Every day of the Christmas octave is filled with meaning that reflects back on the Nativity, not just the birth of Christ but the impact, the reality of the birth. Octaves can be traced back to the Old Testament, Each of these feast days within the octave continues the joys of Christmas Day and helps us in our attempt to understand the mystery of the Incarnation. Read all about the octaves online.
Pray the O Antiphons with your children
The O Antiphons are seven verses in the Liturgy of the Hours that contain powerful pleas for the coming of the Lord. They are chanted or recited during Vespers on the last seven days of Advent. Find this post online for each days antiphon, and listen to a hymn, O Come Emmanuel.
Not the same old (Christmas) story
Every year around this time, we’re bound to hear a familiar set of narratives in the media. How much we’ll spend. How far we’ll travel. How far behind retail sales are compared to last year. It’s time to put aside the tired stories. Here are three replacement conversations we should be having this Christmas, including talking about how much to give, not how much to spend! Find the conversations online.
5 ways to celebrate a Catholic Christmas with your toddler
Christmas is a magical, fun time for every child. Presents, snow, time off school, and crazy family members—what’s not to love about Christmastime for a child? But with everything being thrown at them, sometimes the real meaning of Christmas gets lost in the mix. Online you’ll find five ways to help your toddler learn what a Catholic Christmas is all about.
Ten ways to keep Christ in Christmas
At Thanksgiving we thank God for many blessings and gifts. At Christmas, we try to imitate God’s generosity by giving gifts ourselves. But Keeping the emphasis on the birth of Jesus during the days before Christmas is difficult for both adults and children, especially as the secular and commercial side of Christmas actually begins even before Thanksgiving Day. Many people are already frantically shopping for those last minute gifts, the stores and schools are decorated to the fullest and sign of Christmas are everywhere! Online you’ll find Ten Ways to help keep Christ in Christmas. The activities cost very little and the rewards are priceless!