Tree Blessing Prayer

Every year on the Sunday of our Forefathers and in honor of my husband's patron saint, Jesse, we buy our Christmas tree and bless it.  For those of you who would like to bless your tree, here is the prayer for it*:

Father or Leader: Our help is in the name of the Lord.
All: Who hath made heaven and earth.
All: All the trees of the wood shout for joy before the Lord, for He comes. 
Read Psalm 95.
All: All the trees of the wood shout for joy before the Lord, for He comes.
Leader: Lesson from the Prophet Ezekiel (Read Ezekiel 17:22-24)
All: Thanks be to God.
Leader: And there shall come forth a shoot.
All: Out of the root of Jesse.
Leader: In Him was life.
All:And the life was the light of men.
Leader: O Lord hear my prayer.
All: And let my cry come unto Thee.
Leader: The Lord be with you.
All: And with your spirit.
Leader: Let us pray. Holy Lord, Father Almighty, Eternal God, Who hast caused Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to be planted like a tree of life in Thy Church, by being born of th emost HOly Virgin Mary, bless, we beseech thee, this tree that all who see it may be filled with a holy desire to be ingrafted as living branches into the same Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the HOly Spirit, One God, world without end. 
All. Amen

Sprinkle the tree with holy water and sing an Advent hymn.

*Many thanks to Nan, who in her research years ago discovered this prayer!

Nativity Fast preparation

Monday, November 15th marks the beginning of the Nativity Fast.  For a more in depth look at some activities and crafts to due during advent, look no further than here.  But, in brief, here are some activities to do with your children throughout the next 40 days to help prepare you hearts for the celebration of Christ's birth.

Remember that each week has a theme: faith, hope, peace, love, repentance and communion.  Light your candle for the week at the beginning of that week and continue lighting until Christmas and through the 12 days (or as long as they last)!  The theme ideas come from Making God Real in the Orthodox Christian Home by Anthony Coniaris. The activities to go with are of my own silly creation!  If you have any other ideas, please do let me know!
  
1. Make an advent wreath and paper chain, Eastern Orthodox style.
2. For Faith Week, beginning November 15th, sit down as a family and list gifts you'd like to give to the baby Jesus.  Then spend the rest of the Nativity Fast preparing these gifts (whether by making them or saving money for them).  Remember all these gifts, however silly, can be given to people in need.  To give unto someone in need is to give unto Christ.
3.  The Entrance of the Theotokos falls on Sunday, November 21st this year. Check out this activity from our archives.
4. For the second week of the fast (beginning Nov. 21st), make some anchor ornaments to hang around your house.  Anchors are a traditional Christian symbol of hope.  Print out this picture as a template, and cut out card stock or construction paper and let the kids decorate them.  Then hang them around the house or tape them on your windows.
5. For week 3, December 5th, decorate a tree outside!
6.  December 5th, the beginning of Week 4.  Make doves to hang for this  Week of Peace.
7. Monday, December 6th, is St Nicholas day!!!  Don't forget to read stories of St Nick to your kids and fill their shoes with goodies.
8.Week 5, beginning December 12th and the Sunday of our Forefathers.  For this week of repentance, make your candy cane craft and/or join our style of celebrating our Forefathers.  This is when we get our Christmas tree!
9.  Lucy Light!!! Monday, December 13th.  This is a Xmas staple in our family.  Pa's family did it because they are of scandinavian origin, we do it for that reason and because we have a little Lucy of our own.  Even if you don't have a little Lucy, this is a very fun day if you have any girls in your family.   Read more about how you can celebrate this day here.
10. We light the candle for the last week of Christmas on December 19th.  Make gingerbread houses and  talk about how through the sacrament of communion, Christ lives in us.
11.  December 25th!  Christmas Day!  Light your final candle and feast with joy on the day of Christ's birth!

Kings Bread

[Updated January 2011]

Ma Torg has graciously invited me to be a periodic contributor here at the Liturgical Year for Little Ones, and I am honored to accept.

I thought I'd dive in with a recipe for your Twelfth Night/Epiphany/Theophany celebration. I know Ma Torg has shared fun ideas for a Twelfth Night party on her other blog.

For now, I'll just offer a simplified recipe for Kings Bread, so called after the three "kings" or magi, the first gentiles to worship the child Jesus as King, God, and Savior of all the nations. Kings bread is formed in a ring or crown shape with jewel-colored candied fruit toppings.

I've adapted a more traditional recipe using the high-moisture method of the excellent Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day cookbook by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe François. (And, oh my goodness, I am now drooling over their newer book, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Whole grains, baby! Whole grains! But I digress.)

The wonderful features of the high-moisture method are (1) mix dough one day and bake another, (2) no kneeding needed!

I'm still experimenting with this recipe, so improvements may be posted later. Let me know if you have any tips.

Kings Bread
Mix in a 5-quart bowl or a lidded (not airtight) container:

• 3/4 C lukewarm water
• 1/2 T salt
• 1 T granulated yeast (1 packet)
• 1/4 C honey
• 1/2 C (one stick) unsalted butter, melted
  
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  
• 1/2 t lemon extract
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 t lemon zest

Mix in without kneading, using a spoon or stand mixer with dough hook:

• 3 & 3/4 C unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 C chopped mixed candied fruit, and/or cranberries and golden raisins
  
• 1/4 C chopped almonds and/or other nuts
  

Cover (not airtight) and rest at room temperature (or in a warmed oven) until the dough rises and collapses, about 2 hours. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container to chill. Use when chilled and within five days.

When you're ready to bake, grease a baking sheet with a small amount of

• butter.

Insert into the chilled dough

• 1 whole almond, 1 raw bean, or 1 well-washed penny.

Dust dough with

• flour

and quickly form into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. Place the ball on the baking sheet, seam side down. Make a four-inch hole in the center and push dough into a ring. Butter the outside of a three or four-inch custard dish and set in the hole.

Loosely cover the dough with oiled plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place for 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375º.

Remove plastic wrap and brush the loaf with

• 1 egg beaten with
• 1 t water.

Press dough lightly with more

• whole candied fruit/cranberries/golden raisins and
• whole nuts and/or sliced blanched almonds

Sprinkle top with

• 1/4 C sugar.

Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden browned on the outside and hollow sounding when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.


Whoever gets the whole almond/bean/penny in his or her slice of bread can either be king/queen of the Twelfth Night party, or be the one to bring a baby Jesus doll in christening gown on Candelmas (a western tradition--I'm the Western Rite dark horse that Ma Torg is trotting out--Hope you all don't mind my western ways), or be the one to host the Twelfth Night/Epiphany party next year.

Happy and blessed festivities to you all!

Christmas is coming!

We are going crazy in our house finishing up the graduate school term and preparing for an extensive road trip over the holidays (3 1/2 weeks!). However, if you haven't already, be sure to check out the compilations of crafts and activities for the Nativity Fast to do with your little ones.

Besides those listed, here are some other activities to do together this year:

1. Assemble together on Xmas eve and sing Advent songs. The next evening, gather together and drink Mulled Wine and sing Christmas carols together. We use a hymnal we have, but you can easily find music and lyrics on the internet.

2. Get a small gift for your children for each of the 12 days of Christmas. Or another idea (for older children) is to give your child a new clue each day that will lead to a hiding spot on the 12th day of Christmas and have a special gift hidden.

3. Wait until Christmas Day to put baby Jesus in the manger. On Christmas Eve, say special prayers and bless the crib with Holy Water.

4. Bake a cake for your Christmas dessert and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus before opening presents.

I hope you all have a wonderful Advent and Christmas season! Please share any ideas you have!

Christmas Day

Read the Christmas story in Luke together. Sing Christmas carols now that Christ has come!!! Light your Christmas candle; now the Advent wreath can blaze in its full glory. We all have our own personal family traditions. Remember to talk to your children about why we do the things we do. Keep the meaning in tradition!

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

(and for a Christmas follow up, now is the time to start teaching your children to write thank you notes. Read to them the story of the ten lepers in Luke and talk about how important it is to say' thank you'. For ones who are too little to write a thank you note, have them color a picture instead (I'm sure you could even find one of the ten lepers on the internet).)

Week 6: Communion (color: red, December 23)

This is the very last candle lighting before Christmas. He who came and will come again is present with us in the sacrament of Holy Communion.

"And the Word became flesh , and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1: 14

"He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." John 6: 54

For the Little Ones: It is this sacrament that allowed Paul to say Christ lives in Him. And we can do the same through our own participation. To encourage talking about how Christ lives in us, build Gingerbread Houses with your children (so very Christmas-y). Talk about how our bodies our also houses that God can live in and discuss the Eucharist with your children.

Week 5: Repentance (color: purple, December 16th, 2007)

"Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the Gospel.'" Mark 1:14-15

As always, I suggest purchasing the book I mentioned in my previous post. It contains evening readings for the Sundays in Advent, suggested hymns to sing, special prayers and discussion topics pertinent to the readings.

For the Little Ones: The Candy Cane looks like the staff that the shepherd uses to bring his sheep back into the flock. Jesus is our Good Shepherd who brings us back to God. The white stripe reminds us of Jesus' innocence. The red stripe reminds us of the blood he shed for us. John 10:11: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."

Candy canes are a very appropriate craft theme for this week. They remind us of our Good Shepherd who calls us to repentance and grants us life through the blood he shed. Another plus: they are very 'Christmas-y' and there are tons of activities/crafts you can do with them. Here are a few ideas for starters:

1. Tell your kids the story of the candy cane and color this page.
2. Clay/Play dough candy canes (perfect for toddlers)--Moms: roll out red and white play dough into long strips. Show your child how to wrap the strips around to make a candy cane pattern. Continue wrapping until the play dough is used up. Have your child shape it into a candy cane shape and leave out to dry. When dry, tie a ribbon around it and hang it up, or hang it on your Christmas tree. (you can do a similar thing with cookie dough).
3. Get a white candle and have your kids glue candy canes around for a candy cane candle to light on Christmas day.
4. For toddlers, draw a candy cane shape unto a piece of white paper and have your child draw on the stripes. Then have your child count how many stripes he/she drew (red or white). That's simply for math practice. (:
5. Candy Cane Balance (for multiple children): Supply each child with a candy cane. Ask them to balance it on their head. Then have the children race (you'll pick the course). Whoever makes it to the finishing line first without dropping their cane wins (when cane falls, they return to the beginning!).

Sunday of our Forefathers

This Sunday is the nameday of my husband, Jesse and our godson, Davede (David). On this day, we get our Christmas tree (to symbolize the tree of Jesse). We read special Western Orthodox blessing of the tree prayers (which I can post later if people desire) and will place a star on the tree (for the star of David)...we won't decorate the tree till Christmas Eve, though (our own tradition).

We will have friends join us for the blessing of the tree and supper. We'll sing some Advent hymns together, read some Psalms in memory of King David and send friends away with their own little trees (courtesy of Trader Joe's) and some homemade star-shaped cookies (for the star of David).

*** The Sunday of our Forefathers is celebrated on Sunday, Dec 11 or the first Sunday after Dec. 11th).

December 13th: Lucy Light!!!

This thursday is the name day of my dear eldest daughter, Lucy Rose. We are having a party!!! Lucy has a lovely crown of candles (battery operated, thanks to her loving godparents), a beautiful white dress which she picked and a red sash (the latter of which I am in the process of sewing). In Swedish/Scandinavian tradition (of which my husband descends from), it is traditional for the eldest daughter to awake the family with a tray of Lucia bread in the above costume. Due to the age of our children (5 months, 2 years and 3 years), we have decided to instead have an early evening Santa Lucia Tea and have invited some church friends to join us. (For more Lucy customs, see here).

I have a lovely recording of Elvis Presley's version of the Italian Santa Lucia song to play while guests come. Then we will all learn the St. Lucy song together and sing it while Lucy brings out the Lucia bread in her lovely costume. We will feast on fast appropriate tea treats and read the devotion from Ohrid's Prologue for St. Lucy. Guests will be sent home with gifts (candles wrapped up with red ribbons).

***In families where there isn't a daughter named Lucy, it is still a tradition in many cultures to have the eldest (in some the youngest) daughter play the role of Santa Lucia.

Week 4: Peace (color: white, Dec. 9th)

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Luke 2:14

Here's another reminder: I suggest purchasing the book I mentioned in my previous post. It contains evening readings for the Sundays in Advent, suggested hymns to sing, special prayers and discussion topics pertinent to the readings.

For the Little Ones: Do this fun paper dove craft together.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Paper plate
Scissors
Tape
Two plastic spoons
Pebble
Rubber band
Markers

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Cut the plate in half, then cut one half into three equal wedges. Tape one wedge to the bottom of the intact half. 2. Draw the bird's face on one spoon with the markers. Then sandwich the pebble between the two spoon bowls and bind them with the rubber band. 3. Tape the spoons to the bottom of the paper plate half.

Tips: To fly, throw like a paper airplane. Adjust the pebble size to improve flight.

St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (December 6th)

Stuff those stockings today!!!! So much of American Christmas tradition is wound around the figure of St. Nicholas. I fondly remember as a child leaving out home baked cookies for Santa Claus and eagerly awaiting opening my stocking in the morning. But, I digress. To learn about the real St. Nicholas on whom all of this fun tradition is based, you can look no further than here. This site has great ideas for celebrating this Saint, some of which I've included below.

For the Little Ones: On December 5th, read the story of St. Nicholas and have your children help you prepare some cookies to set out before bedtime (for vegan, fast friendly cookie recipes, see here.) Listen to fun Christmas music about Santa Claus while you bake (and enjoy when the kids are in bed!). In the morning, have stockings or shoes for your children set out filled with the tradition St. Nicholas treats (chocolate coins or pennies, apples, oranges and nuts). Then, take your children to pick out a gift to give to someone less fortunate (you might know someone, or donate it to a toy drive). Have your children color some St. Nicholas pages (see here) and pass them out to neighbors along with candy canes.*

*Candy Canes *These are really candy croziers, one of St. Nicholas' symbols. All bishops carry staffs, hooked at the top like a shepherd's crook, showing they are the shepherds who care for, or tend, their people.St. Nicholas Day Blessing of Candy Canes

Week 3: Love (color: gold, December 2nd)

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

For the Little Ones: It is believed that St. Boniface was the first to establish the fir tree as a Christian symbol. He referred to the triangular shape as a symbol of the trinity, the evergreens as a symbol of eternity, with the branches pointing towards heaven. Hence its being seen as a symbol of the Christ child who brought us eternal life.

Now we like to wait until the feast of our forefathers to buy a Christmas tree for indoors in honor of my husband's name day, Jesse and the Jesse tree (it also is better to wait if you want your tree to survive the 12 days of Christmas celebration!). So this week help your children to decorate a Christmas tree outside for the animals instead! Invite neighbors to help. Talk about how the tree is a symbol of eternal life and the love that God has for us (John 3:16). Buy a living Christmas tree or decorate a tree you already have outside (it doesn't necessarily have to be a fir tree). String berries or other fruit and popcorn. Place pieces of bread on the branches. Hang birdseed in small paper cups. Smear peanut butter on crackers and place on branches. Then watch the animals feast away!

Week 2: Hope (color: Blue, November 25th)

This is also my goddaughters nameday (St. Catherine)! I will hopefully post more on that later. But will now restrict my post to the second Sunday in the Nativity Fast. That which begins the week of Hope.

Luke 1:29-33

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

For the little ones: A traditional Christian symbol of hope is the anchor (as St. Paul writes, "We have this [our faith in God] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul..." Hebrews 6:19). It ranks among one of the most common symbols in the catacombs. Moms, get thin pieces of cardboard and trace/draw an anchor onto it. Cut out the anchor shape so that a stencil remains. Buy/make some washable window paint in various colors and get some sponges. First, have your children help clean the window(s) they'll get to paint on. Then give each of your children a stencil and a sponge and help them to paint anchors onto your windows for decoration during Hope week (or the entire Nativity fast, if you wish!).

Another project is to do a science-like demonstration. Have your children help you make a toy boat. You can make one out of a clean Styrofoam meat tray (or a cut up take out container). Insert a straw into the tray for a mast and tape triangular sails (cut from construction paper) to the straw. Tie a string to the bottom of the straw and let hang. Fill your bathtub with water and place the boat in. Have your children help you make waves in the water through splashing with your hands (or do this demonstration during bath time!). Talk about how the boat moves all over the place and can't hold steady. Then tie a rock to the end of the string and show your children how it anchors the boat in place. Direct the conversation to talking about how our faith in God is an anchor that holds us in place as we struggle in this world.

The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple (Nov. 21)

According to the book of St. James, Mary entered the temple at age 3 and remained there for nine years. The priest Zacharias placed her in the Holy of Holies and the grace of God descended upon her. On this feast we celebrate that, like Mary, we too are the house and tabernacle of the Lord.

Readings: Hebrews 9:1-7; Luke 10:38-42; 11:27-28.

For the little ones: Get rolls of construction paper. Unroll and cut slightly longer than child's height. Have child lay down on paper and trace his/her body. Explain how our body's our temples for the holy spirit who dwells inside us. Draw/trace a dove in the middle of the body. Have your child color his body. Help the child to memorize

1 Corinthians 6:19, "...your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you"

Week one: Faith (color: green, Sunday, Nov 18th)

Readings: Again, I suggest purchasing the book I mentioned in my previous post. It contains evening readings for the Sundays in Advent, suggested hymns to sing, special prayers and discussion topics pertinent to the readings.

For the Little Ones: Begin the season right and have your family make a Christmas gift for Jesus. Ask your children what they'd like to give Christ for Christmas. Make a list and spend the season preparing these gifts. Remember that all items, however silly they may seem (like a doll) would be appreciated by someone in need.

In the Orthodox Church, the Nicene Creed is often referred to as the symbol of our Faith. Help your children to learn the Nicene Creed (if they don't already know it). Talk about it with them. Help them to make a picture book with the words of different portions of the creed written on each page. I love the description of God as being 'Light of Light' in the creed. So, use this week to decorate candles and give a gift of 'light' to friends and family members. Include with the gift a copy of the creed. See here for a kid-friendly candle craft. And, remember, the point is to have fun...so let your kids go crazy and bring out those aprons to help manage the mess!

Advent Preparation List

I know it's crazy, but Advent is almost here! November 15th is a short two weeks away. Assuming your life is a least half as crazy as mine (3 kids 3 and under), then you will need at least two weeks to start getting ready.

First things first, I recommend that everyone buys Making God Real in the Orthodox Christian Home by Anthony Coniaris. I've found this to be a great resource. It gives good ideas for discussion topics for families regarding feasting, fasting and other various Christian topics (death, sex ed, etc.). It also has a great Advent section telling how to make an Orthodox Advent wreath and my favorite part (which I will not be printing on this blog...hence your need to buy the book) is that for every Sunday of Advent, this book lists readings, prayers, hymns to sing and discussion topics pertinent to the day.

The first big project for us all is to purchase the necessary craft material for Advent. I will spend the next couple of weeks listing the various projects I've planned out for Advent and the materials needed. I will also include directions for making an Advent Wreath adapted for the Orthodox Christian family. Please feel free to leave any suggestions you have to help present Advent to little children!

Advent Wreath materials:
A large styrofoam wreath (space will be needed for seven candles)
Evergreen branches (fake or real)
Colored candles (at least one each dependent on whether you think you'll be lighting candles every night): green, blue, gold, white, purple and red. Michael's carries candles in these colors. If you can't find colored candles, you may purchase white candles and the appropriatedly colored ribbons to tie around.
A paschal candle (one remaining from Pascha or another one similar too. Or just a plain white one.)

Directions: Place candles in the styrofoam wreath in the order listed above. Now, my preference is to place a large, white 'paschal' candle in the middle, but you may also include it in the ring. Lay evergreen branches around candles to cover styrofoam. Another option would be to by a large evergreen wreath and 6-7 candle holders. Place the candles in the holders and arrange in the wreath.

Advent paper chain:
Construction paper in the various colors corresponding to the candles (for gold paper, you might need to use wrapping paper. That or you can substitute yellow or orange.) Cut the paper into strips. Tape strips into a ring, interlocking them as you go. Due to the timing of Advent this year, you'll need the following number of strips for each color and place them in the following order, taking them off one by one on each evening in Advent. Now, I like the idea of hanging the chain from a star that will remain for Christmas Day but you may do as you please. (:

Green--10 strips (because Nov 15th isn't a Sunday, you will have extra strips of this color)
Blue--7 strips
Gold--7 strips
White--7 strips
Purple--7 strips
Red--2 strips

**If you have readers, you can use your computer and print out a bible verse on each strip to be read each night when taken off.

More to follow soon!