There’s a well-known blogger who puts her Christmas decorations up the first week in October and takes them down in March. She says that every time of the year is appropriate for rejoicing in the birth of Jesus.
I say that’s true – so pray the Joyful mysteries throughout the year!
However, the church also gives us the opportunity to really dig deeper into the season of Advent and prepare our hearts and souls for Christmas! If we don’t do that, all of the Christmas lights in the world won’t help!
Over the years I have collected links and resources for the holidays that I thought would help me and my family prepare our hearts and spirits to celebrate the birth of Baby Jesus. Some of it is a wish list, but there was something in every link that I thought was worthwhile.
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Christ the King
Christ the King and the Donkey Craft
Preparing for Advent!
Perhaps first on the list is making a plan to get our homes ready for the holidays:
- Holiday Grand Plan from Organized Christmas.
- Happiest Holidays Bundle
- Advent and Christmas Planner from Catholic Icing
- Advent Planner from Wildflower and Marbles
- Get your shopping done before Advent!
- Christmas planner
Advent Music Playlist:
St. Andrew's Christmas Novena
Advent Calendars
- A spiritual Christmas Crib
- Busted Halo
- Christmas Cheer Advent Calendar
- Holy Family Advent Calendar
- Professor Carol’s Advent Calendar
- Sun and Candlelight
- Organized Christmas
- Catholic Culture 1, 2 and 3
- Scripture Writing Plan – through December
- Joy to the World Advent Calendar
Planning for Advent
- Best Advent Ever
- A More Meaningful Advent
- Advent Candles
- Catholic Cuisine- treats for Advent and Christmas
- Shower of Roses- Advent Book Basket
- Christmas Trees,
- Christmas Carols, and our attempts at Advent
- 25 Ways to Brighten Advent
- Successful Advent
- Catholic Icing membership and printables
Advent Reading
- Elizabeth Foss – Most Read Aloud Time of the Year!
- A Gentle Advent
- Advent- Everything You Need to Know
- Advent Thoughts
- Faith and Fabric
- Fridge Art
- How to Save Advent
- Kids literature link for Advent
Celebrating Advent with Older Teens
- Father Sanders, History of the Advent Wreath
- Advent AdventuresCatholic Culture
- Eight Ways to Keep Advent
- Waltzing Matilda’s Huge reading list for Advent!
- Legend of the Poinsettia -Review
- Star of Bethlehem
- Christmas Mosaic.
Preparing the Jesse Tree
- Jesse Tree ornaments
- More Jesse Tree ornaments
- 4Real Forums: Alternate Art Study –
- Jesse Tree Reflections
- Jesse TreesThe Voice – Jesse Tree readings and ornament symbols.
- Jesse Tree Craft
- Easy Peasy- print, cut, display!! jesse tree symbols
- 31 Jesse Tree Ornament Patterns.
- Wooden Advent Ornaments
Saints of the Season
- St. Andrew, Countdown to Christmas
- St. Ambrose
- Our Lady of Guadalupe
- St. Juan Diego
- St. Lucy
- St. LucyPrintable
- Catholic Advent saints! via Catholic Icing
St. Nicholas
- Feast of. St. Nicholas
- 19 Remembered Facts about St. Nicholas
- St. Nicholas Cookies
- St. Nicholas - shower of Roses
- St. Nicholas gift tags to cut and use.
Immaculate Conception
Movies of the Season
- A Christmas Carol Literature Guide!
- A Christmas Carol – George C. Scott
- A Christmas Story
- A Christmas Carol – 1938 – Gene Lockhart – One of the best!
- Christmas in Connecticut
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas
- It's a Wonderful Life
- Meet me in St. Louis
- Miracle on 34th Street
- Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer
- Scrooge 1970 Albert Finney! My Personal Favorite
- White Christmas
O Antiphons
- O Antiphon craft with altoid box!
- More O Antiphon links and crafts.
- O Antiphons from Catholic Icing
- O Antiphons Chants and readings
- Cool code behind the O Antiphons – via Adam’s Ale
- O Antiphons- Shower of Roses!
- The Golden Nights O Antiphon coloring pages
- O Antiphon bracelet
- O Antiphon companion
- O Antiphons StartO Adonai – Day 2
- O Clavis David
- O Rex Gentium
- O Oriens
- O Emmanuel
Epiphany
Candlemas
Books of the Season
- A Small Miracle Peter Collington
- An Advent Calendar Tasha TudorAn Orange for Frankie Patricia Polacco
- Around the Year With the Von Trapp Family Maria Augusta Trapp
- Bells of Santa Lucia Gus Cazzola
- Bright Christmas, An Angel Remembers Andrew Clements
- Christmas and the Saints Hertha PauliChristmas Around the World Mary Lankford
- Christmas From Heaven The True Story of the Berlin Candy Bomber Tom Brokaw
- Christmas In the Barn Margaret Wise Brown
- Christmas In The Trenches John Mc Cutcheon
- Cobweb Christmas – The Tradition of Tinsel Shirley Climo
- Gifts from the Heart Patricia Polacco
- Good King Wenceslas John M. Neal
- Hanna’s Christmas Melissa Peterson (Wiley)
- Holly & Ivy Rumer Godden
- Jesus, Son of Mary Fulton Sheen
- Kirsten’s Surprise: A Christmas Story Janet Shaw
- Letters From Father Christmas J.R.R. Tolkien
- Little Lives of the Great Saints John O’Kane Murray
- Lucia, Saint of Light Katherine Bolger Hyde
- Mary, Mother of Jesus Mary Joslin & Alison Wisenfeld
- Merry Christmas Strega Noma Tomie De Paola
- Mortimer’s Christmas Manger Karma Wilson
- Nine Days to Christmas, A Story of Mexico Marie Hall Ets & Aurora Labastida
- Our Lady’s Feasts Sister Mary Jean Dorcy
- Saint Francis and the Christmas Donkey Robert Byrd
- St. Francis Celebrates Christmas Mary Caswell Walsh
- Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Story Julie Stegmeyer
- Saints for Young People by Daughters of St. Paul
- Shoemaker Martin L. Tolstoy B. Watts
- Silent Night: The Story and Its Story Margaret Hodges
- Stable Where Jesus Was Born Rhonda Gowler Greene
- Stephen’s Feast Jean Richardson
- Story Library of the Saints Joan Windham
- That Wonderful Night The Daughters of St. Paul
- The Ageless Story Lauren Ford
- The Angels Alphabet Hilda Van Stockum
- The Angels Story Max Lucado
- The Candymaker’s Gift: The Legend of the Candy Cane by David Haidle
- The Christmas ABC Book Golden Book
- The Christmas Anna Angel Ruth Sawyer
- The Christmas Bird Sally Ketchem
- The Christmas Candle Richard Paul Evans
- The Christmas Coat Clyde Robert Bulla
- The Christmas Cobwebs Odds Bodkin
- The Christmas Flower Joseph Henry Jackson
- The Christmas Knight Jane Louise Curry
- The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski
- The Christmas Story Jane Werner (1952, A Little Golden Book)
- The Crippled Lamb Max Lucado
- The Donkey’s Dream Barbara Helen Berger
- The First Christmas Stocking Elizabeth Winthrop
- The Friendly Beasts Tomie De Paola
- The Gift of the Magi O Henry
- The Huron Carol Ian Wallace
- The Glorious Impossible Madeleine L’Engle
- The Third Gift Linda Sue Park
- The Lady of Guadalupe Tomie de Paola
- The Lady of our Juggler Anatole France
- The Last Straw, A Christmas Story Frederick Thury
- The Legend of Old Befana Tomie DePaola
- The Legend of the Candy Cane Lori Walburg
- The Legend of the Christmas Rose William H. Hooks
- The Little Fir Tree by Margaret Wise Brown
- The Legend of the Poinsettia Tomie de Paola
- The Little Juggler Barbara Cooney
- The Little Match Girl Hans Christian Andersen
- The Living Nativity David Haidle
- The Miracle of St. Nicholas Gloria Whelan
- The Night of Las Posadas Tomie de Paola
- The Real Santa Claus Marianna Mayer
- The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe C. Lourdes Walsh
- The Three Gifts of Christmas Jennie Bishop
- The True St. Nicholas by William Bennett
- The 12 Days of Christmas Helen Haidle
- There Was No Snowing on Christmas Eve Pamela Munoz Ryan
- Twenty Miracles of St. Nicholas Brenda Bryson
- Waiting for Christmas Kathleen Long Bostrom
- War Games Village Green to No Man’s Land Michael Foreman
- We Three Kings Gennady Spirin
- When Jesus Was a Little Boy Georgia Moore Eberling
- Wonderworker: The True Story of How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus Vincent Yzermans
- CD’s and MP3 downloads are available here and also on Amazon
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Thanks for this so much!
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