Living Liturgically in December
On this page you will find resources for popular feast days celebrated in the Orthodox Church in December.
Here is a collection of blogposts for feast days and saints celebrated in the month of December. In each of these blogs you will find summarized information about the feast/saints, activity suggestions for younger and older kids, reading suggestions and more. These are not just activities for activities sake, of course. My hope is that these will aid you in sharing more about our faith with your children in a way that is developmentally appropriate, allows for their exploration and participation in the feast, and hopefully cultivate a rich soil in their hearts that allows the seed of Truth that stays with them all the days of their life. I absolutely love learning more about the saints and feast days and try my best to set them apart from other days. I hope these resources are a blessing to you!
Do you know that Jan 1 is the feast day for St Basil? If you're looking for a way to ring in the civil new year, look no further than the Vasilopita tradition! Vasilopita, is a sweet bread or cake with a coin baked inside. DOWNLOAD FREE RECIPE HERE.
The 12 days of Christmas is the period that marks the span between the birth of Christ (Nativity) December 25 and runs up to January 6 Theophany (Epiphany) which is when we celebrate Christ's baptism in the Jordan! These 12 days in between offers the faithful a festal period of great joy!
As Orthodox Christians, we mark the 40 days Advent leading up to the Nativity as a period of fasting, increased prayer, and giving alms and services in order to preparing ourselves spiritually to receive the coming Lord.
After any fast, we feast! Christmas is not a one day event! In fact, we spend this period of time FEASTING in all senses of the word ... celebrating with loved ones, enjoying the all the foods we have abstained from, and joyously celebrating the Lord who is with us 🎉
The 12 days of Christmas is the period that marks the span between the birth of Christ (Nativity) December 25 and runs up to January 6 Theophany (Epiphany) which is when we celebrate Christ's baptism in the Jordan! These 12 days in between offers the faithful a festal period of great joy!
For this challenge, I encourage you to find one thing per day that helps cultivate family culture in your home, create family bonds and glorify God in your family. Carve out time intentionally and find things you all enjoy together! As a visual aid, I created a printable to help you enjoy these days in a sustainable way.
Merry Christmas from our family to yours! May the remembrance of our Lord’s incarnation life your spirits and cause your hearts to rejoice! Christ is born, glorify Him!
Have you ever heard of St Lucia of Syracuse? She was a young martyr who lived in the 4th century in Italy and is celebrated in many Scandinavian countries on her feast day, December 13th. Each year on her feast day, children dress up in all white, wear a crown of candles and bake St Lucia buns to share with their loved ones and friends. Many churches also host a St Lucia Procession where both boys and girls process while singing a hymn to St Lucia. She is a wonderful saint, especially for children to look to because of her acts of mercy to the poor and her boldness and bravery as she faced persecution and eventually martyrdom for the sake of Christ.
In this guide you will find more about the many Scandinavian traditions surrounding this feast, the story of her life and martyrdom, and additional resources to help you create feast day traditions with your families for years to come!
In this guide you’ll find simple and easy ideas to celebrate the the Feast of St Nicholas with your kids - emphasis on easy! Activity suggestions, book recommendations, and additional information so you can share his story so together you can grow to love him even more!
It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of feast days, saint days, fasting periods, etc. So my hope with these monthly printables is to pair it down for you. Let’s make a goal to learn about ONE saint this month, and do ONE activity this month related to a featured saint. Throughout the month, learn ONE hymn by singing it together every day, or as often as you can. And lastly, intentionally carve out time to create a strong family culture in your home (in the Family Corner section).
In this guide you’ll find simple and easy ideas to celebrate the the Feast of St Nicholas with your kids - emphasis on easy! Activity suggestions, book recommendations, and additional information so you can share his story so together you can grow to love him even more!
Did you know that January 1st is the feast day for St Basil the Great? If you're looking for a way to ring in the civil New Year with our hearts and minds focused on the Lord, look no further than the Vasilopita tradition! ✨ Vasilopita✨ is a sweet bread or cake with a coin baked inside! In this guide you will find more about the many Greek traditions surrounding this feast, the story of his life, and additional resources to help you create feast day traditions with your families for years to come!