May the remembrance of our Lord’s incarnation life your spirits and cause your hearts to rejoice! Christ is born, glorify Him!

A few snapshots of our Nativity feast celebration!

Over the past several years, I have been on the hunt for an Orthodox Nativity set for my family. One of my biggest hold ups when searching for sets is majority of the sets on the market have the common “barn” manger scene, which isn’t entirely accurate. I’ve been on the search for the traditional “Cave” scene. This year, we found it! We added this BRAND NEW Wooden Icon Nativity Set by Orthodox Design Company to our collection and when I opened the packaged, I squealed and did a happy dance! It’s a dream to have this heirloom Nativity set that is not only beautiful, but durable and interactive for my children!

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Orthodox Nativity Fast Guide

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The Nativity Fast is a special time for us, set apart, to help us to slow down and prepare our hearts to receive Christ. For Orthodox Christians, Nativity fast begins November 15th and marks the 40 days leading up to the Nativity of our Lord (December 25th). In this guide, I want to share the various resources available to help you mark this season in your homes so that it is a fruitful season for you. Each household will take on their own unique traditions and practices. In my experience, the key to a fruitful Nativity fast is to pair everything down; do ONE thing, do it well, and build from there! God willing we will have many more years to build on foundation we are laying in our homes.

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Printable, Monthly Printables, October, November, December

New Monthly Liturgical Printables

Printable, Monthly Printables, October, November, December

Living the Orthodox Faith in our modern age takes intention. I’ve created a beautiful one page (per month) printable to help simplify liturgical living with fun and easy ways to incorporate into your home. Bundle and Save!

Printable, Monthly Printables, October, November, December

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New Year's Tradition: Vasilopita

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Did you know that January 1st is the feast day for St Basil the Great? If you're looking for a way to ring in the civil New Year with our hearts and minds focused on the Lord, look no further than the Vasilopita tradition! ✨ Vasilopita✨ is a sweet bread or cake with a coin baked inside! In this guide you will find more about the many Greek traditions surrounding this feast, the story of his life, and additional resources to help you create feast day traditions with your families for years to come!

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Vasilopita Recipe: FREE DOWNLOAD

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Do you know that Jan 1 is the feast day for St Basil? If you're looking for a way to ring in the civil new year, look no further than the Vasilopita tradition! Vasilopita, is a sweet bread or cake with a coin baked inside. DOWNLOAD FREE RECIPE HERE.

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12 Days of Christmas

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The 12 days of Christmas is the period that marks the span between the birth of Christ (Nativity) December 25 and runs up to January 6 Theophany (Epiphany) which is when we celebrate Christ's baptism in the Jordan! These 12 days in between offers the faithful a festal period of great joy!

As Orthodox Christians, we mark the 40 days Advent leading up to the Nativity as a period of fasting, increased prayer, and giving alms and services in order to preparing ourselves spiritually to receive the coming Lord.

After any fast, we feast! Christmas is not a one day event! In fact, we spend this period of time FEASTING in all senses of the word ... celebrating with loved ones, enjoying the all the foods we have abstained from, and joyously celebrating the Lord who is with us 🎉

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12 Days of Christmas Family Challenge

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For this challenge, I encourage you to find one thing per day that helps cultivate family culture in your home, create family bonds and glorify God in your family. Carve out time intentionally and find things you all enjoy together! As a visual aid, I created a printable to help you enjoy these days in a sustainable way.

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Nativity of Christ

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Merry Christmas from our family to yours! May the remembrance of our Lord’s incarnation life your spirits and cause your hearts to rejoice! Christ is born, glorify Him!

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Feast Day, Saint Lucia, St Lucia, L, Feast Day Food Traditions, December

St Lucia Day

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Have you ever heard of St Lucia of Syracuse? She was a young martyr who lived in the 4th century in Italy and is celebrated in many Scandinavian countries on her feast day, December 13th. Each year on her feast day, children dress up in all white, wear a crown of candles and bake St Lucia buns to share with their loved ones and friends. Many churches also host a St Lucia Procession where both boys and girls process while singing a hymn to St Lucia. She is a wonderful saint, especially for children to look to because of her acts of mercy to the poor and her boldness and bravery as she faced persecution and eventually martyrdom for the sake of Christ.

In this guide you will find more about the many Scandinavian traditions surrounding this feast, the story of her life and martyrdom, and additional resources to help you create feast day traditions with your families for years to come!

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