The Historic St. Joseph's Catholic Rectory

Regina Martyrum Productions {Sponsored Giveaway}

I know I told you all that I wasn't planning on hosting any more giveaways this year, but when Regina Martyrum Productions contacted me about hosting a giveaway here at Shower of Roses for $150 IN GIFT CARDS I knew I had to carve out a little time, in between the birthday parties this week, to put together one more giveaway post for you all!

Regina Martyrum Productions produces the finest works of Catholic audio theatre. With emphasis on the lives of the Saints, these products are edifying, and entertaining.

Stories hold our attention, teach us morals, and can teach a moral lesson while entertaining. We all love stories. Here at Regina Martyrum Productions, we provide high-quality, fully-dramatized Catholic stories. From Old Testament scenes to New Testament saints, we provide the best, timeless stories for today’s Catholic audiences. Engaging the power of your imagination while listening, you and your children will walk through the pages of the Church's history. These are not your run of the mill "books on tape!" Every production is packed with full cast, great music, and realistic sound effects! They are great in the car, at story time, or at anytime! 

I have been a fan of Regina Martyrum Productions ever since our oldest children were toddlers! I treasure our collection of CDs, and even some audio cassettes which we were given many years ago. Now these timeless Catholic stories are available as digital downloads!

These inspiring stories of the saints will make a deep impression on both children and adults! We love all the stories, but my personal favorite (and my husbands too!) is the story of St. Gerard Majella, To Heaven Through the Window.

Regina Martyrum Productions is working on adding new stories to the digital collection each month and yesterday they released the story of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton! I downloaded and enjoyed listening to Valiant Daughter of America last night and look forward to sharing it with our children on her feast day next month.

Regina Martyrum Productions offers Gift Cards which would make perfect Christmas gifts for family, friends, Godchildren, and Godparents! You can purchase gift cards for 1 story, 2 stories, 3 stories, or more!

I have FOUR GIFT CARDS to give away from Regina Martyrum Productions totaling $150! Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter box below. Four winners will be randomly generated using the entries from Rafflecopter and contacted via email on December 23rd:

• First winner will receive: $60 Gift Card
• Second winner will receive: $45 Gift Card
• Third winner will receive: $30 Gift Card
• Fourth winner will receive: $15 Gift Card

Note: Bonus entries will be awarded for helping to spread the word about this great company, visiting and following them on Facebook, subscribing to updates, and/or ordering a gift card!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Roses in the Snow {A Brand New Picture Book!}

Roses in the Snow: A Tale of St. Elizabeth of Hungary

We are celebrating a sweet little girl's 5th birthday today!  I can't believe my little "Rose" is already five years old… How did that happen so fast?!?  I'll be back later with pictures from our party, but in the meantime I wanted to share one of her birthday gifts with you all.

This sweet book about St. Elizabeth of Hungary was just released on December 6th and would make a lovely Christmas gift! It was written by Dessi Jackson and Illustrated by Lydia Grace, the same author and illustrator of Saint Felix and the Spider, and it is beautiful! I can't wait to read it to my children! You can order it from Amazon here.

Update: The publisher has audio pronunciations for the Hungarian words in the story! Visit www.quisutdeuspress.com then click on "Roses In The Snow" On the bottom left hand side of the page you will find the pronunciations for nagymama, édesem, kifli and kalács!

Santa Lucia, Saint of Light

Santa Lucia

by Katherine Hyde

based on traditional Swedish lyrics

found in Lucia: Saint of Light

Night treads with heavy step

Round yard and hearth

Woods brood in darkness now

Sun's gone from earth

But through the darkness comes, 

With brightness glowing, 

Saint of the heav'n-ly light, 

Our Savior showing

Maiden so sweet and fair, 

Bright candles in your hair, 

Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia! 

Child of the holy light, 

Banish the dark of night, 

Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!

 

Night now goes great and mute

Silence rules all things

What is that murmuring

As of an angel's wings

There on our threshold

White-robed and shining 

Comes she with bread to spare

Our need divining

Maiden so sweet and fair, 

Bright candles in your hair, 

Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia! 

Child of the holy light, 

Banish the dark of night, 

Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!

Darkness shall soon depart

From vale and mountain

She brings good new to us

Light like a fountain

Soon day shall rise anew

Daystar is coming

In skies of rosy hue

Salvation's dawning

Maiden so sweet and fair, 

Bright candles in your hair, 

Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia! 

Child of the holy light, 

Banish the dark of night, 

Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!

A few links:

Lucia: Saint of Light

Saint Lucia's Braided Bread

Red Chime Candles (similar)

Dept. 56 Lucia Statue (found on ebay)

Starboy Hat and Star Set
Scroll through all past St. Lucy posts

Santa Lucia, Ora Pro Nobis! 

Celebrating the O Antiphons :: The Golden Nights

Photo from Christmas 2011 - Details about our O Antiphon House

Ever since our oldest children were very little, we have been implementing an old monastic custom in our home of providing special treats, representing each of the "O Antiphons," on the days leading up to Christmas.  The O Antiphon Prayers begin on December 17th and end on the 23rd, which is the last Vespers of Advent, since the evening prayer on the 24th is the Vigil of Christmas.

The Benedictine monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose. If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one - Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia - the Latin words ero cras are formed, meaning, “Tomorrow, I will come.” Therefore, the Lord Jesus, whose coming we have prepared for in Advent and whom we have addressed in these seven Messianic titles, now speaks to us, “Tomorrow, I will come.” So the “O Antiphons” not only bring intensity to our Advent preparation, but bring it to a joyful conclusion.

Each night, after our family rosary, we pray the O Antiphon for the day, sing O Come, O Come Emmanuel (which was inspired by this ancient tradition), and then give the children a special treat.  Some years it has been little gifts/activities for the family, some years it is all food related, and some years it is a mix of both.   You can see some of my past posts from 2007-2013 by scrolling through the archives and visiting Catholic Cuisine.

Our family just loves this little tradition. It is such a fun way to teach the children about these beautiful prayers of the church and also increase their excitement as Christmas gets closer!

Here is the list of this year's treats for each O Antiphon:

.: December 17th :.

O Wisdom that comest out of the mouth of the Most High, that reachest from one end to another, and orderest all things mightily and sweetly, come to teach us the way of prudence!

Catholic Trivia Traditional Version

Since the symbol for wisdom is a book, I usually choose a new Catholic Book for our family. In the past those books have included this illustrated book of saints, Around the Year: Once Upon a Time Saints, the beautiful A Catholic Child's Picture Dictionary, Novena: The Power of Prayer, new children's prayer books for Mass, and a craft kit to make Christmas Bookmarks.  

This year I choose this new Catholic Trivia game. I'm looking forward to playing it after dinner on December 17th! 

.: December 18th :.

O Adonai, and Ruler of the house of Israel, Who didst appear unto Moses in the burning bush, and gavest him the law in Sinai, come to redeem us with an outstretched arm!

3D Mini Gingerbread House Cookie Cutter

We usually emphasize the word "house" in this Antiphon, and have made our Gingerbread Houses or Gingerbread Cookies on this night.  Now that we have two birthdays this week (and two birthday cakes to bake and decorate!) we usually wait until Christmas Eve, or sometime during the 12 Days of Christmas. We have given the kids this Gingerbread House Cookie Cutter, and one year I totally stretched it and choose the Little House on the Prairie DVD. We have also roasted marshmallows over a fire, drawing from the reference to "Moses in the burning bush."

This year I purchased this cute 3-D Mini Gingerbread House Cookie Cutter made by Sweet Creations! I'm planning to wrap it up with some Christmas sprinkles. (I still need to pick them up at the craft store this weekend, but hopefully they will have this Gingerbread Boy Mix, Candy Canes, and Snowmen.) I'm also planning to buy a package of pre-made dough, to keep it as simple as possible, and let the children bake and decorate the cookies, while I bake and decorate a birthday cake! (I just hope the cookie cutter arrives on time, since I still haven't gotten a notification that it has shipped… If it doesn't arrive I might shop by the local kitchen store to pick up this pan instead. I came close to buying it the other day when the girls and I discovered an amazing kitchen store in a nearby town!)

.: December 19th :.

O Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people, at Whom the kings shall shut their mouths, Whom the Gentiles shall seek, come to deliver us, do not tarry.

Carrot Cake and Root Beer Floats

Speaking of that birthday cake, this year we are celebrating Bud's birthday with a Farm/Barnyard theme. I think Carrot Cake and Root Beer Floats will make a yummy addition to the party and tie in the O Antiphon nicely! If I run out of time (or energy) I will pick up a Costco Carrot Cake, but I'm really hoping to decorate one for him myself as I usually do for the children's birthdays... We'll see! :) 

We also always purchase our Christmas Poinsettia Plants on this day. Other past treats and recipes have included: 12 Red Glitter Poinsettia Ornaments, Miracle of the Poinsettia, The Miracle of the First Poinsettia, baked Poinsettia Cupcakes, Hearty Beef Stew, and Old Fashioned Root Beer Drops.

.: December 20th :.

O Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel, that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth, come to liberate the prisoner from the prison, and them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death.

Tickets (the Key) to A Christmas Carol at the Theatre!

Since this is initially a monastic tradition, and on this night, the monk in charge of the wine cellar would provide a special bottle of wine. We usually always serve a special drink with dinner. Sometimes I also serve a Key Lime Pie as well! One year I purchased a couple key hook rails from Target to use to hang our Rosaries, and another year we gave the children this Key Puzzle/Brainteaser!

This year, in addition to a special drink with dinner, the four oldest children will be given tickets (the key/admission) to see A Christmas Carol at the theatre!

.: December 21st :.

O Dayspring, Brightness of the everlasting light, Son of justice, come to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death!

O Dayspring Christmas Candle

Our favorite tradition for this O Antiphon is to pile in the car after dinner with hot cocoa and drive around to look at all the Christmas lights. In the past we have also given the children this set of sun blocks, decorated our own house or tree with Christmas lights, enjoyed "O Dayspring Ice Cream," and addd the Kurt Adler 10-Light Candle with Gold Dish Light Set to our Christmas Tree!



This year, in addition to driving to town to look at Christmas lights, since we didn't have the chance to make it on the feast of St. Ambrose or the Immaculate Conception, we are going to decorate this year's Christmas Candle using a tiny wax baby Jesus I purchased years ago along with Stockmar Gold Decorating Beeswax.

.: December 22nd :.

O King of the Gentiles, yea, and desire thereof! O Corner-stone, that makest of two one, come to save man, whom Thou hast made out of the dust of the earth!

O King of the Gentiles Stained Glass Nativity Puzzle

One year I ordered one of the beautiful sets of Three Kings Gifts! Every Christmas the kids put together a Christmas Play for their Daddy & I, and these have been such an awesome addition original props! Other years we have made Crowns, added a "King" puppet to our puppet collection, baked a Crown Cake and/or Cookies, added the King of the Golden City CD to our collection, and assembled the Three Kings Puzzle.

This year we will begin working on this beautiful Stained Glass Nativity Puzzle which I mentioned in this year's fun finds for Advent post. 

.: December 23rd :.

O Emmanuel, our King and our Law-giver, Longing of the Gentiles, yea, and salvation thereof, come to save us, O Lord our God!

Oplatki Wafers 

In the past the children have been given special Holy Cards or Coloring Books, including the beautiful Eucharistic Adoration: With Saints And Symbols Of The Eucharist Coloring book, this 500-Piece Stained Glass Jigsaw Puzzle, added various Children's Nativity Sets to our collection, made a Chocolate Nativity Scene, and received the Holy Family Puzzle with a lovely embroidered Mass bag from Catholic Embroidery.

This year we are going to introduce our children to the Polish tradition of Oplatki Wafers! On Christmas Eve the Polish people celebrate a traditional vigil supper called "Wigilia" which means "to await". The children of the family look for the appearance of the first star at dusk and then to begin the meal members of the family break up pieces of Oplatki and give them to each other with a blessing. Then the actual supper begins. (Read more at Aquinas and More.)

I ended up ordering this set from Aquinas and More and this set (with greeting cards to give to extended family) from the large selection of Oplatki Wafers over at Amazon.

For a simple treat for each day, here is the link to my printable in the archives for O Antiphon Chocolate Coins!