"The Second Vatican Council calls the family the 'Ecclesia domestica', the domestic Church, teaching that parents are 'by word and example...the first heralds of the faith with regard to their children.'" (CCC1656)
Are you putting more emphasis on Advent this year? You might have some fun with Advent Saints. Celebrating these special Saint days helps children to bear the long wait for Christmas.
Tomorrow (December 6) is St. Nicholas Day! If you have ever lived in Germany or the Netherlands, you are probably familiar with Nikolaas, who rides his white horse from house to house on the eve of his feast day and brings treats to good children and a switch to naughty ones. It is wonderful to share the story of the origin of Santa Claus--he was a real person after all--a bishop in Myra, Turkey, who loved the poor and gave his fortune to help them. Tomorrow would be a great day to take the children shopping for your Angel Tree gifts and to tell them more about St. Nicholas.
Tonight, you could fill the children's shoes with little treats--chocolate coins (available at the commissary), an orange, a candy cane, and a short note from St. Nicholas praising each child for some good thing s/he has done or sacrifice s/he has made and suggesting a virtue to work on to prepare his or her heart for the Christ Child's birth.
Lots of St. Nicholas activities are available (some to print out for free and some to play online) on the St. Nicholas Center website: http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=102
More ideas are available at http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=953
And they might even have a video of the story of St. Nicholas in the R.E. library.
More ideas are available at http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=953
And they might even have a video of the story of St. Nicholas in the R.E. library.
Another fun Advent Saint is St. Lucy, whose feast day is December 13. Lucy's name comes from the Latin word for "light". In Sweden, St. Lucy's Day is celebrated by the daughters of the house getting up early and serving breakfast in bed to their parents. A special wreath of candles is worn on the oldest daughter's head. While you may not want your daughter walking around with lit candles on her head next Monday, a special family breakfast with a lit candle in the center of the table (or lighting your Advent wreath at breakfast time) might be a fun way to start this day.
No comments:
Post a Comment