1. Rorate Coeli: Marian Sounds of Advent CD from Clear Creek Abbey
2. The Poorest Shepherd by Maura McKeegan Roan
3. Advent Mug from The Little Rose Shop
4. The Curious Christmas Trail by Haley Stewart – BRAND NEW release from Pauline Books and Media. This is the second in the series following The Pursuit of the Pilfered Cheese.
5. Beloved Son: Joseph and Jesus also by Maura Roan McKeegan! I have loved all of her books and excited to add this to our Old and New Series collection.
6. The Wise Men Who Found Christmas – I posted our review here.
7. Floating Pine Christmas Candle from Truck + Barter – I just picked up one of these limited edition candles from my sweet friend Julia. Love it! Use code “Jessica” to save 15%
8. Christmas Nativity Rosary from Rugged Rosaries – They have a beautiful 2022 Limited Edition Christmas Rosary too!
9. Christmas Notecards from Regina Sanctorum – Her candles are gorgeous too!

.: Feast of St. Nicholas :. 

.: Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe :.

1. Guadalupe Mysteries: Deciphering the Code
2. Our Lady of Guadalupe Swaddle from The Little Rose Shop – we also love her Vintage Guadalupe Inspired Short Sleeve T-shirt
3. The Virgin of Guadalupe (1000 Piece)
4. Our Lady of Guadalupe Candle
5. Our Lady of Guadalupe Gown and Bonnet – From the shop that has made all my favorite baby gowns. I would have loved this for our little “Christmas Rose!”  Hard to believe she turns 13 this December! Her leggings and OLG twirl dresses are darling too! Coupon code SHOWEROFROSES will save you 10% in her shop!
6. Our Lady of Guadalupe Tote Bag
7. Our Lady of Guadalupe Rosary from Come Holy Spirit Rosaries
8. Our Lady of Guadalupe Pop-Up Book – You can get a peek at the inside here.
9. Cloak of Roses – Our Lady of Guadalupe from Regina Martryum Productions

.: Santa Lucia Day :.

1. St. Lucia 8×10 Swedish Christmas God Jul Print
2. Attendants Candle Plush
3. Lucia Saint of Light picture book- and (hard to get!) Santa Lucia Doll from Marzipantz!
4. Lucia, Lucia Crown, God Jul, and Christmas Candle Cookie Stamps
5. White Dress for Young Women to pair with Red Ribbon and Lucia Crown
6. St. Lucy Quote Mug
7. Lucia Crown  – Gold with LED Lights
8. St. Lucia’s Light Notecard
9. Santa Lucia Braided Bread or Lussekatter – Bake extra for a friend!

Scroll through all of our past St. Lucy posts here

.: Favorite Nativity Sets :.

1. Kurt Adler Wooden Nativity Advent Calendar with 24 Magnetic Figures
2. Joseph Walking and Mary on the Donkey
3. Ostheimer Nativity Miniature Set
4. Ostheimer Nativity Set Full Size – The started set of nine figures a number of years ago and we’ve slowly been adding to the collection ever since. Additional pieces can be found here. The last couple years they have unfortunately increased by about 40% and can be hard to find in stock. 
5. Full Nativity Block Set from Almond Rod Toy – You can also buy the Nativity Craft Sheets and make your own blocks! 
6. The Giving Manger – I place this little manger at the end of our little path that Joseph, Mary and Donkey travel during Advent.
7. Saintly Heart Nativity Playset sponsored by Saintly Heart
8. Playmobil Nativity
9. Shining Light Dolls Nativity Collection

Please note: Our children usually unwrap three gifts from my husband and I on Christmas morning- something they need, something they want, and one other gift which is usually faith based. We draw names on the first Sunday of Advent for Christkindl and end with a family Christkindl gift exchange. It’s always the first thing they want to do after our morning prayers (or morning Mass if we didn’t make it to the Midnight Mass) on Christmas Day! They also receive books on Epiphany (which often include many books that have been given to me to review, or school books for the next semester). The gift suggestions listed below have been received over a number of different years/occasions (the more expensive items are typically a birthday gift), handed down from older siblings, or on their wish list.

Once again I asked my college “kids” to help with the gift guide again… 

.: Twinkle Toes’ Picks – Age 19 :.

Here is what she sent me to include: 

.: Chiquita’s Picks – Age 17 :.

1. Cross and Rose Stirling Silver Ring – This I think is my favorite piece of jewelry that I own! It’s sooo pretty and a good reminder of Christ’s suffering and how we ought to always follow His example.
2. Who’s Your Hero Heart Fleece Hoodie – Perfect for the Idaho cold and a great addition to my Chai/Book duo!
3. Kala Ukulele – My ukulele is so pretty and, though it’s larger than most, I love the size. I especially recommend the Kala Klipz Clip-On Tuner to go along with it!
4. Benedictus – The Benedictus consists of daily morning and evening Divine office prayers, mass readings for every day of the month, daily meditations, and weekly fun facts about the faith. It’s great!
5. Vintage Typewriter – This gift really caught me off guard last Christmas! I had been joking (but sort of not) that I wanted a typewriter, but knew that it was just too crazy of a gift to expect… then I unwrapped it!!! I love it! It makes all of the special typewriter sounds that I have always loved (the little ding at the end 🤩), it’s not all plasticky and cheap, and it looks sooo cool! Thanks again, Mom and Dad!
6. Miraculous Slider Necklace from Telos Art Shop – Another one of my favorite jewelry pieces! It’s super pretty and I wear it with pretty much everything. On the inside, the Lord’s Prayer is inscribed. Every time I wear it, my baby sister slides it open and asks “What does this say, Clare?” She knows that it’s the Our Father, but she asks just to recite it with me. The only downside to this necklace is that it patinas so I would recommend getting something for it. The website recommends EverBright.
7. Pilot FriXion Colors Erasable Marker, 6 Color Set – I especially like the pastel 6 marker set to go along with my Academic Planner cover for this year! It takes the staying organized to a whole ‘nother lever…
8. All Creatures Great and Small Book Set or start with the first and add to the collection! – It was so funny when my older brother saw me reading the book and was like “Wait.. it’s a book?” Then he saw the author and was like “Wait… JAMES HERRIOT IS AN ACTUAL PERSON?!? They’re such fun books, nice and relaxing (after all of my Dickens!), and chock full of stories.
9. Leather Boots – These are my FAVORITE boots (partially because they add an inch or two to my height 👀), but also because they are just so cute and they go along with so many of my dresses. Although they aren’t sold anymore, I would definitely recommend boots like these.  (Mom here to add: I bought these Born Mallory Boots and a pair of black ones just like them many, many years ago on clearance from Garnet Hill. They were my favorites too, until my back and stability issues couldn’t handle heels any longer!  My girls, who now happen to fit them were each handed down a pair this past year… How’d they grow up so fast?!? Don’t tell her, but she’s getting these for Christmas – I ordered them when they were 60% off – and I think she’s going to love them too!) 

1. Fagus Wooden Trucks and Vehicles  – German crafted and made of solid Beechwood. We have been collecting for awhile and have the Limited Edition Red Fire Engine, Jeep, Snow Plow add on, Container Tipper Truck, Front End Loader, Conveyor Belt, and the Excavator, Tractors and Trailers. My little girls love them even more than their older brother did when they were younger! Look for them in the US at The Wooden Wagon, Nova Natural and Bella Luna Toys.
2. Grimms Spiel und Holz Wooden Toys – Grimm’s Counting Rainbow (similar to this) with Grimm’s Natural Semicircles Building Set.
3. Ostheimer Toys – Collectible hand carved figures made in Germany and finished with non-toxic stains and finished with natural oils. Collections include: Family Figures, Fairy Tale Characters, Farm Animals, Woodland Animals, Zoo Animals, and landscape pieces, such as Trees, Fences, Ponds, Grass and much more!  We have been collecting these for years now. They have gotten hard to come by the past couple years (frequently out of stock everywhere in the US) and have really increased in price, but we still love them.  You can find them in the US at the same stores as the Fagus Vehicles above.
4. Interlocking Blocks – I keep a basket of these (2 or 3 sets of 92) in a basket in our living room and they are played with daily! I’ve blogged more about these here.
5. Saint Blocks from Almond Rod Toys – SAVE 10% with code: MERRY (valid November 2022)
6. Thomas the Train Wooden Train Track, Buildings and Trains – we pulled our old train set out and the girls have been loving it!  I’m planning to slip a couple new engines into their stockings, including Rosie.
7. Melissa & Doug Medieval Folding Castle – We bought this over ten years ago and it’s still a favorite. We have (and LOVE the Princess Castle too- it was the first one I purchased of the two) but unfortunately it’s not currently available. Also, wood toys have at least doubled in price… Back then I paid around $50 for each! They have been played with by all of our children and are still getting played with frequently! We also have the Fold and Go Wooden Dollhouse.
8. Wooden Peg Dolls – Perfect for painting dolls as gifts for younger siblings! 😉
9. Grapat Sorting Toys – I bought a couple of these for Easter Baskets and planning to add more in this year’s stockings and next year’s Easter Baskets. Our little girls love them!  They are also great for using along with their Fagus Dump Truck, Trailers and Conveyor Belt.

.: Board Games – Family Favorites :. 

  

1. Captain’s favorite (age 22) – Catan (we have this edition and pretty much every add on) followed by Settler’s of America
2. Ranger’s favorite (age 20) – Catan, Trekking the National Parks, and Ticket to Ride
3. Celtic Kitten’s favorite (age 19) – Payday, Clue Retro Edition and Monopoly
4. Chiquita’s favorite (age 17) – Clue Retro Edition, Ticket to Ride, Escape from Colditz and Payday
5. Snuggles’ favorite (age 15) – Escape from Colditz: 75th Anniversary Edition
6. Rose’s favoite (age 12) – Ticket to Ride
7. Bud’s favorite (age 10) – Lord of the Rings Monopoly (we have this older edition), WWII Axis & Allies & Lord of the Rings Risk
8. Grace’s Favorite (age 5) – Bird Bingo
9. Joy’s Favorite (age 3) – Candy Land (65th Anniversary Retro Edition)

.: Christmas Puzzles :.

1. Stained Glass Nativity (1000 Piece)
2. Christkindlmarkt (1000 Piece)
3. Evening Nativity (550 Piece)
4. Midnight Mass (1000 Piece)
5. Stained Glass Holy Night (1000 Piece)
6. Neighborhood Nativity (1000 Piece)
7. Christmas Tree Farm (1000 Piece)
8. Good Will To All (500 Piece) – This 300 Piece Version is pretty too.
9. Snow Globes Nativity Puzzle (1000 Piece)

.: Christmas Music :.

 

** Some of these have unlimited free streaming included with Prime on Amazon! **

1. Sancta Nox – Christmas Masses from Bavaria
2. Caroling at Ephesus
3. Christmas at Ephesus
4. Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring: Christmas with The Dominican Sisters of Mary
5. Catholic Christmas Classics
6. In Nativitate Domini – Gregorian Chants for the Four Masses of Christmas
7. Christmas in Harvard Square
8. Catholic Songs for Children – includes: Gather Round the Crib at Christmas and The Best Christmas Present of All
9. In Epiphania Domini – Gregorian Chants for the Four Sundays of Epiphany

*We also love the Christmas music from Celtic Thunder, Michael Buble, Bing Crosby and so many others! I’d love to hear your favorites!  Oh, and for Advent Music check out Legends of St. Nicholas, Adventus and Advent at Ephesus!

 

1. 2022 Traditional Latin Mass Calendar from FSSP (Extraordinary Form) 
2. 2022 Saints Calendar and 16 Month Daily Planner from TAN (Ordinary Form + Extraordinary Form -My husband and I both use this every year!)
3. Elizabeth Clare Planners – Very lovely planners with lots of accessories!
4. Fiat Traditional Catholic Planner – We’ve loved our posters. Excited to see this! 
5. 2023 Cathedrals Wall Calendar from TAN (Ordinary Form + Extraordinary Form)
6. 2023 Catholic Calendar from Saints Galore (Ordinary Form + Extraordinary Form) 
7. 2023 The Angels Wall Calendar from TAN (Ordinary Form + Extraordinary Form)
8. The Saintmaker Catholic Life Planner – I’ve never seen this in person but sounds interesting!
9.  The Illustrated Liturgical Year Calendar Subscription – Receive four 18×24 fully colored and illustrated liturgical calendar posters each quarter!

Prize #04 – 2023 Wall Calendar, 2023 Catholic Planner plus tabs, Rosary Flip Book, Stations Flip Book and Catholic Planner Sticker Sampler sponsored by Elizabeth Clare (value $144.98)

Prize #06 – Handmade St. Francis of Assisi rosary in solid bronze and liturgical brocade rosary pouch sponsored by Come Holy Spirit Rosaries (value $117.00)

Prize #08 – Coffee and Kids Christmas give away!!!! Sit down, relax, and enjoy a cup of high quality, award winning coffee from Guadalupe Roastery while your children read an issue of St. Mary’s Messenger Magazine. This special give away includes (2) One year, quarterly subscriptions of St. Mary’s Messenger Magazine valued at $19.95 each. PLUS (2) 14 oz. bags of Nicaragua Matagalpa coffee valued at $16.95 each. Sponsored by St. Mary’s Messenger and Guadalupe Roastery (value $113.70)

Prize #16 – Christmas with the Saints Book Set sponsored by author Susan Peek (value $82.00)

Prize #24 – Lilla Rose Hair Clip (small size), featuring a rose, a matching headband, and a $17 Gift Card sponsored by Kathryn Baltrinic (value $56.00)