The Year Ends

November/December 2008 Issue | Posted by Daria Sockey in Season

“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning, but going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.”

— Hal Borland

Feasts, Traditions … and Fun

Nov.

More Faith and Family Days in November

2 All Souls

Visit your loved ones who passed away.

23 Christ the King

Say a prayer to Christ the King (see FaithandFamilyLIVE.com “Resources”).

30 First Sunday in Advent

Collect greens for your Advent wreath.

1All Saints’ Day

­ ­• For little ones: Make adorable Spoon Saints Dolls with wooden ice cream spoons (available in crafts stores), markers, and scraps of cloth. See AliceGunther.com. Click on “Cottage Blessings,” “Archives,” and then “Spoon Saints Craft.”

­ ­• Whole family: Recite the Litany of the Saints. Add on any family patrons or other favorite saint that the official litany leaves out. If you don’t have this in a prayer book, see FaithandFamilyLIVE.com “Resources.”

  — Daria Sockey

27 Thanksgiving

­ ­• Make grace before or after meals special this year — and maybe start a new tradition — by singing one verse of an appropriate hymn. “Now Thank We All Our God,” “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow,” and “Holy God We Praise Thy Name” are well known and have no difficult high notes.

• Families tend to like the same, traditional recipes year after year, but Mom likes to try something new once in a while. Compromise by trying only one innovation, rather than lots. Cranberry/Orange Relish is tastier than canned sauce. But keep the canned stuff on hand for the hard-core conservatives in your family.

Cranberry/Orange Relish

1 bag cranberries

2 navel oranges (including peel),

cut in wedges

2 cups of sugar

Process in blender or food processor.

— Daria Sockey

Your own faith and family traditions in November.

Dec.

More Faith and Family Days in December

12 Our Lady of Guadalupe

Visit the Shrine of Our Lady at GuadalupeShrine.org

28 The Holy F­amily

Pray the Joyful Mysteries today.

29 St. Thomas Becket

Mom and Dad, watch Becket for your date night.

8The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

•Go to Mass for the Holy Day of Obligation.

•Watch The Song of Bernadette as a family. Our Lady told St. Bernadette: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” Today’s solemnity marks the end of the 150th anniversary year of Our Lady’s apparitions to St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.

•Serve white (symbolizing purity) pretzels during the movie:

Ingredients

6 (1-ounce) squares white chocolate

15-ounce package mini twist pretzels

Directions

Melt white chocolate in the top of a double boiler, stirring constantly.

Dip pretzel at least halfway into the white chocolate, covering the pretzel, and lay on wax paper. Continue the process until all of the white chocolate is finished. Place pretzels in refrigerator for 15 minutes to harden. Store in airtight container.

Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com

— Maryan Vander Woude

25Christmas

• Try to learn and incorporate the Angelus prayer in your home. The Angelus bells on a church usually ring at 6 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m. Trying to say it once a day at dinner is a good way to start. If you have a bell in your home and an eager bell ringer, you can imitate the bells on a church.

The Angelus

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail, Mary, full of grace, etc.

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.
Hail Mary.

V. And the Word was made flesh.
R. And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary.

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray. Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by his passion and cross be brought to the glory of his resurrection. Through the same Christ, our Lord.
Amen.

— Maryan Vander Woude

Your own faith and family traditions in December.

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