Collection: December

Traditional Catholic prayers, Bible passages, songs, and devotions for the month of the Immaculate Conception!

In Scandinavian culture, early in the morning on Saint Lucy’s Day, one of the daughters of a household goes from room to room dressed as the saint—in a white dress and red sash and wearing a crown of lit candles on her head. She wakes up her siblings and parents and offers them hot coffee and Saint Lucy buns. If this isn’t the year for a real flaming candle crown in your house, here’s a fun paper substitute. Boys get to be star boys (stjärngosse), for Saint Stefanos. Legend says that he was working in King Herod’s stables when he saw the star of Bethlehem rise at Jesus’ birth. He ran to Herod and told him that the new king was born. Herod, eating a chicken dinner, scoffed, saying: “That is as likely as if this fried rooster would come alive and call.” Whereupon the rooster flew up and called: “Christus natus est” (Christ is born)!

This traditional Mexican beverage is thick and tasty and filling. It’s great with toast or pastry for breakfast or an afternoon snack, alongside a spicy pozole at dinner, or for dessert.

What better way to finish an all-white dinner than with an all-white dessert! Reflect on Mary’s profound purity and humility in between bites of this delicious brownie!

Growing up in Southern California, Our Lady of Guadalupe has always been familiar to me, as are many other Mexican foods and traditions. As a sweet treat on her feast day, we like to have cookies and champurrada or Mexican hot chocolate (see the CAY July recipe packet). I always make a big batch of these Mexican wedding cookies. My midwestern mother-in-law is the one who first introduced me to them. But she called them snowballs. They are a fun, powdered-sugary treat, and make a great addition to our freezer stash of Christmas goodies that gets saved for 12-days-of-Christmas treats and cookie-plate-gifts.

Dutch speculaas cookies are unusually perfect for this feast day, in that they are traditionally made in the shape of St. Nicholas using very beautiful, very intricate hand-carved wooden molds that range in size from a few inches to a couple feet tall. They’re very impressive. They can also be made with regular cookie cutters, or cut out using a St. Nicholas-shaped template. The basic ingredients are simple; what makes them really special is the spices. I like to use cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, mace, white pepper, and cloves. It just smells so much like Christmas.

Use this download for the entire month of August!

Today we celebrate that Mary was miraculously preserved from the stain of Original Sin! And what better way to reflect on the purity of our Blessed Mother than with all white foods! This dish is the perfect way to remember her Immaculate Conception, and enjoy added chicken–instead of fish–for the solemnity, too!

The month of December is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception! Display this print all month long and don’t forget to pray the prayer on the back for her feast day!

Saint Lucy was a fourth-century virgin martyr, denounced as a Christian by a disappointed suitor. Her tortures are said to have included having her eyes gouged out, and in images she is often shown holding her eyes on a plate. Saint Lucy saffron buns (also known as lussekatter) are traditionally enjoyed on her feast day. If this isn’t the year for from-scratch bread-making, try this simple cheater version using canned cinnamon roll dough!

It's a bit on-the-nose. But we can't resist this salad for the feast of St. Ambrose. Not only is it tangy and delicious, but it's perfect for this feast day. The legend of St. Ambrose says that when he was a baby, a swarm of bees landed on him and left only a drop of honey on his face; his father said that it meant he would grow up to be "honey-tongued." And, it was true! St. Ambrose was known for his eloquence as a bishop, and his legend won him the title of patron of beekeepers! Enjoy this dessert that's sweet as honey today.