiden Light, and Star Boy Hats and Wands for all our children!)
Our Santa Lucia bread is ready and I didn’t even kill the yeast this year! Apparently I usually heat the milk too hot, and our bread doesn’t rise very well… So, this year, I called Amy and had her walk me through it. It turned out better than ever and was SO easy to make this year with the help of Amy’s old Kitchen Aid mixer! 🙂
The older girls have their white nightgowns, and are very anxious for morning to arrive! And I am looking forward to a piece of that delicious Santa Lucia Bread!
On the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
. After reading it, Hubby pointed out that it was written in 1948 and the gorgeous illustrations are from 1926. It really is such a great book! I purchased it for our History course this year, and am very pleased to have it in our collection. The Christmas Rose Novena
As you all know, I love praying Novena’s to St. Therese and the Christmas Novena is one of my favorites!
Two years ago (in 2008) I prayed this novena, shortly after my miscarriage, for the health of my next baby and that God would calm my fears of another pregnancy… A few months later (shortly after a downpour of roses) I found out that I was expecting! I then went to look up my due date (noticing my calendar, which happened to picture a big rose and the phrase “Count Your Blessings” that day) and was amazed that I was due on Christmas! (This was later confirmed by an ultrasound that was trying to decide between Christmas Eve & Christmas Day.) Our “Christmas Rose” was on her way!
Anyway, the Christmas Rose Novena to St. Therese begins today, on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, 12 days before Christmas. One is to pray the novena 12 times per day for 12 days to honor the 12 years of Christ’s childhood.
This year I will be offering the novena in Thanksgiving for our little Rose and the recent good news regarding her heart, as well as for a few very dear women who have recently suffered the loss of their babies. May Our Lord comfort them all, and bless them with a new baby to have and hold soon!
May you all receive a Christmas Rose of many blessings this Christmas!
MYSTICAL ROSE NOVENA
Remember, O Gracious Little Rose Queen, your promise to spend your heaven in doing good on earth and even, if necessary, to come down to help those who ask your aid. If it is God’s Holy Will, and my dispositions are pleasing to Him by their honesty and true desire for goodness, keep your promise to shower roses and send me some visible sign of your heavenly friendship for me and for those I love. In memory of the great interior enlightenment you received on a certain Christmas of your early life, ask God for a “:Christmas Rose” for me in these my urgent needs, that I may experience an increase in faith, hope and confidence. (Meditate, here upon your petitions so that St. Therese can understand why your are asking her to assist you.) I desire to know and to accept real objective truth about life and death. Give me assurance that you understand and will remain my heavenly friend, so that one day we may be together with God. Keep your promise to give some answer! Amen.
St. Therese of Lisieux ~ Pray for us!
¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!
and The Lady of Guadalupe
by Tomie dePaola.
by Francisco Serrano which is being re-released this month! I am really looking forward to sharing it with my children. I also can’t wait to start putting together the beautiful Our Lady of Guadalupe Jigsaw Puzzle
.
It’s official…
! 
.
This Christmas, I am hoping to decorate a birthday cake for Baby Jesus by placing a white chocolate nativity scene on top of a chocolate frosted cake and adding green accents, but this time I just used the chocolate melts that I already had in the cupboard.
I ordered my Nativity Chocolate Candy Mold Set
{this moment} ~ Our New Mantel!
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, visit Soulemama to leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.
Celebrating the Feast of St. Nicholas
a couple months ago and saved it to give to Rascal. You can read a bit more about it here. The Huron Carol
, Noah’s Ark
, and another copy of Christmas in the Manger
were all on clearance for a couple dollars each at Book Closeouts. And the book I choose for Twinkle Toes, The Gift of the Christmas Cookie: Sharing the True Meaning of Jesus’ Birth
, was ordered from Amazon. I am really looking forward to reading it with her! 
.” I will try and post a review of this book soon! 🙂 Thank you Mr. DeStefano!! 
on Amazon, especially since it is made by the same artist as our favorite Advent Calendar
! Thank you so very much Magdalena!
For the first time in many years, our Candy Cane Coffee Cake never did get made (I think I’ll add it to the menu for Christmas), but overall it was such a nice day!
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