Your calendar medallions for the month of December!

We know we can always count on Saint Apollonia to intercede for us if we have tooth pain, but why not avoid that entirely by practicing good oral hygiene? Never forget to brush again with this handy tracker.

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 is the Tierney family’s most beloved liturgical living tradition. It’s some much-needed family in the busy Advent season to prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus.

Saint John is often pictured holding a cup with a cute little serpent coiled around the edge to symbolize a cup of poisoned wine that didn’t kill him. Saint John’s Day is traditionally the day to bring a bottle of wine to Mass with you for Father to bless. If you’re not able to make it to Mass, or your wine isn’t, the head of the household can ask God to bless the wine.

Saint John’s symbol as one of the four evangelists is an eagle. This is said to symbolize the lofty nature of John’s gospel compared to the other three (synoptic) gospels.

All the saint of the day images for the month of December!

Your original 2" calendar medallions for the month of December!

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.

In Sweden, Saint Lucy saffron buns (also known as lussekatter) are eaten throughout Advent and especially on the feast of Saint Lucy. The curled S-shape with two raisins, reminds us of St. Lucy’s eyes. This dough comes together easily with a stand mixer, or by hand if you’re willing to work for it! If you don’t have vodka on hand to soak the saffron threads, just add them to the milk instead. All-purpose flour can be substituted. Kids love to help roll the dough, shape the curled-S eyes, and add the raisins.

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!

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.

St. John of the Cross lived in Spain in the sixteenth century. As we can tell by his name, he had a love for austerity and a great devotion to the crucifixion. While praying one day, he was granted a vision of Christ crucified, in which St. John saw Jesus from above, as God the father would have seen him. For the feast day, I like to add to our Advent cookie stash by making peanut butter kisses. The brown peanut butter cookie reminds us of the wooden cross, and the chocolate kiss on the top is for the particular love St. John of the Cross had for it. I always make at least two batches. We eat a couple each on the day, then the rest go into the freezer to make cookie plates for teachers, friends, and neighbors.

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.

This rustic soup is a real family favorite. We have it on Christmas Eve and sometimes also for our “all white dinner” on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and it’s perfect for a German saint day. It’s always in the Lenten “soup and stations” rotation, and the kids often choose it for their special days. I have very fond memories of cutting dumplings into bubbling soup with my grandfather, and I love doing it with my kids now. It’s not exactly a quick and easy process, but the results are so worth it. The soup thickens up with time and gets even better. It can be made a day or two ahead if desired. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop, adding water if necessary. Stir very often to keep from scorching the bottom when reheating.

The stories say that the tortures suffered by St. Lucy included having her eyeballs poked out, and she is often depicted in art holding her own eyes. So, we like to make this punch in her honor on her feast day. (It’s also fun for Halloween). The kids love to help! Nota bene: The sorbet eyeballs melt quickly in the punch, so add them just before serving. Makes 24 approximately 8oz servings. To add two eyeballs to each serving, double the amount of sorbet and blueberries used.

There is a long history in the Church of fasting before major feast days. In fact, until 1983, the Christmas Eve fast was still binding, which meant that on Christmas Eve Catholics would eat one regular meal, and two small meals (technically called collations), all meat-free. It’s no longer binding, but we’ve found it works for us to have a collation breakfast and lunch and then a festive, memorable, meat-free dinner.

“Christmas Eve Salad” in English, Mexican Ensalada de Nochebuena (ehn-sah-LAH-dah de NO-chay BWAY-nah) is a cool/sweet/tart addition to any feast day table. It can also be made in a fruit salad-style without lettuce, but this recipe is how my family likes it best. Other common ingredients include grapefruit, prickly pears, beets, apples, pineapple, and pecans. Feel free to create your own combination!

Print these outlines to accommodate extra crafters for the Straw Star of Bethlehem activity in the December 2023 liturgical box.

This downloadable bundle includes everything you need for your most meaningful Lent yet!

This downloadable bundle includes everything you need for your most meaningful Advent yet!

Your calendar medallions for the month of January!

Decorate you mantle or wall for Jesus’ special day (January 9th) with this banner. Use it again to celebrate baptism day anniversaries in your family!

Find the letters of Jesus’ name in this bowl of soup! To learn more of titles of honor of Jesus, look up and pray the Litany of the Holy Name.

A partial indulgence is available, according to the usual conditions, for renewing our baptismal promises any time. A plenary indulgence is available for doing so on our baptism anniversaries, so save this renewal rite for your next special day.

Saint Sebastian is a patron saint of soldiers and athletes. This illustration is based on artist Marco Palmezzano’s work Saint Sebastian.

Names are important and Jesus’ name is the most important of all. To celebrate the day, I like to make this tasty alphabet soup, and then . . . let the kids play with it! The kids get to scoop letters out with their spoons to build their names—and Jesus’ name of course—on the edge of their plates. You can pull the bay leaf and thyme sprigs out before serving, or you can just tell your family that whoever gets them in his bowl is king/queen/duke/princess/etc. of dinner. That’s what we do. For a heartier meal, add prepared meatballs, cooked chicken, or diced ham. The soup makes great leftovers, just add some water and reheat.

Also works for pouring and sprinkling. Because the Baptism of the Lord is almost always observed on a Sunday, we like to invite our kids’ godparents to join us for dinner. They are spread out all over the country (and there are a lot of them!) but it’s worth a try. And, whether or not godparents can join you, what better way to celebrate Saint John the Baptist dunking Jesus in a river, than by dunking bread in melted cheese? Right? RIGHT? Baptism of the Lord fondue party! Aldi is a great place to find affordable European cheeses.

On our baptismal days, our souls become as pure as clean, white snow. Of course, Jesus was already perfectly pure, but His baptism was still a momentous event. This fun, white drink is a yummy reminder of the effects of the gift of baptism! Make it to celebrate the Lord’s baptismal day, but keep it in mind for sacrament parties, too!

For the crime of being a Christian, Saint Sebastian was sentenced to death by an archer firing squad. He survived. Emperor Diocletian wasn’t impressed, though, and had him put to death again, this time successfully. In the saint’s honor, these mini-skewers are best made on arrow-shaped food picks (included in the box) but also work on toothpicks or longer wooden skewers, and are tasty as an appetizer or a meal. Put them together before serving or let kids skewer cooked ingredients themselves. Other fruits, meats, and/or vegetables can be added or substituted.