I Still Believe!

My oldest children are getting to the age where they are having questions about how those gifts arrive every Christmas Eve.  I want to give them an explanation that touches on the real meaning of Christmas.  I also want them to still believe, but with a more mature belief that is rooted in our faith. After all, I still believe!

Below is my letter, feel free to use it with your own family.   My letter is currently in an envelope, unopened.  our oldest has decided he doesn't need to read it yet.

Have a blessed, and belief-filled Advent!

Dear

You have been dropping hints that you have some questions about Santa Claus.  I think you are now old enough to have those questions answered.

Santa Claus IS real.  He was St. Nicholas, a fourth century bishop in what is now modern day Turkey.  He had a special love for children, and did what he could to help them.  When he died, he went to Heaven to be with God, where he watches over children throughout the world.  You can ask him to ask God to help you with a problem, and St. Nicholas will pray for you.

St. Nicholas has many spiritual descendants here on earth.  They are not his children in the sense that you are my child, but are people who believe as he did and who follow his example of giving to others without expecting anything in return.  They leave gifts in St. Nicholas’ name for children on St. Nicholas Day, Christmas, and Epiphany.  They do this to share a little of God’s love, hope, and light with the world.  Doing this during the holidays reminds all of us of the very first Christmas gift given by God, His only begotten son, Jesus.

When you are little, there is wonder and excitement in receiving gifts.  When you are older, the wonder is in giving.  It is in knowing you have helped someone, or in watching little ones get so excited that Santa has come.  We become St. Nicholas.  We give so that we can pass on St. Nicholas’ message of God’s love and hope to the next generation.  

I still believe in Santa Claus, and I hope you will too.  I believe when I see people helping others, encouraging others, bringing joy to others.  I know that they are following Nicholas’ example, and by doing so they are reminding people of God’s love.  

                             With love,

Everything Advent!

A beautiful Advent snowfall in front of our church last year.

Looking for ways to keep the Advent in the season this year, instead of just the holidays?  You've come to the right place!  This is where you'll find ideas, links, and suggestions to include our faith in this wonderful time of the year.

First a little background on what Advent actually is.  It means 'coming' and it is the time when we prepare for the coming of Jesus at Christmas.  We are actually preparing for three arrivals of Jesus:  We remember how he came into the world as an infant, both human and divine, to save us from our sins by dying for us on the cross; we prepare a place for Him to dwell in our hearts now, and to receive Him in Holy Communion; and we prepare for His final coming at the end of days.  So, we actually have three Christmases to prepare for, Jesus's arrival 2,000 years ago, His arrival in our lives today, and His arrival in the future.  The only question is, when He arrives, will we be ready to let Him in?

Advent is the first season in the liturgical year (the church's yearly cycle) so it is completely appropriate to wish your family a, "Happy New Year!" on the first Sunday of Advent.  Although we say that it is four weeks long, it usually isn't.  The only time that Advent is four full weeks is if Christmas falls on a Sunday.  This is because there are four Sundays of Advent, but not necessarily four full weeks.  If December 25th happens to be on a Monday, Advent is really only three weeks and a day, because the fourth Sunday of Advent would actually be the morning of Christmas Eve!

An Advent wreath is a great tradition, and we had several last year!

So, how do we have a truly meaningful Advent when, especially with all of the holiday rushing, it is over in the blink of an eye?  To be honest, it takes a certain amount of commitment and discipline to intentionally slow down, pray, and really nurture our faith during this beautiful, but often hectic, time of year.  I find that the best ways to do so usually involve setting times that aren't negotiable and are very simple to pull off.  I also like to emphasize some of the saint day celebrations during Advent, such as St. Nicholas or Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Some years we are able to do many of these, and other years we simply pray special prayers together every night.  The ideas below are meant to serve as a list of ideas with the hope that some of them will connect with you and your family.  You do NOT need to do all of them, or even many of them, to have a meaningful Advent.  Pick a few that you know you can do, make it work for your family, and enjoy the season.  After all, we're preparing for a wonderful guest.  There should, before anything else, be joy in that!

Remember where we're headed!

Advent reading:  Go here for a list of my favorite Advent books.  I borrow many of these from the library every year, and sometimes our favorites will show up on St. Nicholas day or Christmas morning!  We usually read as a family several nights a week, so during this time of the year, it might as well be an Advent or Nativity themed book!

Coloring Pages:  

Here are some Advent themed wreaths and calendars from Activity Village.  The Advent wreath has four candles, three purple and one pink, that are lit every Sunday of Advent.  The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday, reminding us that the time of waiting is almost over.  The wreath, much like the calendar, helps us count down until Christmas.

Check out the links to many Advent themed coloring pages and activities over at The Catholic Toolbox.

These Jesse Tree ornaments from RCA can be colored and then cut out and hung on a branch.  The Jesse Tree traces Jesus's lineage.  It is named for King David's father, from whom Jesus was descended.

Domestic-Church has the Jesse Tree images and Bible readings to go along with them.

Advent Wreath:  Go here for an Advent Wreath craft for young children that will be safe for them to keep in their rooms.

Celebrating the Saints:  Go here for ways to celebrate the saints during Advent!

Have a Blessed and Happy Advent Season!

Carolyn

Celebrating the Advent Saints

It’s easy to get caught up in the craziness of the Holidays that we forget the importance of Advent.  Celebrating the feast days of the saints during Advent is an easy way to keep your focus on the importance of the season, the preparation of welcoming Jesus to come into our hearts and homes at Christmas.  Below are some ideas for feast days of various Advent saints, and a little information about each saint to share with your family.

Many of these ideas are probably things that you do to get ready for Christmas anyway, but by repurposing them around the saints you can keep your family focused on what’s important this time of the year with ttle to no extra effort on your part!  If you want to find new traditions, you can definitely try something here, but if the season already feels overwhelming, you can probably pull off one or two of these ideas by just incorporating them into what you are already doing.  I can guarantee that I won’t be doing every idea in this list this year, but I will take the ones that mean the most to me and that are the simplest for me to do.  Do what works for your family, and above all, ave a blessed Advent!

St. Andrew,  Nov. 30^th :  Pray the St. Andrew Novena today!  St. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist.  He left John and joined Jesus when John pointed Jesus out as the Messiah.  Andrew recognized Jesus as such very quickly and became Jesus’ first apostle. 

St. Francis Xavier, Dec. 3^rd :  Play Advent (or Christmas) music today!  St. Francis Xavier was a missionary who traveled the world teaching people about God and baptizing converts.  He always began by teaching children, and he would call them for lessons by ringing a bell in the middle of the town or city he was visiting. 

St. John Damascene, Dec. 4^th :  Put out nativity images, sets, and pictures today!  St. John Damascene argued against the iconoclasts, who thought that it was wrong to look at sacred images, fearing they would be confused with God and worshipped instead of Him .  St. John argued that images could be used, that the faithful would know and understand the difference, and that images could help us engage our senses and come to know the Lord more deeply.  Imagine how your Christmas would look without those wonderful Nativity scenes!  **If you put your set out today, you might want to leave baby Jesus out of the scene, and add Him on Christmas Eve. 

St. Nicholas, Dec. 6^th:  Put out shoes so that St. Nicholas can visit your house and bring small treats such as chocolate coins, candy canes and oranges!  St. Nicholas was a special protector of children and the poor.  Born wealthy, he would anonymously give money to those in need.  He became the bishop of Myra.

St. Ambrose, Dec. 7^th:  Decorate a Christ candle (the white one that goes in the middle of the Advent wreath on Christmas) today!  St. Ambrose was a gifted preacher who became the Bishop of Milan because the people so badly wanted him

to be their bishop.  He hadn’t even been baptized yet!  He is the patron saint of beekeepers and candle makers.

St. Juan Diego, Dec. 9^th:  Drink hot chocolate, an Aztec drink, today!  Juan Diego was an Aztec peasant who had a vision of the Blessed Mother.  She asked him to bring a message to the local bishop to have a church constructed in Mexico.  The bishop asked Juan Diego for a sign, and Mary sent Juan Diego back to the bishop with roses that grew in the cold winter.  These hid another miracle, however, when Juan Diego opened his tilma (cloak) to show the bishop the flowers, they spilled out, revealing an image of the Blessed Mother. 

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dec. 12^th:  Have Mexican for dinner tonight, and read the story of Mary’s appearance to St. Juan Diego in Mexico.  Our Lady of Guadalupe is the same story as above.  She appeared to St. Juan Diego as an Aztec Princess.  There are many stories written about Mary’s appearance in Mexico, look it up online or check out The Lady of Guadalupe by Tomie dePaola from your library.

St. Lucy, Dec. 13^th:  Light your Christmas tree for the first time tonight!  St. Lucy was an early Christian who was martyred (killed) for her faith.  Her name means ‘light’ and is especially meaningful during Advent as we wait for the Light of the World, Jesus, to come at Christmas.  Girls in Sweden also get up early and serve their families sticky buns on St. Lucy’s feast day. 

How Much Do You Know About Pope Francis?

What a blessed week we are having!  It isn't very often that the Holy Father comes to visit us, and the kids and I have been glued to the TV for the past several days.  I decided that I wanted my children to be able to learn something while they watched all of the coverage, so below is my worksheet about the Pope for kids! Just click on the link, print it out, and you'll have conversation starters while you watch our Holy Father for the next few days!

Pope Francis in America

What do you know about the Holy Father?

1. Pope Francis’s name before he was pope was Cardinal Jorge ____________________.

     2.    Pope Francis comes from __________________ and is the first pope from __________

            _______________.

    

    3. Pope Francis is the first pope to address a joint session of ______________________.

    4. The name of the airplane Pope Francis is on has been dubbed  ____________________  

      ____ by American reporters, even though it is actually just a normal airplane!

    5. Pope Francis took his name when he became pope after Saint ______________   ____

________________.

    6. Pope Francis is also a ____________ ____ ___________, because Vatican City is a

‘city-state’ meaning it has it’s own government apart from any country.

    7. Pope Francis is also the Successor of Saint ______________ and is also the leader of

the _______________  Church!

    8. Pope Francis canonized Saint ________________   ____________ while in Washington,

DC.  He is the first  ______________  ___________ saint and the first saint ever to be

  canonized in the ______________   _____________!

Argentina            Congress                     Hispanic American             Shepherd I                         Bergoglio           Francis of Assisi          Junipero Serra                   South America     Catholic              Head of State               Peter                                    United States

Here are the answers:

1.  Bergoglio        2.  Argentina, South America       3.  Congress       4.  Shepherd I      5.  Francis of Assisi 6.  Head of State       7.  Peter, Catholic     8.  Junipero Serra, Hispanic American, United States


Looking for more ideas?  Lacy over at Catholic Icing has a wonderful collection of crafts and activities that are all pope-themed.  Below is a picture of my son sporting the zucchetto we made.  That's the little white hat that the pope wears.  The template is on Lacy's site and is very easy!

Pope Francis will soon be in Philadelphia to attend the World Meeting of Families, and convening a synod on the family in October.  A synod is a gathering of many of the world's cardinals and bishops to advise the Pope on important matters.  Pope Francis's holding of one specifically on families shows just how important he thinks the role of the family is in the life of the church.

Enjoy these next few days with your family.  It's a great opportunity to curl up in front of the tv with your kids, pop some popcorn, and enjoy the wonderful scenes of our Holy Father this week!

St. Nicholas Owen Fun for Kids

The Actor hiding in his priest hole.

Did you know that there is a St. Nicholas, other than the one who fills shoes during Advent?  This Nicholas was the Englishman St. Nicholas Owen, a lay Jesuit who protected priests during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I.  He is almost always a Lenten saint, except for the few times Easter falls on his feast day, March 22nd.  (That's not very often; the last time it happened was in 1818, and it won't happen again until 2285!)

St. Nicholas lived in England during a very difficult time for Catholics.  It was illegal to practice the Catholic faith, and any priest caught saying Mass, or anyone protecting them, was arrested and often killed. Nevertheless, many priests continued to celebrate Mass in private homes.  If the authorities arrived, the priests would need places to hide, sometimes for days while the property was searched.  St. Nicholas Owen built hiding places, called priest holes or hides, for them.  St. Nicholas often built hides that not only concealed the priests, but also had a way for the priests to get food.  They were ingenious enough that often the authorities couldn't find the hides, so well were they built into the structure of the house.  St. Nicholas always prayed before beginning a hide, which is why his hiding places were so inspired!

St. Nicholas was eventually caught and martyred in 1606.  He protected the Catholic community even after his arrest, as the authorities were unable to make him reveal any of the secrets of the underground network of Catholics.  It is said that he knew enough information to bring down the entire English Catholic church.

Here are some ways to introduce this fascinating saint to your family and celebrate his feast day!

Play hide and seek:  Why not have a game of hide and seek?  The Catholic with the best priest hole (hiding spot) wins!

Build a Priest Hole:  Ever make forts out of boxes, furniture, and blankets?  Same idea, but build the fort and then add places for faithful priests to hide!

Serve Afternoon Tea:  St. Nicholas Owen was English, so take the opportunity to introduce your children to an English custom.  Serve small pastries, finger sandwiches, scones with jam, and of course tea!  A tip:  If your kids are like mine and prone to climbing the walls, make sure that the tea is decaffeinated. 

St. Nicholas Owen, pray for us!

Carolyn

Lenten Book Basket

One thing that my kids really look forward to every Lent is our book basket.  I check a ton of books out from the library and we read one or two every night around dinner time.  Some nights we read more, some not at all if we have plans or school events. What I like about the basket is that it is so flexible, there when we need it and still there when we don't have the time.  We read much more on the weekends, and less on school nights.  My point here is that the basket shouldn't be overwhelming. Choose 10-15 books to read over the course of Lent, and if you finish those, you can add more!  The basket is a cherished tradition in our house, but the kids know that we read throughout Lent, with no set pattern of when or how many books. You can bet that anytime they think we have a spare minute, they ask for the basket!  My boys (2nd and 4th grades) are also allowed to take books out of the basket and read them, provided they put them back.

We try to become more of who God wants us to be during Lent, to enter into a deeper relationship with Him and remember our need for His presence in our lives.  Keeping this in mind with our basket, I try to find stories with a strong moral undertone- how to treat others, honesty, kindness, working together, and so on, for the first half of Lent.  Those books are below:

Max Lucado is a Christian author and preacher.  Although not specifically Catholic, his books for children challenge kids to figure out who God is calling them to be, and reminds them to use their gifts and talents in the way God intended.  All three of my children, now preschool, 2nd and 4th grades really enjoy these books.

Just the Way You Are, by Max Lucado:  A girl has no particular talent to make something special for a visiting king.  What the king actually wants, however, is an important lesson for not only for her, but all of us.

Your Special Gift, by Max Lucado:  A group of wooden creatures are given secret gifts!  Can they figure out how to use them?

The Oak Inside the Acorn, by Max Lucado:  A book abut growing into who you are meant to be. 

    

Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler by Margery Cuyler:  The kids in Mrs. Ruler's class learn about kindness and the snowball effect it can have.

Because of You by B.G. Hennessy:  A secular book about the impact one person can have on the world.  We will talk about how God makes each of us uniquely suited to make a difference, and how it is our choice whether or not we do what He calls us to do.

Bone Soup by Cambria Evans:  This is basically 'Stone Soup' but with Halloween themed monsters.  Perfect for boys!  The villagers find that when everyone contributes, they all have enough.

The Walls of Cartagena by Julia Durango:  This is a wonderful historical fiction chapter book about the slave trade and the work that St. Peter Claver did in the 1600's in what is now Columbia.  It is definitely for 4th-5th grade and up, as much of the subject matter, while not inappropriate, could be upsetting and unsettling to sensitive kids.  As an example the conditions of the slave ships and how the slaves were treated is described vividly in the story.  I would definitely recommend reading it before handing it over to your child.  It will give kids a sense of the order of the Jesuits during this time period, and of the selfless work that St. Peter Claver did with the slaves.

The Empty Pot by Demi:  A Chinese legend about honesty.

The Hungry Coat by Demi:  A Turkish legend about judging a book by it's cover.

Erandi's Braids by Tomie de Paola:  A story from Mexico about sacrifice.

The Stonecutter:  I added no author because we usually check out a different version of this legend every year.  It is the traditional story of thinking the grass is always greener somewhere else.  Another version along the same lines is 'The Fisherman and his Wife.'

Later in Lent, we begin to read books that are more religious in nature, or that relate the story of Holy Week.  Here are some that we'll be reading this year.

The Glorious Impossible by Madeleine L'Engle:  This gorgeous book tells the life of Jesus and is illustrated with images of Giotto's frescoes.  A great book for older kids, especially to introduce them to some wonderful artwork.

The Tale of the Three Trees retold by Angela Elwell Hunt:  This is by far one of our all time favorite stories.  My kids retell the story throughout the year and we read the book several times each Lent.  It begins with three trees dreaming of what they want to be someday...and how God took those dreams and made them bigger than anyone could imagine.

Simon and the Easter Miracle by Mary Joslin:  This book tells a fictional account of Simon, the man who was forced to help Jesus carry His cross.  Simon is portrayed as very human, and I like that.

At Jerusalem's Gate, Poems of Easter by Nikki Grimes:  A book of poetry about the events of  Holy Week.  Good for older children (4th grade and up.)

The Story of the Easter Robin by Dandi Daley Mackall:  Tells of a girl worried about a family of robins, along the way, she learns of how the robin got it's red breast and that she must entrust the robins to God's love.  

The Birds' Gift, A Ukrainian Easter Story retold by Eric Kimmel:  A great book that explains a legend of the origins of 'Pysanky' a Ukrainian decorated Easter Egg.  It's also a great book about caring for and respecting God's creatures.

Easter Eggs for Anya, A Ukrainian Celebration of New Life in Christ by Virginia Kroll:  Anya is a faith-filled girl who is given unexpected blessings at Easter.  I really like the portrayals of her praying throughout the story, and how the family's Easter traditions are woven in with their faith.

The Parable of the Lily by Liz Curtis Higgs:  A story about Maggie, a girl who is given a gift she doesn't want.  The book weaves scripture references throughout the story, as Maggie comes to realize that the gift isn't what she thought it was.

NOTE:  There is another book pictured, but after reading it thoroughly (which I do with all of the books I post about) it has a few paragraphs that are untrue for Catholics, so I have removed it from my list.  

All of these books were checked out from my local library system, so be sure to check there as it can be a great resource for you!  Happy reading!

Have a Blessed Lent,

Carolyn

How to Use My Guide: The Recipe and Event Pages

Over the next few blog posts, I'll explain to you how I am using the pages in my Family Lenten Master Plan Guide, and include some ideas for you to use in your home during Lent.    You can find the entire guide to download here:

A Planning Guide For Lent

Lent is such a long season, that sometimes I find a great idea or recipe to do, or hear about an event we want to attend, but then when the time comes to do them or attend things, I've forgotten all about them!  That's where these pages are useful.  You can keep everything organized in one convenient place, write things down as you find out about them, and they will be there when you are ready!

 

The recipe page has space for you to write in the recipe, the ingredient list so that you can easily go shopping, and the date you wish to make the food.  If you have more recipes, simply print out extra sheets.  I find in my case that, unless it's a new recipe, writing the name, date and ingredients down here is enough for me, as I keep my recipes in a notebook and will just pull that out when I'm ready to cook.  Keeping the ingredients and the date I want to make things with the kids is very helpful, because my shopping list is ready made and I have already made space on our calendar.  

Our pretzels from 2013 ready to go in the oven!

There are many recipes that are traditional to the Lenten season, and you can find many of them on the wonderful blog, Catholic Cuisine.  This blog will give you both recipes and the association that the dish has with our faith.  Some quick ideas to start you off.

Pretzels:  Pretzels were traditionally only eaten during Lent, at a time when the Lenten fast included abstaining from meat, eggs and dairy for the entire season.  Pretzels were a simple food of flour, water, and yeast.  Their shape comes from the way in which people used to pray, with their arms crossed and hands brought up to their shoulders.

Hot Cross Buns:  These are a traditional Good Friday food, as they are simple and make only a small meal.  If you purchase yours (which I often do) they will probably have frosting on them, and the inevitable question is why, especially on Good Friday?  The cross on the buns traditionally was imprinted and then baked into the bread, although it's common for frosted crosses to be added today.  If we end up with frosted ones, I like to think that the little touch of frosting, especially on Good Friday, remind us that Jesus' suffering and death on the cross gave us the sweetness of Heaven.  I tell my children that the frosting reminds us that Good Friday is not the end of the story.  

The event pages are also to help you remember when and where you want to do certain things during Lent.  Hopefully, there are events in your parish that you will be able to attend for Lent.  You have space on the sheet to write down the name of the event and the date, as well as notes for anything you might need to bring.

There is also a sheet for other events, or things that you want to do at home with your family.  As with the recipes, you can always print more sheets if there is more that you wish to do!  (A word of caution, though, if you've filled out every sheet in the packet, you might want to pare down so that you don't make yourself crazy.  Try to incorporate a few simple things that you do every year, and then add one or two new ones the following year.  Simple works really well for Lent!)

Some ideas of things to do:

A bean jar:  My kids love this one, and now insist on doing it every year.  Take a clear jar and bowl and place them in an accessible area of your home.  Fill the bowl with beans, big beans.  One year we had the tiniest beans and my husband and I were pouring handfuls in it by the end of Lent!  Lima beans work well.  For every good deed or sacrifice your children do, let them put a bean in the jar.  On Easter morning, the beans are replaced with jelly beans.

A sensory tub:  For little ones

A Shamrock:  In honor of St. Patrick's 

A Popsicle Square:  In honor of St. Joseph

Have a blessed Lent,

Carolyn