Advent Traditions for Anyone and Everyone

All this month I'll be posting about resources to help you live, learn, and celebrate the coming season of Advent. 

Last week I posted about how and why I decorate my home for the Liturgical Seasons.  It took a while to figure out what worked best for me because it seems as if many of the Liturgical Living ideas I see on social media center around celebrating with children.  Obviously this is wonderful (and the topic of much of my blog content), but it doesn't work for everyone- single, married, very young children, grown children, etc.  

My Catholic young adult group planned a fancy Advent party last year, and we decided to share some ideas and tools for living out the Liturgical Year, starting with Advent, for any stage of life.  The party was a beautiful social event with great people, food, and music, but around the room and on the tables we set up displays about Advent traditions with explanations and cards they could take home so they could try it themselves.  We featured some common Advent practices as well as Saints' Feast Days that fall during Advent.

Those displays led to a lot of great conversations and great ideas about how anyone can be living out the feasts and fasts of the Liturgical Year.  I thought I'd share with you not only the ideas, but the printables we displayed at that party so that you can plan for yourself and help celebrate this beautiful season!  (And FYI, if you are planning a family centered activity night, I'll be back on Thursday with three simplified handouts and projects specifically for households with school aged kids.)

Click on any of the following images for a two page file about each tradition.  One page is a full 8.5" x 11", perfect for a display (we put ours in clear frames).  The other page has a small version of the same info, four per page, perfect for handing out to people (we had them ready to go in a gift bag for each person, but they also could be stacked near each display).

The Advent Wreath:

The Jesse Tree:

The Nativity Scene:

The O Antiphons:

The Christmas Tree:

St. Andrew, November 30th:

St. Nicholas, December 6th:

Immaculate Conception, December 8th:

St. Juan Diego, December 9th &
Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12th:

Fulton Sheen, December 9th:

 St. Lucy, December 13th:

Keeping Advent {giveaway & discount!}

All this month I'll be posting about resources to help you live, learn, and celebrate the coming season of Advent.  Today I'm sharing how I decorate my home for the Seasons, and next Monday I'll have a post about how celebrating Advent doesn't require kid-centered activities.

I happen to love decorating for the Liturgical Seasons, but it isn't something that I came by naturally.  Even though I immerse myself into living the Liturgical Year, I thought for a long time decorating or having certain traditions in my home for the Season was reserved for families with small kids.  For the past few years, I've been intentionally working on bringing the Seasons into my home.  Because I am rotating things as each new Season comes in the Church year, that area of my home looks fresh and different, drawing my attention and making me think about the meaning of the Season we are in.

As we are preparing for Advent, I thought I'd share a few practical tips for bringing the Liturgical Seasons into your home no matter if you are single, live alone or with roommates, are married, have small children, or a growing family.

• Keep it simple:  Choose one or two locations in your home you'd like to rotate out decor to match the Liturgical Year.  If you have too much to move, pack, and store, and you have items all over your house, it is harder to make time.  Some common places that would work well are your kitchen or dining room table, a mantle, a special shelf in your living room, or your home prayer space.  I don't have a mantle, so I usually decorate the top of my bookshelves and I also have something on the center of my kitchen table.
• Choose a few special items:  For each Season, invest in something particularly meaningful that will immediately call to mind what we are celebrating.  These would be more investment items that you will reuse each year. For Advent, get an Advent Wreath. Christmas, a special Nativity set.  For Lent, maybe find or make a crown of thorns, and for Easter have a special banner or floral arrangement.  For Ordinary Time, I work in a green wreath to remind me of the growth of this Season.
• Reuse items creatively: With the special Seasonal pieces above, I then arrange my decor with items I keep out all year.  Books, vases, candles, etc. all work together for various Seasons.  Flowers and greenery (real, fake, and dried) are always a part of my displays. I also have a letterboard and a chalkboard in two places in my home that I change the quotes on frequently.  And one of my favorite conversation starters is the bowl of Scrabble tiles I have kept on my kitchen table over the past ten years or so.  I sometimes will use the letters to display a word, but more often they are just in a bowl that matches the color scheme of the Season and people love to pick them up and play with them as they are gathered around the table.
• One Frame & Many Prints: One more simple thing I do is rotate the art in a few places in my home.  This sounds complicated, but really is quite easy.  Over the years, I have been collecting beautiful 8 x 10" prints from various artists I love.  I have cute frames hung in my bedroom, the living room, and next to the bathroom mirror.  As I get new prints, I just layer them in the frame, and then as the Seasons change, I pull down the frame choose a new print (no hunting to find where I stashed it, no worrying it will get bent or damaged) and rehang.  Instant Liturgical refresh!

Speaking of those lovely prints, I thought I'd show you an example of how I'll switch up my Advent and Christmas decor.

*Just Love Prints provided me with a free Advent print in exchange for an honest review. I only recommend things that I have used and love, and these opinions are entirely my own.

I love this "A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices" print from Just Love Prints.  It is sweet and simple and is a line from one of my favorite hymns.  I also think that it works well for both Advent (as we hope in the coming Savior) and Christmas (as we rejoice that He has come).  With this print in my favorite gold frame (rotating out my current Ordinary Time choice), I'll place it on my kitchen table next to my Advent wreath and bowl of Scrabble tiles.  Last year I pulled out Scrabble letters to spell the theme for the four weeks of Advent (hope, peace, joy, love) and displayed them next to the wreath.

Another simple tradition that is meaningful for any age involves the Nativity set.  I set up my Nativity set the first week of Advent, but I only place Mary and Joseph inside.  Each week, I add a few more figures, but Jesus doesn't come until Christmas.  It's a great reminder, that just as they are all looking and waiting for Jesus, I need to stay focused and watching as well.

Come Christmas, Baby Jesus arrives, and then I'll keep this print up through Epiphany.  

I'd love to hear from you: How does your home reflect the Liturgical Seasons, especially if you don't have young kids involved?  If you do have children at home, what traditions do you have that are most special to you as an adult?

Yay for decorating! To help you get started or to add to your collection of Liturgical Decor, Just Love Prints is offering a special discount to Look to Him and Be Radiant readers!  Stock up on prints for the various Seasons or get started on your Christmas shopping!

Visit the Just Love Prints Shop here.

Promo: Take $5 off any order of $25 or more with code BERADIANT5. 

Expires January 1, 2018.

Aaaaand I've partnered with Just Love Prints to offer you this lovely giveaway!  Head over to Instagram for your chance to win a St. Teresa of Avila print, Bloom Where you are Planted" Magnet, "Be Not Afraid" temporary tattoo (In St. JPII's actual handwriting!) and a "Wise Men Still Seek Him" Magnet.  The giveaway will be open tonight 11/9/17 starting at 5 p.m. CST and will close Saturday, 11/11/17 at 11:59 p.m., so don't miss your chance!

Learning about the Liturgical Year: Calendars

All this month I'll be posting about resources to help you live, learn, and celebrate the coming season of Advent.

What better way to begin than with a review of a brand new tool for Catholic homes and classrooms- a printable Liturgical Calendar that can be colored in week by week.  A resource like this is seriously one of my most frequently asked blog questions, and I never have had a good answer until now.  Many printable calendars are not good for varying ages, don't have enough info or are too busy, and more importantly, no one seems to consistently make new ones each year.

I told you back in this post that one of my favorite parts of being Catholic is living out the beautiful rhythm of the Liturgical Year.  The fasts and feasts, the orderly-ness, the life of Christ lived out in the Church- every Catholic can benefit from making the Liturgical Year more a part of their prayer and daily life.

*TelosArt provided me with a free 2017-2018 Liturgical Calendar and printable coloring calendar in exchange for an honest review. I only recommend things that I have used and love, and these opinions are entirely my own.

I reviewed TelosArts's Liturgical Calendar a couple of month ago, and have since ordered sets for both our school and CCD program through her generous bulk pricing.  TelosArt has created a set of simple, but beautiful, Liturgical Calendars for the 2017-2018 year.  This calendar would look lovely hung up in a home as well as in a school classroom, CCD room, RCIA meeting place, etc.  It is usable and attractive both for kids and adults, and packs tons of info within the clean design.  Liturgical seasons, dates, colors, feast days, and more is included on each calendar.

My fellow teachers and catechists are excited to start teaching with these calendars, and after talking more with Jessica from TelosArt, we are thrilled to use a matching printable and colorable calendar with each of our students.  The printable blackline 8.5" x 11" calendar holds the Liturgical Year calendar on one side and a list of major Feasts and Solemnities on the back.  You can find the printable 2018 Color-As-You-Go Liturgical Calendar here in her shop. (and it's on sale for the rest of the week!)

I thought I'd share a few of the ways I (or our catechists) plan to use these calendars this year:

• For a Liturgical Year overview- perfect to study just before Advent, about all the major seasons of the year.  Students could color in Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time, Lent, and Easter seasons on their own calendars while discussing the representation of the Life of Christ found in one full rotation on the calendar.
• To talk about the significance of colors- We'll discussion the meaning and symbolism of the colors of the Liturgical Season and connection to feast days.
• As a classroom display and continuing study- We plan on adding a small post it flag to mark the week of the Liturgical Year we are currently in and move it week by week.  Another teacher is adding a spinning arrow on a brad so that they can turn the wheel throughout the year.
• For small group activities- My school purchased enough calendars that I have a set of five in my room, meaning that I can set up some group work where the students can see the details of the calendar up close.  I plan to have them look for and describe the rhythm and structure of the Liturgical Year, pay attention to the location of certain feasts and their seasons, etc.  As we discuss those patterns, they will color in the inner season circle on their own personal calendar.
• As the year progresses- We also will keep our calendar in our faith folder and pull it out as the seasons change.  In the outer circle there is a section for all 52 weeks in the year, so we can keep track of the seasons and feasts week by week. 
• To celebrate Feasts and Solemnities- The Convenient month by month outline on the back highlights Saints and Feasts.  We can use this to plan ahead for celebrations, chose a patron Saint for a certain time period, connect Feasts to Seasons, etc.

We'll use the calendar alongside my Liturgical Year Coloring Book, which you can get in this post.

I can't wait until Advent to really dive into all the conversations I know this Liturgical Calendar is going to spark.  I'm sure you can think of great ways to use it with your students too!

For more photos and examples of all the calendars TelosArt offers, visit their website here (You can also find TelosArt on Etsy and Peter's Square.)  Don't forget that the printable calendars are on sale for the rest of the week, so this is the time to snatch your download!  They also have a new black and white 18" x 21" coloring calendar poster that would be perfect in a classroom. And TelosArt has generously set up bulk pricing for schools and churches.  You can check out the options here and contact TelosArt here.

Sweeter Than Honey Coloring Pages {November}

The big idea of our Sweeter than Honey CCD theme this year is to encourage the kids to know and memorize Scripture, specifically the Psalms, so that they know that God's promises are so sweet.

Each month, I'll share a set of coloring pages, one for each Sunday, featuring the Psalm from Sunday Mass.  Using special fonts and simple decorations, they are meant to be a quick addition to your weekly class as an aide to memorizing the Responsorial Psalm.  Add it to your opening and closing prayer, give the students a few minutes to color it during class, and send it home to be hung up on the fridge or bathroom mirror.

Here are the coloring pages for the four Sundays of November:

 

 Click here for the full size Psalm coloring pages for November:

Click here for the half page size Psalm coloring pages for November:
(These fit perfectly inside the Scripture Book cover from this post)

I'll post coloring pages of the Psalms once a month, so stay tuned!  You can find the August Coloring Pages here, the September Coloring Pages here, and the October Coloring Pages here. You might also like our Sweeter than Honey theme resources (folder covers, logo, signs, etc.), Sweeter than Honey theme decorations, and St. Abigail and St. Ambrose patron Saint coloring pages.

Celebrate & Learn: Halloween, All Saints, and All Souls

Here's a repost of my top 12 activities for Halloween, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day, which are some of my favorite celebrations of the year!

1. Tying All Hallows Eve in with All Saints and All Souls Day has been a part of my curriculum for several years.  This post has a mini coloring book and many coloring pages about those topics. Click on the image to go to the post:

In that post, there is an All Saints Day page with a list of great Saints who can be intercessors in kids lives.  I love to introduce them to new Saints and give them some heavenly heroes to look up to and be inspired by. They also love using the Saints Name Generator to learn about new Saints and chose patrons.  Click on the image to go to the post:

2. Litany of the Saints and All Souls prayer cards:
My students loved these.  I took the general opening/closing for most litanies and put it on one side of the prayer cards.  On the other side they get to create their own "All Star" cast. Oh, and we'll be listening to this song as well.

We will also use these prayer cards with the Eternal Rest prayer on one side and a place to list specific people on the back.  We plan to use this prayer card for the rest of the month as November is dedicated to praying for all souls in purgatory.  It would also be a great resource any time of the year to teach about the Spiritual Works of Mercy, or for kids who are experiencing a death and working through grief.  (You may be interested in my post on Helping Kids Grieve.)

3. We love this All Saints Day art project. Click on the image to go to a post with step-by-step instructions and ideas:

4. If a whole art project won't be in the works during your celebration, I have several Saints coloring pages you can use instead. The growing list of coloring pages can be found under this tab and then under the Saints heading.

 5. You could quickly make these easy Saint shrines.  This one features St. Joseph, but you could have each student pick a different Saint and then display them all together.  Click on the image for the post with details:

 6. Practice some writing skills and intercessory prayer with these All Saints and All Souls Day Letters.  Click on either image to go to the post:

 7. You could play this Beatitude and Modern Saints game, which is modeled after the idea of Old Maid, but introduces kids to facts about eight modern Saints and the Beatitude they exemplified.  And instead of the "Old Maid" card, there is a "Bad-Attitude" card in the mix.  (Get it? Be-attitude, bad-attitude...I know, groan.)  Click on the image to go to the post:

8. Here's a whole playlist of videos on YouTube about Saints or the Canonization process.  Click on the image to go to the post:

9. Here's a Happy All Saints Day coloring page: (Click on image for the file)

10. An easy and cool art project is to make giant Saint medal using tin foil and a coloring page of a Saint (or student drawing).  I always have the kids make Miraculous Medals like this during our St. Maximilian Kolbe unit, but I had several early finishers ask if they could make a Saint medal too.  Here we have St. Max:

Sts. George, Elizabeth Ann Seton, Hubert, and Christopher:

And St. John Paul II. Click on any of those images to read about our Miraculous Medals and you can use the same technique for Saints.

11. This post gives you seven ideas for celebrating a Patron Saint Day (ours is St. Joseph) but many of the ideas would transfer to All Saints Day as well.  Click on the image to go to the post:

12.  We aren't actually doing this on All Saints Day, but my class has made it a point to celebrate the specific patron Saints of each class with them throughout the school year.  So on St. Vincent de Paul's feast day, we sent 2nd Grade a card, and on St. John Paul II's feast day we sent one to 3rd grade, etc.  You wouldn't have to wait all year though- using a list of classroom Saints, have your class send each of them a card on All Saints Day.  You could also do this for name Saints or patron Saints of your friends and family members.

So there you have it!  Tons of options, so don't let this great Solemnity pass you by! :)
How will you be celebrating All the Saints with the kids in your life?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments!