Being One With Nature

I had almost forgotten how much I loved this holiday...until it rolled around again this year and I actually spent a good amount of time reading about how people honor it. I read through many seder guides that I found online and was able to put one together that was perfect for Aaron and me. The messages and themes behind this special day are really touching and applicable. Through the seder, people are challenged to take a look at nature and seasons and how they hold hidden messages as to how we should treat and love one another. It is definitely a "Betsy" holiday in the sense that I have always loved good ol' Mother Nature. I think it's important because the analogies used are things that we can be reminded of on a daily basis when we eat and drink certain foods and wines.

See my original post here:
http://greatandholyadventure.blogspot.com/2013/01/celebrating-life.html
Not much has changed other than what we implemented and I've added some fun pictures!

Holiday: Tu B'shevat (pronounce too-b-she-vot with a short e) January 15-16, 2014

Celebration: The New Year for trees

Historical background:
It was regarded as the time when spring re-emerged in Israel.  It marked the start of the growing season and served as the day when the "first fruits" of the trees were offered as thanks. After the second temple was destroyed, people began celebrating by eating of the fruits and nuts that grew in the Promised Land. Then, in the 16th century, people used Tu B'shevat to represent a time to "repair" the origin of sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. They developed a seder meal that focused on the Tree of Life which they understood to mean the spiritual powers that impart divine energy to the physical world. The wine, food, and blessings chosen for the seder are said to help release the "divine sparks" hidden within the seeds of the fruit helping to restore the balance of the soul. In 1948 when Israel became an independent state, settlers celebrated Tu B'shevat by planting trees which led to the tradition of reforesting the lands during this time. it is customary to eat "first fruits" from the land of Israel during this time, to recite various blessings, and to discuss values such as tikkun olam (repairing the world), tza'ar ba'alei chayim (alleviating the suffering of living creatures), bal taschit (do not destroy), and others.

Biblical basis:
The bible discusses many times how God is the creator of life including vegetative life and says that it is our duty to care for all life. The below passages show that clearly God cares for trees and natural life and commands us to do the same. Throughout much of the gospels, the world is often compared to a great tree with people being its fruit.

Genesis 1:11-13
11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

Genesis 1:29
29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

Leviticus 19:23-25
23 “When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, then you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it must not be eaten. 24 And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat of its fruit, to increase its yield for you: I am the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 20:19
19 “When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them. You may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field human, that they should be besieged by you?

Matthew 7:16-20
16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So,every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Psalm 96:12
12 “For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."

Isaiah 55:12
12 let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy

Story from the Talmud:

Ways to celebrate:
-Craft ideas for kids and youth:
**Make your own trees to decorate the table during the seder

**Finger paint trees and flowers and hang them inside your home or send them to friends and family to share the joy

**Take your camera outside and practice your photography skills by taking pictures of nature
**Press flowers to display in your home or to make cards to send to family and friends

-Fun family ideas:
**Plant trees
**Volunteer at a local community garden
**Go berry picking
**Just play outside
**Go on a bike ride
**Share a meal outside as a picnic
**Visit a local arboretum

-Religious traditions:
**Share a seder meal with family and friends- I wish there was a way to upload a document to this because I put together a seder based off of several that I read, but you can see the below link for a great guide (http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Winter_Holidays/Tu_B_shevat/Seder/seder.html)
**Write special prayers for our earth on 100% latex helium balloons (latex is biodegradable) and release them into the sky so they go "up to God" for blessings to come "down on our earth"

How we celebrated: 
On the first evening, I put together a seder that Aaron and I did right when he got home from work before going to volunteer at the foster home. We took turns reading the different prayers and messages and got to taste lots of yummy treats and drink wine with significant meaning. We talked a lot about how we can remember these things on a day to day basis and how the themes were present in our own lives. Night two consisted of Aaron and I writing prayers on balloons for our earth and sending them "up to God" so He could send His blessings "down to earth." It was fun, silly, and very meaningful. It's such a blessing to set time aside to honor this beautiful world we live in.

Do Not Put Your Candle Under a Bushel

Wow! I cannot believe it has been a year since I started this blog! I have written about an entire year of holidays and traditions now and it has been such a blessing to get to start incorporating them into my marriage with my wonderful Aaron. It's crazy how far one can go in a year and how much you can learn. When I read my early posts, I think that there is a lot of room for improvement. One of the big things I realized with the celebration and incorporation of religious traditions and practices is that if you make these big over-the-top productions, chances are you will probably not do them and you will miss the mark entirely for what you are trying to celebrate. This year I want to re-visit my old posts and focus on making them realistic, attainable, affordable, and as always meaningful.

Please refer to my first post on Epiphany here as it is the first Holiday we have come to in 2014.

http://greatandholyadventure.blogspot.com/2013/02/we-are-light-of-world.html

What really struck me as I dove a little deeper into the celebration of Epiphany this year is that the wise men were specifically chosen to be non-religious gentiles, not faithful Jewish men. I love that right from the start of his life, God wanted people to know that Jesus was for everyone. Race, cultural background, religious affiliation all aside- everyone could be a part of this miracle.

Holiday: Epiphany of our Lord- 12 days after Christmas January 6, 2014 (celebrated on January 5 in the church)

Celebration: Jesus is revealed as the light of the nations

Historical background:
The feast of the Epiphany, which was kept in the East and in certain Western Churches before being observed in Rome, seems to have been originally a feast of the nativity; January 6, for those churches where it was kept, was the equivalent of Christmas (December 25) in the Roman Church. The feast was introduced at Rome in the second half of the sixth century and became the complement and, so to say, the crown of the Christmas festival.

Epiphany means manifestation. What the Church celebrates today is the manifestation of our Lord to the whole world; after being made known to the shepherds of Bethlehem He is revealed to the Magi who have come from the East to adore Him. All Christian tradition has seen the Magi as the first fruits of the Gentiles; they lead in their wake all the peoples of the earth, and thus the Epiphany is an affirmation of universal salvation.

Western Christians have traditionally emphasized the "Revelation to the Gentiles" mentioned in Luke, where the term Gentile means all non-Jewish peoples. The Biblical Magi, who represented the non-Jewish peoples of the world, paid homage to the infant Jesus in stark contrast to Herod the Great (King of Judea), who sought to kill him. In this event, Christian writers also inferred a revelation to the Children of Israel. Saint John Chrysostom identified the significance of the meeting between the Magi and Herod's court: "The star had been hidden from them so that, on finding themselves without their guide, they would have no alternative but to consult the Jews. In this way the birth of Jesus would be made known to all."

The earliest reference to Epiphany as a Christian feast was in A.D. 361, by Ammianus Marcellinus, St. Epiphanius says that January 6 is hemera genethlion toutestin epiphanion (Christ's "Birthday; that is, His Epiphany")

Biblical basis:

Matthew 2:1-12
2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

Ways to Celebrate:
-Craft ideas for kids and youth:
**Make a star to put above your bed representing that you too are following the star that will lead you to Jesus just like the Wise men did!

**Make crowns to wear during the feast meal

**Make candle holders for the candles to be used at the feast meal

**Give candles and a special prayer card to your family or neighbors to celebrate the spreading of light

-Fun family ideas:
**Bake a King's Cake! Bake a cake, then hide a tiny baby inside. The person who finds the baby in their cake gets to wear a crown to represent the kings that found Jesus in the manger, and gets to make three wishes to represent the three gifts that were brought to Jesus. The cake shows that just as the Magi made a careful search for the child king upon his birth, so we should acknowledge that an important component of our faith involves seeking and searching for the Lord in unlikely places (like a cake!)
**Clean out your closets! Encourage children to be a light unto others as Christ is a light for us and share the things they don't need with others. Take a load to a nearby salvation army or other shelter.
**Each family member can draw the name of a patron saint out of a hat to be their saint for the year. By focusing on the intersession of one saint, a person can really see the light that that saint brings to their life.
**Gifts can be exchanged to represent the gifts brought from the Magi- It is important, however, to ensure that the exchange of gifts on the solemnity of the Epiphany retain a Christian character, indicating that its meaning is evangelical: hence the gifts offered should be a genuine expression of popular piety and free from extravagance, luxury, and waste.
**Bake star cookies to decorate to represent the guiding star!

-Religious traditions:
**Candle lighting- Epiphany is a festival that lends itself well by theme and tradition to fun family activity. Before beginning the evening meal on Twelfth Night (Epiphany Eve), use the following service. There is one white candle lit in the center of the table. There is an unlit white candle at each place.
All: (sing) "Shine, Jesus, Shine" or "We Are Marching in the Light of God (Siyahamba)"
Parent: God, who by a star led wise men from far away to see the child Jesus; draw us and others to him, so that, praising you now, we may in life come to meet you face to face; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Parent: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Jesus is the light of the world.
Child: A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Child: Neither do people light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all that are in the house. (Each person lights his/her personal candle from the Christ candle.)
All: (Holding candles high) Let our light so shine before people that they may see our good works and glorify God.
All: Thank the Lord, for he is good and his mercy endures forever. Amen.
**Bless the household- Another tradition of Epiphany invokes the Magi’s blessing upon the household. The following prayer can be said standing at the threshold of the door, "Peace be with this house and all who dwell in it, and peace to all who enter here. In keeping the feast of Epiphany, we celebrate the Magi’s search for the infant king, the Christ child’s appearing to the world, and the peace and hospitality shared between the Magi and the Holy Family. The family then “chalks the door” with a series of marks.The markings include letters, numbers, and crosses in a pattern like this: 20 † C † M † B † 13. The numbers correspond to the calendar year (20 and 13, for instance, for the year 2013); the crosses stand for Christ; and the letters have a two-fold significance: C, M, and B are the initials for the traditional names of the Magi (Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar), but they are also an abbreviation of the Latin blessing Christus mansionem benedicat, which means, “May Christ bless this house.” A final blessing is then read, "May this home in the coming year be a place where Christ is pleased to dwell.May all our homes share the peace and hospitality of Christ which is revealed in the fragile flesh of an infant. Amen."

How we celebrated:

Epiphany was a lot of fun! I cannot wait to expand on the traditions we started this year and add even more excitement one day when there are little ones running around. On the eve of Epiphany, we used the dinner service described above and I made cards for us to follow along (below). My favorite part of this was probably singing "We are Marching in the Light of God." I told Aaron that we're gonna make our kids march around the dinner table as they sing this one day hehehe. We then lit candles as described and shared a delicious meal of homemade pizza!!! On Epiphany, Aaron and I each drew a Saint's name out of a bag to be our Saint for the year. This will help us focus on the light that one person can bring and focus on ways we can be that light for others. For our Epiphany gifts, we each got a book about the Saint we had drawn. Aaron baked a yummmmmyyy chocolate cake with homemade PB icing and hid an almond inside to represent the Magi's search for the baby Jesus. Since I am not the baker in the family, I made a homemade crown. Our friend Emily found the almond, and her husband had to grant three wishes for her! We tried to bless our house, but realized we don't own any chalk haha...next year!

It's Christmas!!!

I have found myself experiencing a bit of inner turmoil the past few years in regards to the celebration of Christmas. I LOVE the Christmas Season for so many reasons. For starters, it is the second most significant holiday in my Catholic faith next to Easter. It is a time to reflect on the true humanity of Christ and the humility he took on in becoming flesh and living among His people. It is also a season to spend time with family and friends and relish in the joy and sacrificial love celebrated by this act. I have really tried to think about ways to keep the season alive once it actually arrives; it is so sad to me that the wonder and mysticism of the season seem to completely die off as soon as it arrives. I am definitely guilty of celebrating Christmas during Advent and I really want to work to leave some things as being sacred to the season of Christmas and not delve into all of the Christmas traditions during the waiting season of Advent. I hope that by thinking about these things and reflecting on our first Christmas together, Aaron and I will be able to successfully make the season of Christmas full of joy, love, and wonder throughout the entire season. I think my favorite new idea is the 12 days of love and searching game I describe below under "Fun family ideas" because it really ties in Advent and Christmas together.  

Holiday: Christmas- December 24th though January 12th (Christmas Eve through the feast of Jesus' baptism)

Celebration: The liturgical season of Christmas begins with the vigil Masses on Christmas Eve and concludes on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. During this season, we celebrate the birth of Christ into our world and into our hearts, and reflect on the gift of salvation that is born with him…including the fact that he was born to die for us.

Historical background: 
For an in depth look at the history of Christmas, please see this article. I will paste the parts that I thought were most notable below.

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=643

It is necessary, furthermore, before offering suggestions for the celebration of Christmas in our cities and homes, to note some of the historical developments of a truly Christian conception of the holiday season. A readily available source of information for families concerning the history of Christmas and its tradition is to be found in The Christmas Bookby Francis X. Weiser, S.J. There is no historical record nor even a well-founded tradition which gives the date of the birth of Christ. The date of December 25 was established about the year 320, and the Popes seem to have chosen the twenty-fifth day of December principally to divert the attention of the people from the celebration of a pagan feast of the Mithras cult which was called the "Birthday of the Unconquered Sun" (Natalis Solis Invicti). This does not in any manner indicate that Christmas is merely a "christianized" pagan feast, for Christians of that time realized with St. John Chrysostom: "The pagans call December 25 the Birthday of the Unconquered. Who is indeed so unconquered as Our Lord? . . . or, if they say that it is the birthday of the Sun, He is the Sun of Justice."

Throughout the Middle Ages, Christmas came to be celebrated more and more. Especially during the period from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries all the arts and crafts of the Christian nations were made serviceable to the festivities associated with the Nativity of the Saviour. Plays and songs, carols and dances, spices and flowers, images and statues — all creation was made to serve the celebration of the feast. The foundation of all these customs and traditions was always Holy Mass — the Christ-Mass — the Divine Office and the sacramentals. In many countries of Europe a sharp change in the Christmas solemnities came with the Reformation during the sixteenth century. The spiritual and scriptural foundation of the liturgy, including the Mass itself, was ridiculed and forbidden. The Calvinists and Puritans in particular condemned all religious celebration of the feast, and when the "new" method of celebrating Christmas was revived it tended to become only a more or less pagan feast of good-natured and humanitarian reveling. The attempt was particularly successful in England, and post-Reformation English attitudes concerning Christmas have affected most of our own notions concerning the celebration of the holidays.

When the Puritans came to political power in England, they immediately proceeded to outlaw Christmas. It was their contention that no feast of human institution should ever outrank the Sabbath (Sunday). Since Christmas was the most important of the non-Sunday festivals, it was abolished altogether. The first ordinances issued forbidding church services and civic festivities on Christmas came in 1642, finally, on June 3, 1647, Parliament enacted a ruling that the feast should no longer be observed under pain of punishment. Riots and strife broke out among the people, but the government stood firm and even broke up celebrations by force of arms, though the punishments were not too severely inflicted. With the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the observance of the "old" Christmas returned with a "new" attitude. The religious observance of Christmas was almost entirely replaced by amusement and reveling over plum pudding, goose, capon, minced pie and roast beef, with decorations of mistletoe, holly and ivy, and the yule log. Two of the best exemplifications of this "new Christmas without Christ" are to be found in the Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens, and the Sketch Book of Washington Irving. We must admit that our present-day celebration of Christmas is greatly affected by these works. The only thing that may be said in favor of these well-written books is that they do contain interesting stories upholding a spirit of good will to men and of generosity to the poor. Christ the Saviour and the King of Kings is indeed very remote in the background.

The unfortunate zeal of the Puritans has certainly influenced the American celebration of Christmas. It is very difficult in our day to realize that Christmas was outlawed in New England until the second half of the last century. As late as 1870, classes were held in the public schools of Boston on Christmas day, and any truant pupil was gravely punished or even publicly dismissed from school. Through the influx of German, Irish and French immigrants, together with the multiple immigrations from all the European nations, Christmas has been more fully restored within the last seventy years in this country. Two currents are now manifest: the pagan, good-natured humanitarian sort of celebration represented upon Christmas cards by sleigh bells, Santa Claus, peppermint sticks and the like; and the Christian spiritual and traditional customs originating from medieval Christian Europe. In view of the objective principles found in the liturgy of Holy Mass, the Divine Office and the sacramentals, we shall try to outline certain ancient and modern customs which are truly Christian in foundation and based upon Christian Doctrine and practice.

Biblical basis:

Luke 2:1-20
The Birth of Jesus Christ
2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 Andthis will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Ways to Celebrate:

-Craft ideas for kids and youth:
**So many crafts! If you type in "religious Christmas crafts" on Pinterest, you will get lots of great ideas! Here are some of my favorites!!

-Fun family ideas:

**Don't light the Christmas tree or put a star on top until Christmas eve! Such practices increase the sense of expectation, especially among young children, and make Christmas Day all the more joyful. The fir tree is an evergreen--it does not die or fade away or lose its needles in the winter. In this sense it has soon come to represent the immortality of the resurrected Christ. The lights in the Christmas tree also have a deeper meaning. Originally the lights used were candles, of course. The candles too were meant to symbolize Christ, specifically his self-giving love and gift of life to us. As many of us know, the candle provides light and warmth as it consumes its own substance, the wax. So, too, did Jesus give of his own substance--his life--so that we might find divine light. And when we have found divine light for ourselves, we too are enabled through the power of the Holy Spirit to give of ourselves to others. After all, Christmas is the feast of love, where we share gifts with each other as Christ shared the gift of life with us.

**The empty manger: Each child may have his own individual manger, or there may be one manger for the whole family. The idea is that when acts of service, sacrifice, or kindness are done in honor of Baby Jesus as a birthday present, the child receives a piece of straw to put into the manger. Then, on Christmas morning, “Baby Jesus” is placed in the manger. Encourage your children to make Jesus’ bed as “comfortable” as possible through their good deeds. In the process, explain Christ’s incomparable self-gift at Christmas and Easter that enables us to be part of God’s family.

**Celebrate the 12 days of Christmas as the time from Christmas to the Epiphany of our Lord! This can be done in a variety of ways. Families could create a Christmas calendar, similar to an Advent calendar, full of special ways to remember and honor the season. This year, I made "Aaron on a shelf," similar to "Elf on a shelf," and hid him somewhere with a special surprise for the 12 days of Christmas.
**The 12 days of love and searching game! I came up with this idea after reading through some other people's ideas and suggestions regarding Christmas. The board should consist of 12 squares that the wise men must travel through to get to the manger. Each day should have a different act of love that we can do for others to help bring us closer to Jesus in our personal lives. Just as the wise men are getting closer to Jesus, so too are we by the way we are focusing on bringing His love into our lives. Once the family completes the act of love, then they can choose something fun to do together as a family. These ideas can be put on handmade ornaments during the season of advent and put on a special tree. Kind of modeled this idea after the idea this woman had http://www.iheartnaptime.net/25-days-of-service/.

-Religious traditions:
**Attend mass together on Christmas Eve to properly kick off the season

**Use this online guide to continue the season and the celebrating...
http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-resources/christmas/

**Consider purchasing a little blue book (see link below). This helps you have a daily focus on the season and really gets your heart in the right spirit, and it continues throughout the entire season of Christmas! http://littlebooks.us/

**Celebrate Epiphany! On the Feast day of the Epiphany, January 6, the Church celebrates the event where the Magi, also called the Three Wise Men or Three Kings, traveled from the East to pay homage to the newborn King, Jesus Christ. Host a party and hide a figurine of a baby inside a cake for dessert representing the Kings' search for the baby Jesus. The person who finds the baby in their piece is announced the "king" for the evening and gets three wishes granted. See my original post on Epiphany http://greatandholyadventure.blogspot.com/2013_02_01_archive.html which will be updated after celebrating this year.

How We Celebrated:
Aaron and I went to be with my family for Christmas this year. We got there on Monday and stayed until Friday. It was a crazy few days, but so much fun! We went to dinner on Christmas Eve to usher in the holiday as a family and attended the beautiful Midnight Mass at St. Joseph's (where we got married!). On Christmas morning, we all made a delicious breakfast and spent the whole day with family and friends at my parents house and my grandparents house. In the evening, we ventured back to my parents house and the kids got to open their gifts and we all exchanged our secret santa presents. It was a very fun day, but I do hope that Aaron and I can establish more traditions that bring about the emphasis of Christ's birth. In the 12 days following Christmas, Aaron and I continued to read from our little blue book and I made "Aaron on a shelf" similar to "Elf on a shelf" to leave a surprise for Aaron for each day of the 12 days of Christmas. We kicked off our Epiphany celebration today and will continue it tomorrow (more to come on that). I am excited to try and incorporate some of the traditions I thought more about as I wrote above in years to come. The best part was that we were together celebrating this beautiful season.

Christmas Eve dinner before Midnight Mass

Making bagels for breakfast Christmas morning

The egg man

Sooooooooo delicious

Suzy in charge of the cheese

Sweet Hope and Michael (and Piper on the way)

It's Christmas

We went to see White Christmas at the Music Hall
the day after Christmas

Aaron on a shelf really helped me get into the spirit
of the 12 days of Christmas- sneaky elf Aaron was hiding somewhere
each day to present Aaron with different festive coupons