Are You Ready for Advent and Christmas?

St. Nicholas comes to life in this video portrayal through authentic costumes,
historical data, story-telling and sing-along music.  This unique experience
helps children understand what Christmas is all about:  the celebration of
jesus’ birthday.

Christmas Cards

It’s not too late to order Christmas cards! We have 50 different beautiful designs available.

Dawn of the Messiah

Perhaps the story of Christ’s birth has become almost too familiar.  We’ve
heard the story so many times that it fails to shock us: the appearances of the
angel, a virgin giving birth, a child placed in a manger, the arrival of
shepherds and magi.

Today’s reader, unfamiliar with the ancient Jewish world, misses the
significance of many details in the Gospel accounts of the birth of the
Messiah.  This book bridges the gap, explaining the original context of every
line and detail in the biblical stories.  Sri not only helps readers understand
an earlier and pivotal time and place, he also brings them to a deeper
understanding of the great mystery of God’s entry into the world as one of
us.

This reader-friendly companion provides everything Catholics need for a richer
experience of the Advent and Christmas seasons. Whether readers wish to follow a
traditional, contemporary, or family program of devotion and prayer for Advent
and Christmas, this all-in-one resource will be a treasured guidebook.

Advent is the sacred season of anticipation and expectation in which we
prepare for the coming of our blessed Savior. To live Advent is to live in an
awareness of a Presence that changes our lives. The Magnificat Advent
Companion is a rich spiritual guide that will accompany you daily through
the 4 weeks of this holy season. It provides original daily reflections based on
the Scriptures of the Mass for each day of Advent written by some of the finest
Catholic writers in the world. In addition, it offers superb essays, devotions,
prayers, and other liturgical and spiritual aids to guide and enrich the
reader’s experience of Advent. This invaluable booklet will bring you ever
closer to the Infant King.

 To
order a Magnificat subscription click here.

The Advent and Christmas season is a time of anticipation and preparation,
celebration and joy.  Beginning with the first day of Advent and continuing
through the twelve days of Christmas, Advent and Christmas With the Saints
guides readers to an experience of closeness with God.  Words of devotion and
excitement fill each page, from the pens of such luminaries as Francis of
Assisi, Therese of Lisieux, and many, many others.

In the rush before Christmas, it is easy to forget that the very preparations
themselves—decorations, music, gifts and meals—are a wonderful opportunity to
prepare for the Lord. This book will help the readers to discover, through
lyrical prose and masterpiece art, the spiritual scope of the season’s
festivities, and restore the wonder of Christmas to their hearts.

The Jesse Tree is a wonderful Advent tradition that fosters reflection on
salvation history as a preparation for the celebration of Christmas. This
user-friendly kit features a history of the Jesse Tree, suggested Scripture
verses to accompany each ornament, and a Jesse Tree prayer service. This great
activity for families, classrooms, and parishes is ideal for kids ages 6-12.

Kids can create their very own Nativity scene with this
delightful activity book! Just fold out the stable on the cover and add the
press-out background pieces. Then count on hours of fun coloring and cutting out
the familiar Christmas figures to complete the scene!

Makes a wonderful Advent gift. A Christmas treat for
children ages 6–10!

Pewter Nativity Statues and Sets

This hand sculptured fine pewter creche includes 12 figures approximately 3″
high and a stylish wooden stable with a rich cherry finish.  Stable measures 6
1/2″ H x 10″W x 4 3/4″D.  All pieces individually gift boxed. Made in the USA!

Creche Ceramic Plaque

This hand-painted ceramic creche is 12 inches high and 7 inches wide.  It features Mary and
Joseph and the Child Jesus, with 2 angels and various farm animals.

Ancient Catholic Customs Can Control Christmas Materialism

By Kevin Orlin Johnson

For many American Catholics, Thanksgiving kicks off another season of “here we
go again”-fending off the annual bombardment from advertisers and the temptation
to measure Christmas in terms of presents. It’s a month-long struggle to get all
of our holiday work done and somehow keep Christ in Christmas, too.

Many
of us look back to a simpler Christmas in the “good old days,” a mythical time
when the holiday came wrapped in a stocking full of chocolates and maybe an
orange. Well, let’s look back a little farther and stand where we can get some
perspective on the matter.

For one thing, when you look at the
liturgical calendar, you’ll notice that Christmas isn’t the Church’s major
holiday. It never has been. Church Fathers such as Augustine didn’t include a
commemoration of Christ’s birth in their lists of holidays at all. Early
Christians focused their attention on Easter, the holiest day in the Church’s
calendar, the solemnity of solemnities.

Read the Article