"Purple=Preparation" my kids learned in the Atrium class. We are preparing for Jesus' birthday with our wreath and our empty manger in the center to remind us of his coming. Each night we light a candle and add another as the weeks continue towards Christmas. These are the prayers that we say (same ones we said at my table growing up!) from the Catholic Culture Website (great resource). On a side note, don't you just love my table runner??? Fits in perfectly with the season!
I am so excited to show you my new manger! My brother-in-law made this for me, and though it still needs to be sanded and painted, I am putting it out anyways. (He actually made a pattern and made it to match the one we have at my Mom's house.) Growing up, we would have an empty manger set up at the beginning of Advent. Our goal was to fill it with straw: those being our little penances, prayers, or good deeds. As a child I remember wanting to fill that bed for Jesus and make it extra soft for Him, and to give Him those "presents" for His birthday. This is the first year that I am trying this with my kids, and I hope that it makes a big impression on them. I hope it helps them to think about others, especially Jesus, instead of what they want for Christmas.
We have some great feast days this month, but my favorite is St. Nicholas on Sunday. Our family always made the speculaas cookies from the Cooking for Christ cookbook. It's always a fun family time which involves rolling, cutting, baking and Christmas music.
If you are looking for some other ideas for St. Nicholas day, visit my sister's blog, as well as the recipe (she is my go-to source for many of my liturgical year questions, so I'll keep linking as long as she keeps writing! :).
No comments:
Post a Comment