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Found on pages 82-86 of G.K. Chesterton Collected Works Volume XIV, 1993, Ignatius Press, 802 pages, softcover, Catholic perspective

This is a charming and humorous story about the spirit of Christmas through the ages. Good for a chuckle and a little perspective.

The volume in which this story can be found is available from Ignatius Press
You can also read this story online by clicking here

In Advent Reflections, Come, Lord Jesus! Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan shares four meditations, one for each week of Advent: “The Threes Comings of Jesus,” “St. John the Baptist,” St. Joseph: A Man Forgotten,” and “Our Blessed Mother Mary.”

With his earthy, conversational tone, Archbishop Dolan’s speaks to our hearts. As he talks about St. John the Baptist, he says, “You see, John’s entire ministry was captured in that one moment when he eyeballs Jesus coming out of the desert and bellows out to the crowd, pointing to Christ, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’ (John 1:29). That was his job description—to point out Christ. With that, his job was done. He could have retired to Sun City.”

Archbishop Dolan combines teaching, inspiration, personal experience, and scripture in this lively text. To illustrate a point he is making, he weaves in short personal stories or adds scriptural passages that add depth and meaning.

Too often we listen to a sermon or read a spiritual book and later can’t recall what we have heard or read. To help us better remember his essential points, Archbishop Dolan uses catchy phrases. In describing “The Three Comings of Christ,” he says, “Our Lord comes to us in history, mystery, and majesty.”

Advent is a time of waiting and longing for the coming of our Lord. With all the bustle of Christmas preparations, it is easy to lose our focus on what this season is all about. Archbishop Dolan seeks to keep this message of hope alive with words of inspiration, questions for us to reflect on, and a prayer to carry us into the coming week.

Although there is only one meditation per week, instead of daily, there is plenty for us to reflect on during the week.

Not just “pretty” words, Advent Reflections, Come, Lord Jesus! challenges us to put our faith in action. This is an ideal resource for the whole family.

This book is an outgrowth of the authors' longstanding website www.domestic-church.com and is a great companion to the seasons of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. It is divided into four parts: Family Activities, Saints of the Season, Crafts, and Coloring Pages. The purpose is to provide families with activity ideas that foster a spiritual climate in those seasons.

While the book does have activities that other seasonal books contain, such as the Advent Wreath and Jesse Tree, there are some engaging original projects such as patterns for playable manger figures, cross-stitch patterns, instructions for making gift boxes, and a playdough recipe to make tree ornaments. One of my favorites in the book is an explanation of the Feast of the Holy Innocents, which is an often overlooked feast in the Church as it sits in the Octave of Christmas. Another totally unique project is the one entitled "Hidden Life--Forcing Bulbs" in which the family plants bulbs and then forces them in the spring. This provides great metaphors for the connection between Christmas and Easter, the hidden life of the childhood of Jesus, and the coming of his light into the world. The coloring pages include pictures of the saints that are featured in the book, manger scenes, angels, and a decorated alphabet.

Another really nice feature of this book is that the pages have a single line of scriptural text printed around the margins. I didn't notice this the first time I used the book last year. It is a lovely touch.

Recommended for the whole family!

This book includes 23 pages of Crafts relating to Christmas. There really isn't an Advent segment, but as Advent is a time for preparing for Christmas, it is certainly an appropriate time to make crafts for Christmas. Mrs. Ball explains that it would certainly be possible to write an entire book on crafts for Christmas, but that here she is providing only a sampling. Some projects you'll find include: Luminarias (a variation on the paper bag variety that are safer, longer lasting and more intricate), a special Christmas tree filled with Christian symbols, German Cookie Ornaments, Ukranian Straw Ornaments, Crochet-Edged photo ornaments, Lacy Snowflakes, Potpourri Pie, Photo Earrings, and Christmas Card Sachets. Where appropriate, the author explain the religious background or significance of projects and each project includes detailed instructions and a black and white photo.

This book contains ideas, history, personal anecdotes, traditional prayers, instructions, etc. for incorporating religious traditions into your family's celebration of Advent and Christmas. Using just one or two of the ideas listed in this book will make this season much more meaningful for you and your family. Some of the traditions which are explained include: the Advent Wreath, the Christ Candle, the Advent Calendar, the Jesse Tree, Advent Paper Chains, Kris Kringle, Letter to the Christ Child, Christmas Wheat, Christmas Creche, Christmas Baking, Advent Songs, Spiritual Reading, Christmas Cards, the Christmas Novena and Advent Feasts. Also includes ideas for celebrating Christmas Day and the feasts immediately following Christmas - St. Stephen's Day, St. John's Day, Holy Innocents Day, St. Thomas Becket, the Feast of the Holy Family, New Year's, the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God, the Feast of the Epiphany, the Baptism of Our Lord and Candlemas. The ideas are simple, the layout very easy to follow and the activities are especially for larger families with small children.

This is a lovely story about a gruff woodcarver who is commissioned to make a Nativity Set for a young boy and his mother. The story is beautifully written and lovingly illustrated. This is such a favorite for my children that we keep it out year-round and it has been read over and over and over again. This is simply a can't-miss book - at least check it out from your library. When you buy a copy, I certainly recommend the hardcover for durability. There are many copies available used online - at Amazon.com there were over 50 used copies available - most for well under $10.

This is a simple, charming and true story, from the author's own childhood, of a grandmother and her four grandchildren, for whom she makes Christmas Turtles each year with the pecans from her own yard.

The children discover the real "magic" that goes into making these favorite treats and how very much their grandmother really loves them. A recipe for the turtles is included in the back!

The layout of the pages is unusual. The typeface is quite large and the illustrations look like they were drawn by the narrator, the author as a young girl. My son complained about the faces at first, but once I read it aloud to all of my "middles" (ages 4-11), they all REALLY loved it and especially can't wait to make some turtles themselves.

The book came into our lives at a perfect time, when we're trying to move toward more homemade gifts for Christmas and for making more time during the busy holidays to do things like baking with the children.

Available from your local bookstore.

"The Friendly Beasts" is a lovely old English Christmas carol (the words and music are included in their entirety on the last page). Tomie de Paola has drawn beautiful pictures, in his signature style, to accompany the words to this song. (We didn't know the song before we came across the book. Now we tend to sing it, rather than read it, to the children.) It has been a favorite in our family partly because of it's beautiful simplicity and is frequently requested (even when it's nowhere near Christmastime) by our younger children. The artwork is to be enjoyed and cherished over and over again. I especially like a little drawing of the Annunciation that just shows up on the front cover.

Here is the first verse of the song to give you the idea:

Jesus our brother, strong and good,
Was humbly born in a stable rude.
And the friendly beasts around Him stood,
Jesus our brother, strong and good.

A humorous rendition of Baby Jesus' birthday told from the point of view of "the fussy angel" who wanted things to be just right for the newborn king. The angel complains about the dirty animals, argues with the wise men and tries to make the angelic choirs sing a little quieter. The story has greater depth than what is perceived at first glance. It is about the great and glorious God who loved mankind so much that he was willing to come down to earth and put up with all of our silliness and imperfections. This will be a favorite among the preschoolers in your home, but Moms will love it too.

This nice pamphlet is a simple introduction to Catholic customs and keeping Advent and Christmas meaningful and holy. The Advent segment overviews traditions such as the Advent Wreath, Jesse Tree and Advent Calendar and makes suggestions for remember the great Marian feasts of the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe. There are brief explanations of the symbolism and history of some of these customs as well as relevant tidbits. The Christmas segment covers Christmas Mass, the Nativity Scene, Christmas Trees, Candles, Exchanging Gifts and Sharing a Feast, helping readers understand the religious significance and importance of each. The pamphlet concludes with a "Christmas Season" segment which includes the Solemity of Mary, the Mother of God; the Epiphany and the Baptism of Our Lord.

This inexpensive booklet ($12.95 for 50) is a good start for those wishing to better understand Catholic customs and a holy celebration of Christmas. You would need to do further research to implement some of the customs in your home, but the information is readily available on the Internet and elsewhere.