Celebrating the Season of Advent, Part 4: St. Nicholas

Early in the season of Advent--December 6th--the Church celebrates the feast of St. Nicholas.  Behind the modern day Santa Claus there is an actual person who is St. Nicholas of Myra.  He was a bishop in the Fourth Century in a region which is in present-day Turkey.  St. Nicholas attened the First Ecumenical Council which was held in Nicea in 325.  His final resting place in his cathedral was an important pilgrimage site.  Later his relics were taken to Bari, Italy where a church was built, and again, the site became a popular destination for pilgrims.

Although we do not have many details about his life, there are several stories associated with him that illustrate his generosity, his special love for children, and his concern for his neighbors.  One of those stories can be directly linked to his gift giving.  The story is that St. Nicholas helped a man provide dowries for his three daughters by anonymously leaving gifts which came from his own inheritance.  The gifts of gold balls were dropped through an open window which led to the tradition of leaving out a personal item such as a shoe in order to receive a gift from St. Nicholas.

Over the years, we have continued that tradition.  LG has put out her shoe on the evening of December 5th.  The next morning--St. Nicholas Day--we have had fun as she opened the gifts left by St. Nicholas.

For more information about St. Nicholas and how to celebrate his feast day, visit the St. Nicholas Center.

Celebrating the Season of Advent, Part 3: Home Crêche

During the Advent season, we help prepare our hearts for the birth of Christ by remembering the many years of preparation for our Savior that took place from when the Lord first called Abraham to the Annunciation.  Throughout that time, the Lord was readying his people and the world to receive His Son.  Every promise God made was fulfilled in Jesus.  All of the words of the prophets, which we have recorded in Scripture, were perfectly completed in Christ.

Even in those last several weeks, there were final preparations that took place as the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, in accordance with the Roman decree, traveled to the birthplace of David in order that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem.  Everything was prepared in accordance with God's plan

An important part of our preparation for Christmas is our home crêche. This beautiful representation of the birth of Jesus helps us remember how perfect God's love is.

Throughout Advent, we begin to set up the scene.  Eventually, the figures for Mary and Joseph begin their "journey" to the crêche.  Animals are placed in the scene.  Then, at the end of Advent, Mary and Joseph arrive. And, of course, on Christmas Eve, Jesus is placed in the creche, and the shepherds also are added.  Finally, on Epiphany, the magi arrive in order to honor the newborn king.

There are many crêches available, and it also fun to make your own.  We have enjoyed placing it underneath our Christmas tree as holy reminder of why we celebrate Advent and Christmas.

As Pope Benedict XVI noted,

The crib can help us, in fact, to understand the secret of the true Christmas, because it speaks of humility and the merciful goodness of Christ, who "though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor". (II Corinthians 8:9) His poverty enriches those who embrace it and Christmas brings joy and peace to those who, as the shepherds, accept in Bethlehem the words of the angel: "And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger". (Luke 2:12) Angelus Message Advent 2005

We are also fortunate in that our parish sets up a beautiful crêche in the outside courtyard. It is always an enjoyable part of Christmas to visit the crêche.

LG visiting the parish crêche in 2010.

Art Friday: Stained Glass and Monet-Inspired Irises

We often have an art project scheduled for the curriculum on Friday.  The past two Fridays were no exception.

Two Fridays ago, we watched the section on Medieval Art on the Christian Heritage Art Program Level 6 DVD.  It was an interesting segment which centered around Bl. James Griesinger of Ulm (1407 - 1491).  He spent much of his early life in the military.  Not finding his true calling as a soldier, he eventually became a lay Dominican and developed great skill in painting and making stained glass windows.  After discerning his vocation, he spent almost 50 years plying his artistic trade.

The art project associated with the segment was a stained glass work done on paper.  At the end, oil was used to give it the translucent quality.  Here is LG's very nice piece.

In honor of Monet's birthday which was earlier this month on November 14th, LG worked on an Art project related to his painting of irises.  The project involved making freehand drawings of the irises and using pastels to color the drawings. More information about the project can be found on this website which has great ideas for art projects. The lesson was expanded as LG learned about all of the varieties of iris colors and the use of complementary colors.

I often join in the art projects as they are quite fun. LG's is the one with the blue flowers. I think that she did a great job.

Celebrating the Season of Advent, Part 2: Home Made Christmas Cards for Community Giving

One of our family's activies is what we call community giving.  As part of community giving, we plan various projects for giving back to our neighbors in our community.  We enjoy being creative with the projects in order to make them fun and to share that joy with others.

A few years ago, we made Christmas cards during Advent.  We designed these as three-dimensional cards which could be put on display.  After making the cards, we took them to a local elderly care facility in order for them to be displayed and enjoyed by a wider audience.

We certainly had a great time making the cards, and it was nice to think that these would be displayed in order for many other people to enjoy them.

Celebrating the Season of Advent, Part 1: Jesse Tree

Although Thanksgiving is a little over a week away, it is not too early to start thinking about Advent because it will begin just three days later.

Advent is one of the most exciting time periods in our house because it really is a season of anticipation and there are so many ways we celebrate the Advent season. Yes, celebrate. Liturgically, Advent is indeed a time of preparation for Christmas, and as such, it is a penitential season, but there is nothing wrong with enjoying our preparation for our Savior's birth. (It is a bit like enjoying the preparation for a birthday party. Sure, there is work involved, but it can be quite a bit of fun to prepare.)

One of our favorite daily reminders of the many years of preparation for the Incarnation is our Jesse Tree. We made this a number of years ago, and it is a wonderful way to remember the salvation history prior to Jesus' birth.

There are ornaments associated with each day of Advent. The ornaments symbolize an event or a particular ancestor of Jesus. The first day is creation which is represented by a globe on our tree.  Adam and Eve are symbolized by the Tree of Life.  Along with adding the ornament, a brief reading is read which puts the event in the context of salvation history.

As you can see from the picture, our tree is a piece of a wooden curtain rod attached to a platform.  Small holes were drilled into the curtain rod piece and pieces of wooden dowel were inserted into the curtain rod piece.  You could also use a small plant or an artificial tree.

The really fun part is making and selecting the ornaments.  Many of the ones we use on our tree are hand made.  For instance, Jacob's ladder is several toothpick pieces made into a ladder.  Moses is represented by piece of evergreen that was painted to look like a burning bush.  This is a great opportunity to be creative and to learn more about the Biblical characters through the symbols which represent them.

There are many resources available via a quick search (for instance, here is one), and of course, you can buy an entire kit.  No matter what you use, the Jesse Tree is an excellent way to prepare for our Savior's birth and to learn about all the preparation that our Lord did before He was born in a stable.

Preparing to Give Thanks, Part 8: Daily Thankful Activity (Part 2)

In the first post about preparing to give thanks, I shared our daily thankful idea. We have been fairly good about adding one item per person per day, and here is the cornucopia as it starts to fill with fruits and vegetables of gratitude.

I also think that it is never too late to begin to express gratitude for what I have been given. In our family, we are letting this Thanksgiving be an extra motivation to make a daily habit of showing gratitude.

Preparing to Give Thanks, Part 7: Thankful Poster

Another way to remind everyone in your family about what you are thankful, is to create a thankful poster.

The poster could look any way you would like it to look. The important part is to provide a space for everyone to add their list and to place it in a prominent place in order that it serves as a thankful reminder.

Here are two examples of posters we have used in past years.  (On the one poster, you can also see another way to create a thankful reminder with a turkey and feathers that can be used to write the items for which you are thankful.)

Preparing to Give Thanks, Part 6: Apple Pie

Of course, Thanksgiving, also includes food.  And, we are always looking for good recipes to try for our Thanksgiving food.  A few years ago, we made this tasty apple for our family's Thanksgiving meal.  We used a pre-made gluten free pie crust.

The Bottom Crust recipe was from Martha Stewart's Pies and Tarts book.

Although I recall that the pie was tasty, my favorite memory was making the pie. We did it as family in preparation for Thanksgiving. LG and I made the pie and Virginia took photos of the process. Yes, Thanksgiving is about food, and I am thankful for tasty food.  However, I am most thankful for my family and the fun we have together.

Next: Thankful Poster

Preparing to Give Thanks, Part 5: Thanksgiving Lapbook

LG has been a prolific producer of what are called lapbooks.  Lapbooks are made from file folders and are a way to creatively learn about a particular subject or concept.  Information, including facts, diagrams, drawings, and short essays, is added to the lapbook using folded pieces of paper that are attached to the file folders.  They really are quite amazing learning tools, and I know that LG has learned quite a bit from them while enjoying the craft and artistic side of the process.  Also, adults never seem to fail to learn some interesting piece of information from these lapbooks.

LG was first introduced to lapbooks a number of years ago, and the first one she made was about Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods book.   (A video on another person's version of the Little House lapbook can be found here.) Since then, she has made dozens more of a host of topics.

In continuing with our Thanksgiving theme, here is her Thanksgiving Lapbook which she made about three years ago when she was seven years-old. The lapbook was made from three file folders and an additional flap as she packed in quite a bit of information about Thanksgiving.

This is the cover of the lapbook.

The first inside pages filled with maps,vocabulary, and facts related to the pilgrims' journey.

The back inside pages with information comparing and contrasting Thanksgiving today and earlier in history.

The back cover with a pocket for additional books.

Unfortunately, the information related to this particular Thanksgiving lapbook is no longer generally available.

For more information about lapbooks, you might want to visit Lapbook Lessons.

Next, a tasty apple pie.

Preparing to Give Thanks, Part 4: Hand Made Printed Table Runner

Another nice addition to your Thanksgiving table can be a table runner.  The table runner which we made for Thanksgiving 2013 used a few simple materials to make a great-looking decoration for your table.

The materials you need are:

• A long piece of cloth that is roughly the length of your table.
• Plastic stencils with designs you like.
• Fabric paint; and
• Art sponges or foam brushes.

Once you have gathered your materials, lay out your cloth and determine how you want to lay out your pattern using your stencils.  You might want to use small pencil marks that can be erased later to mark where you want the stencil to go.

One tip for keeping the paint inside the stencil is to always use an up-and-down motion to sponge on the paint.  Also, do not add to much paint to your sponge or brush.

Here is our table runner part way through the process of being made.

Here is the table runner on the table with the acorn squash candle holders and a terrarium.

Next, a Thanksgiving Lapbook--a fun way for your children to learn about Thanksgiving.

My new eBook for Early Readers--The Rabbits' Thanksgiving

Many years ago, LG and I started working on a series of books about rabbits and bears.  The books were simply fun to make as we came up with a story (often LG made up most of the story) and then I (mainly) added pictures to illustrate.  Over time, quite a number of stories were written and more information about the rabbit and bear characters was developed.

Not too long ago, I thought that these books could be edited and then published as eBooks for early readers as a series entitled the Bear and Rabbit Reader Series.  I was very interested in this idea and got started on this soon after thinking of it.  Since then, I have learned much about eBooks, and I know there is much more to learn.

I am very excited that the book has been published and in time for Thanksgiving, the first story has been released--The Rabbits' Thanksgiving.  The story follows the young rabbits Tom and Martha through the week of Thanksgiving and the fun they have getting ready and celebrating the holiday with their family.

The story is available in virtually any type of eBook format.  If you are looking for a fun story to read to your children or for one of your early readers to read to you, check it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Kobo.

For more information, you can visit the the Bear and Rabbit Reader Series Facebook page.

Preparing to Give Thanks, Part 3: Acorn Squash Candle Holders

In this next installment about preparing to give thanks, the fun idea for Thanksgiving is a simple, natural candle holder.

These attractive additions to your table are very easy to make. First, take the acorn squash and use a sharp knife to square off the flatter side of the squash in order for it to sit flat on your table. Then cut of the top to create a flat top. Finally, use a spoon or melon baller to dig out the inside of the squash. I would suggest leaving an outside wall of at least one half of an inch.  You should make the bottom fairly flat in order for the candle to sit flat.

Make a number of these, and you have a great set of autumnal candle holders for your Thanksgiving table.

Next: A hand made, printed table runner to complement these candle holders.

Voting Then and Now

Yesterday, was Election Day, and as usual, we voted not too long before the polls closed as that is the most convenient time for us.

Years ago, this blog had a post on voting when LG was much younger.

Here are the two photos side-by-side.  (One thing that has remained the same is LG's favorite color--pink.)

2006	2014