Category Archives: celebrating Advent

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A Colossal Set of Resources for Advent

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Advent is the (roughly) 4 week season before Christmas when Catholic and other Christians commemorate the first coming of Christ and anticipate his second coming.  The first Sunday of Advent can fall on any date between (and including) November 27 and December 3 of each year. This year Advent begins on December 2nd.  These are the start dates for the next four years:
2013: December 1; 2014:  November 30; 2015: November 29; and 2016:  November 27

Liturgical Facts on Advent:
Liturgical Color(s): Violet (optional: Rose for 3rd Advent)

Type of Holiday: Season; Fast

Time of Year: Roughly 4 weeks before Christmas

Duration: 4 Sundays and their weeks ending at Christmas Eve

Celebrates/Symbolizes: Jesus’ first and second comings

Alternate Names: None

Scriptural References: Isaiah 2:1-5,7:10-14, Jeremiah 33:14-16, Zephaniah 3:14-18, Micah 5:2-5a, Matthew 24:37-44, Romans 13:11-14

Catholic Encyclopedia: Advent


Awesome Ideas Around the Web for Advent



Jesse Trees & Ornaments:

Calendars/Chains:

Wreaths:

Nativities:
Educational:

Books & Book Baskets:

Movies:
(THANK YOU FRIENDS:  I want to thank all of you on our Facebook page that contributed to this list of Advent/Christmas movies):  (shout outs for those who suggested these)
General Posts:
Prayers:


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Advent Wreath Prayers Third Sunday

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The 3rd Week of Advent

The head of household or leader says the following prayer.

Lord, we ask you to penetrate the darkness of our minds so that, filled with your brightness, we may rejoice in your coming as we say: Blessed be God for ever. Amen.

The mother (or grandmother) lights the previous candles and the rose candle; they remain lit during the meal. The same candles are burned each day of the 3rd week.

Suggested reading: Luke 3: 10-18

LUKE 3: 10 And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” 11 In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” 15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”18 So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

Thanks be to God.

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Advent Journey with Mary and Joseph a Book for the Family

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I have such exciting news!  My friend Christi just finished (yes hot off the press) her newest book entitled Advent Journey with Mary and Joseph.  She has it available for immediate download and has set up a blog with activities to do with the book.  This project she did with her daughter Gabriela who illustrated the book.  Here is the information on the book:

 “The is a work of historical fiction that recreates the journey Joseph & Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem The book is ideal to be used as a family Advent activity or can be read as a bedtime story. “Mary & Joseph had just finished their early breakfast when they heard a commotion outside their courtyard. Mary recognized ten year old Jarib’s young voice, shrill and angry amidst the cries of a dozen or more bleating goats. They both hurried outside to see what was upsetting him. Jarib’s halug flapped in the breeze as he angrily flung himself about, trying to free himself from the strong grip that a Roman soldier had him in. Jarib glared as the Roman laughed at his futile efforts to free himself. Suddenly, catching sight of Mary’s shocked face, the Roman sheepishly let the boy go… causing him to sprawl in the dusty road…” Learn why the Roman Soldier is there and then join Mary and Joseph as they cross the 80 miles of dessert with its many challenges and dangers.”

Christi is a Mama to 13 and a grandmama to four little ones.  She and her husband Hugo have been married for over 30 years.  They are a beautiful Catholic family we met on the Feast of the Sacred Heart.  They are so lovely!  That same day we met at Church and hit it off so well, they invited us over for dinner at their home and we’ve been friends ever since.  Yes, I did just say we met them at Church and went to their home in the same day.  You know when you meet another Catholic family and you just hit it off and feel like you’ve known each other for always?  It was like that with them!  I was fascinated by their family, it was like an orchestra when I saw them in action.  I ONLY have five kids and most of them are small so it was lovely to see a large family with teenagers and little ones and how they worked together to make a home.  Now this lovely little (well not so little) family has written this great book for their family and offering it for our homes to enjoy.  She is offering only digital editions of the story but in the future hopes to be able to sell printable copies of the story.  If you are looking for authentic Catholic stories to share with your family this Advent, this is the book for you!


Many Blessings,
Mama Erika

About the Author: Christi L Gareis

Author Image
Christi resides in North Carolina, with her husband of more than thirty years. They are the parents of thirteen children, grandparents of four. They have been homeschooling since the early ’90s and are looking forward to at least another 15 years of homeschooling.

Christi has been published in various media forms and was the author of the chapter “How to Prepare Your Children for Reconciliation” in ‘101 Stories of Reconciliation’ sold through Amazon. 

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Advent Wreath Prayers Second Sunday

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The 2nd Week of Advent

The head of household or leader says the following prayer.

Father, help us to prepare the way of Jesus, the Light of the world. May we who believe he will come again always serve you. Let us proclaim this mystery of faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. Amen.

The eldest child then lights the first candle and a candle next to it; they remain lit during the meal. The same candles are burned each day of the 2nd week.

Suggested reading: Luke 3: 1-6

The Proclamation of John the Baptist

LUKE 3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth;  6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ “

Thanks be to God.

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St. Andrews Christmas Novena (another free printable)

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I just love the St. Andrews Christmas Novena because of it’s simplicity!  My kids learn it super quick too and the non-readers pretend to read it.   This prayer is called a Novena but differs a little, it’s not for the usual nine (9) days, it commences on November 30th and ends on Christmas.  Here’s the page I made for them to use this year.  Enjoy!

St. Andrews Christmas Novena for Kids – PDF

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New Year – New {Blog} Look

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We have decided to change the “look” of the blog to go with the Liturgical Season!  So we are dressed in purple and rose for Advent as our family prepares for the birth of our Savior.

Blessings to you all,
Mama Erika (and DH who did all the technical work)

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Veni Emmanuel – Happy New Year!

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Today is a historical day in our Holy Mother Church, it is the first day of Advent and the first day of the Liturgical year. It is also the first day every parish will be using the “new” Missal (English speaking parishes that is). This is my favorite season of all, it is the time when we look in anticipation forward to the birth of the Lord of Lords and King of King on Christmas. The weather is cooler is some parts of the world and it makes the home come to life! I love the lit fireplaces, and when outdoors the smell of the wood burning as the cool air gently caress your face. It is a time when we see family more and our homes are full of warmth and a hospitable nature. For me, this time is full of new beginnings, not just liturgically but also for each person spiritually. For me, this is when I make resolutions for the new year, a time to look back, analyze how we’ve spent our days this past year and an opportunity to start over! Isn’t that lovely?

Our little family wants to first focus on preparing for the birth of Christ by remembering his past and heritage by using a Jesse tree. Also, by meditating on his coming by reading the daily scriptures and attending Mass as often as possible to receive Him the the Holy Eucharist. Jesus is the King of King and the judge of all, preparing for his birth will also prepare our homes and hearts for His future coming at the end of time.

So how exactly will we be doing this?
1. Refraining from participating in what we call, the “Christmas frenzy” which really isn’t very Christ-like at all. (if you missed the news of all the misshaps on “black Friday” – don’t Google them, take my word for it, they were NOT how Christ would want us to act in preparation for His birth).

2. Decorating our homes in purple and rose ONLY! Putting out our Advent wreaths and making crafts with the children to decorate our mantle turn Family Altar. On our front window of our house we put Advent Candles on the window each Sunday. We get lots of questions from the neighbors (another little way to evangelize).

3. We do not put any Christmas decorations up until we get closer or even one year we did it on Christmas Eve after dinner, half of us spent the day cooking the other half decorating. My DH and I share a birthday on the 20th, so that is the day (as a tradition in our family) that we set out to hunt for a Christmas tree. No we don’t panic that we can’t find one but instead know that the one we will find is the one Christ would love.

4. This is our first year using the Jesse tree and we will be doing this every day of the Advent Season. This will help our family recall the entire history behind the coming of Christ.

There are so many wonderful ways to prepare for Advent, every family has his own. If you’ve never observed this beautiful season, my family and I invite you to try at least one thing new this year and you will receive Baby Jesus with a prepared and humble heart.

Happy Advent Everyone!

Blessings,
Mama Erika

PS: if you blogged about a neat Advent idea, don’t forget to link up with us.

PSS: if you are still looking for ideas for your kids take a look at our little packet full of fun and educational Advent activities for little hands.

Oh I almost forgot, we are also participating in Holy Heroes’s Advent Adventures:
Holy Heroes
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Preparing for Baby Jesus – Advent Link Up

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To help each other keep the focus on the Birth of our Savior, I am creating a link up for Advent.  If you have a blog post that you’d like to share on ideas to celebrate Advent with kids or as a family, please add your link to the bottom of this post.  🙂  I only have TWO RULES:

1. Please visit the links of other Mamas that have linked up and leave them a sweet comment!

2. Please Grab the button/picture below and add it to your post, say something like:  “I’ve shared/linked up this post on RLS’s Preparing for Baby Jesus Advent Link Up!”

Thanks for participating!

Blessings,
Mama Erika 🙂

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Celebrating the Liturgical Year with Children: Advent (FREEBIE)

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Happy New Liturgical Year, my Catholic Friends!

I love that our new Liturgical Year is only days away.  My family is very excited to start using the new Missal.  We love collecting old Catholic books and have tons of Missals from the past, the new one closely resembles the 1965 one we own (which is post-Vatican II, btw).  We love the new and rich language and since we love Latin as well, the new translation is going to bring so much to the beautiful Mass!  As we prepare to use the new Missal, lets not loose focus on the newness of it and continue to focus on what counts, being prepared for the birth of our Savior, or Baby Jesus as my children love to refer to Him during this time of preparation.

I’ve created another set of activities for my kids and making them available to you for FREE, of course. These are fun activities the teach our children what the true meaning of Advent and Christmas really is. By observing Advent you are preparing your children for the birth of Jesus Christ. We will be using these activities throughout Advent in addition to making ornaments for our Jesse tree and making a new Advent wreath.  I’ve attached a link to the two wreaths I’m favoring this year.

Feel free to share a link to this blog post with your friends.

Advent Activities for Kids
Looking for some neat Advent wreaths to make at home?  Here are two of my favorites:


(Grand)Mama Birgid over at Catholic Sistas, made this easy to make and super toddler safe (just watch the candles ladies) Advent wreath:

ADVENTuresome Family Fun

My new friend, Mama Lindsey over at Happier Than a Bird Quilts, made this beautiful Advent Wreath out of felt, she created an easy tutorial.  Hope on over to her lovely blog and tell her how clever she is!  🙂

Advent Wreath Tutorial
REMINDER: Since the New Missal this year will coincide with Advent, don’t forget to visit Mama Lacy over at Catholic Icing and grab her new Mass Response book for kids!

Free to Download and Print!
Hope you like them and enjoy!

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