Unfinished Business: Nativity Books #35-40

It's almost Lent and I've got to finish my incomplete task from the Nativity Fast or I'll never manage to get things picked up and going on this blog again! I've been avoiding facing this blog because I knew that I never managed to finish posting about our Forty Books of Nativity. You can read about the tradition here. In those last days before Christmas, I just lost all my momentum. My blogging here encouraged some family and friends for Christmas gift ideas for my kids. So we finished out the season with quite a few beautiful new Nativity books to add to our collection. They have been enjoyed and then packed away to emerge again this coming December 15. I'll include them in the blog posts next Nativity. However, here are the last six books we read this past season. They are all Arch Books, as I filled in the last days with various Arch Books from our huge collection.

On the Sunday before Christmas we read Abraham's Big Test in honor of the Sunday of the Forefathers.





On the 20th we read Joseph's Christmas Story, which is probably my least favorite of the Arch Books about Christmas. I'll probably omit it next year. Too often the story of Joseph is told with too much adding to the story and not keeping with Orthodox tradition.





On the 21st we read My Christmas Prayer Book, which is a nice way to teach children little prayers of thanksgiving in that they can say.





On the 22nd we read Just Look in the Stable, which has really nice illustrations.

On the 23rd we read Mary's Christmas Story.





And finally, on the 24th we read On a Silent Night.


And with that, I can now go about the business of Lent, with a slightly more clear conscience! This unfinished task is complete!

Nativity Book #3 - Treasury of Christmas Tales

This is the third of my postings about our 40 books of Nativity. You can read about the tradition here. This morning we unwrapped a big collection of Christmas Tales.

For many years, we've enjoyed this collection of Christmas stories called Treasury of Christmas
Tales compiled by Susan Quattrocki and Susan Spellman. It includes some abbreviated classics like "A Christmas Carol" and "The Little Match Girl" as well as some other original stories. This afternoon we read "The Magic Toy Shop," "The Littlest Angel" and then sang along with "The Twelve Days of Christmas" with some fun illustrations. Just some light Christmas fun to help us start thinking about the feast we are already beginning to anticipate.

Preparing for the Dormition Fast

The Dormition Fast starts tomorrow for those of us on the new calendar. Here we go! My friend Jeanette sent me an awesome idea for helping kids participate in the Dormition Fast. I think it's such a great idea that I am both posting it here for all to see and making the exact same thing for my kids.


It's like a build-as-you-go icon puzzle. She made black and white prints of the Dormition icon. Then she also made color prints. She cut the color print into 15 pieces. Each day of the Dormition Fast the children will glue one piece onto the black and white icon, so that by the feast they will have a complete icon. Cool, huh? She took this picture before she took them to the store to be laminated so they can be used again and again.


So I headed out the copy store at 9:15 PM tonight to get big color copies and laminating done. We're going to do the same thing. I think maybe I'll have my kids attach the pieces with velcro which is stuck to the laminated surface and pieces. Then we can use it year after year. I know they are going to love this.

Thanks again Jeanette! I love it when friends share their great ideas! (Hint, hint to all you readers.)

Good Fast to all!!