A Child’s Christmas ABC Book
New Christmas Books for the Feast of St. Nicholas {and a St. Nicholas Giveaway!}
The feast of St. Nicholas is just three weeks from today! On December 6th our children always wake up to find that the letters they wrote to the Holy Child and/or St. Nicholas have been taken and their (sometimes new/replaced) slippers have been filled with little treats, oranges, chocolate gold coins, candy canes, and often times a note from St. Nicholas.
Our children (and teens!) have also always received a new Christmas book as well, which has helped us build an amazing collection over the last twenty years. It will be so great to pass each of their collections down to them when they eventually start families of their own.
This year my husband and I picked out a chapter book as well for each of our teens/young adults as well. I can’t even tell you how excited I am that we get to have ALL NINE of our children home for ALL of Advent this year for the first time! I’m trying my best to focus on the little blessings in the midst of all the extra struggles of this crazy year…
“On the 1st day o Yuletide,
My true luve gied tae me,
A reid robin in a rowan tree.”
Take a deep breath and prepare for a journey through all twelve days of Yuletide with a cast of skaters skooshin, lassies birlin, sheep a-shooglin and the all-important five gowden rings.
The stunningly beautiful illustrations bring this Scots version of the ever-popular Christmas song to life in vivid detail. Inspired by the traditional verse, this adaptation features easy-to-understand (and pronounce) Scots words and creatures, including hoolets (owls) and bonnie doos (beautiful doves).
I think this is my favorite of all the new books I purchased this year.
“No gift is too small for Jesus when it is given with humility and love.
Joel is seven years old and is the son of the Kings’ stableman. With his Dad, he is traveling with the Magi as they follow the star to Bethlehem, to meet the newborn King. All of them are bringing very special gifts, such as gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But Joel is the only one in the caravan who isn’t carrying a gift for the new King. Since he knows how to whittle wood, Joel decides to carve a little camel for the baby. Soon he discovers that his humble gift is more special than all the others.”
Once again this year I will be hosting FOUR Advent and Christmas themed giveaways! Here is the first giveaway in preparation for the feast of St. Nicholas:
Prize #1 – Set of Five Cookie Stamps with Recipe Booklet
For Teens:
For Children:
The Forgotten Christmas Saint: Saint Anastasia
Animals of God Volume 2 (includes a story of St. Thecla)
Saint Philomena Powerful Love Coloring Book
“What a fun give away! I would love the collection of martyr stories for my kiddos. Great book recommendations, too! Thank you!”
sponsored by Saints Around the World (value $58.00)
“Have a Merry and Blessed Christmas!”
And here is the link to my original St. Nicholas Chocolate Coins and the updated version I created last year!
For additional Christmas book suggestions you can find some of our lists in the archives:
Saint Nicholas & the Nine Gold Coins {Beautiful book!}
Christmas Mosaic: A Review & Featured Book List
35 Favorite Christmas Picture Books for Children
Feasts & Seasons :: Advent & Christmas Collection
Our 2015 Advent Book Basket and Printable Labels
Our 2016 Advent Book Basket and Printable Labels
Our 2017 Advent Book Basket and Printable Labels
Our 2018 Advent Book Basket and Printable Labels
{I’m planning to share our 2020 Basket and Labels soon!}
New Christmas Books for the Feast of St. Nicholas:
2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Stacks of Books on Christmas Morning or Epiphany:
2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Soldier of Christ: The Sacrament of Confirmation
This weekend, on November 14, 2020, our 15 year old daughter (along with over 50 other teens from our parish) was Confirmed in the Extraordinary Form by her uncle who had been delegated and given facilities by the bishop! That makes four sacraments now (Baptism, First Confession, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation) that she has received from her uncles!
We weren’t allowed to take pictures during the Confirmations. There was a photographer though so we are looking forward to seeing those pictures! Holy Mass followed the Confirmations.
Celebrating the Saints :: Our 2020 Costumes
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| St. Helena, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Anges + Lamb, St. Rose of Lima, St, Michael the Archangel |
St. Teresa of Avila’s heart was physically pierced by an arrow of God’s love! After exhuming her body, they discovered a puncture wound in her heart. Read the description from her autobiography:
Sleepytime Saints A to Z
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!
Saint-O-Lanterns
On Friday night, while Sean and I enjoyed a lovely night out at our favorite Italian restaurant, our teens babysat and carved pumpkins with their younger siblings. This year’s Saint-O-Lanterns are repeats from past years, but they wanted to go with a patriotic and pro-life theme with the presidential elections happening now. Pray for our country!
All Saints Guessing Jars
I know it’s last minute, but I wanted to quickly share the 18 NEW All Saints Guessing Jars and Labels that I came up with and made for this year! I think that puts it up to about 80 options between these and all the others that can be found in the archives over the years.
Here is the link to all of my FREE All Saints Party Printables!
I have way too much fun trying to connect saints with treats! During my usual grocery shopping trips during October I wander the snacks and candy isles trying to come up with new ideas.
“Are there any saints who would work for Teddy Grahams or Gummy Bears???”
…. google search…. I found three options right away… Perfect!
St. Gall: “The most popular story about St Gall says that once he was travelling in the woods of what is now Switzerland. One evening he was sitting down warming his hands at a fire. A bear emerged from the woods and charged. The holy man rebuked the bear, so awed by his presence it stopped its attack and slunk off to the trees. There it gathered firewood before returning to share the heat of the fire with St Gall. The legend says that for the rest of his days St Gall was followed around by his companion the bear.”
St. Corbinian: (The bear featured on Pope Benedict XVI’s papal coat of arms, known as St. Corbinian’s Bear.) “The bear figures in a legend about St. Corbinian, an 8th-century bishop of Freising, in Bavaria. The story goes that, while Corbinian travelled along a road to Rome, a bear jumped out of a wood and killed Corbinian’s pack-horse. The saintly bishop reprimanded the bear and forced him to carry his pack the rest of the way to Rome. The bear has remained a traditional symbol of the Archdiocese of Munich-Freising, and was featured on Joseph Ratzinger’s episcopal coat of arms as head of that archdiocese, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and finally pope.”
St. Olcese: “Legend says that a bear once killed one of a pair of oxen that were pulling a cart of building materials for St. Olcese. The bear then turned to attack Olcese, but the saint blessed the bear, made the sign of the cross over it, and the animal took the place of the ox it had just killed. The bear and the remaining ox then hauled the materials to the site where Olcese used them to build a church.”
Almond Joy… Yum! Any way to tie those to a saint? How about St. Philip Neri who is the Patron Saint of Joy! “A joyful heart is more easily made perfect than a downcast one.”- St. Philip Neri
I’ve used the Pink & White Flower Cookies for St. Therese The Little Flower, but they also work for St. Rose, Patron of Florists! The Fleur de Sel Caramels that we’ve used for St. Joan of Arc also work for St. Dennis of Paris, Patron of France.
Salt Water Taffy? Perfect for Stella Maris, Our Lady Star of the Sea!
Sometimes I’ll start with a certain saint that I would like to add and read through their symbols and the various things they are patron of and try and come up with an idea that way. One of my daughters will be getting Confirmed in a couple weeks and has chosen St. Philomena. Since she happens to be “Patron Against Sickness” I decided to fill a jar with Vitamin C Pops in her honor!
Rocket Crackers are perfect for St. Joseph of Cupertino, Patron of Astronauts!
Instead of using the animal crackers for St. Francis of Assisi or as “wild beasts” for Sts. Perpetual and Felicity, they are now St. Anthony’s Domestic Animals.
We’ve featured many options for fish in the past… This year it’s St. Zeno of Verona, Protector of Fisherman!
Instead of reusing the Cat Cookies for St. Jerome or St. Gertrude of Nivelles, Patron of Cats, I made up a label featuring St. Mark the Evangelist and The Lion of St. Mark.
Annie’s Bunnies… Any Saints that are linked to bunnies? St. Melangell, Patron of Hares! I love learning about new saints through this fun little challenge to myself! 😉
The Welsh antiquarian Thomas Pennant (1726–1798) related the story of Melangell:
Her legend relates that she was the daughter of an Irish monarch, who had determined to marry her to a nobleman of his court. The princess had vowed celibacy. She fled from her father’s dominions and took refuge in this place, where she lived fifteen years without seeing the face of a man. Brochwel Yscythrog, Prince of Powys, being one day a hare hunting, pursued his game till he came to a great thicket; when he was amazed to find a virgin of surpassing beauty, engaged in deep devotion, with the hare he had been pursuing under her robe, boldly facing the dogs, who retired to a distance howling, notwithstanding all the efforts of the sportsmen to make them seize their prey. Even when the huntsman blew his horn, it stuck to his lips. Brochwel heard her story, and gave to God and her a parcel of lands, to be a sanctuary to all that fled there. He desired her to found an abbey on the spot. She did so, and died abbess at a good old age. She was buried in the neighbouring church, called Pennant, and from, her distinguished by the addition of Melangell. Her hard bed is shown in the cleft of a neighbouring rock. Her tomb was in a little chapel, or oratory, adjoining to the church, and now used as a vestry room. This room is still called ‘Cell-y-bedd’ or the Cell of the Grave. Her reliques as well as her image have been long since removed; but I think the last is still to be seen in the churchyard. The legend is perpetuated by some rude wooden carving of the Saint, with numbers of hares scuttling to her for protection. She properly became their Patroness. They were called ‘Oen Melangell’ (St. Monacella’s Lambs).
This year the Schoolbook Cookies are getting linked to St. Catherine of Alexandria, one of the patrons of Teachers and Students.
When trying to come up with an idea for St. John the Evangelist, I thought that Candy Corn sort of resemble Eagle’s Talons, so I went with that for his jar.
I also added a label for St. Apollonia (not pictured) which would be fun to include filled with ZolliPops The Clean Teeth Lollipop!
A couple of the labels are repeats, but with different items inside. This time I filled the jar for St. Drogo with Espresso Beans, and I included St. Maria, wife of St. Isidore, on the jar filled with Autumn Mix for these patrons of farmers.
Like last year, I also made additional guess pages to go along with each of the jars.
You can download this year’s printable labels here…
Eucharistic Procession in Honor of Christ the King
The Little Flower :: DIY St. Therese Infant Costume
If you are looking for a simple last minute DIY costume idea for All Hallows’ Eve or All Saints’ Day, here is what I ended up making for our baby girl last year!
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