I’m not someone who likes to think about the holidays long before they come to pass. I don’t put up a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving and usually my gifts typically arrive just in time…or possibly a day or two late.

Oops.

But. This year I want things to be different. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to a deeper understanding of the liturgical seasons. I realize now that Advent isn’t really about partaking in the merriment of Christmas prematurely as much as it is about preparing for the memorial of the birth of Christ.

Physically this may look like lighting the age-old Advent wreath or decorating a Jesse tree, purple vestments at Mass, and fasting (yes, fasting!). While Advent is not equal to Lent in this regard, it is meant to be a penitential season. Fun fact: our priest didn’t let us get married in December as we wanted to for this reason!

Spiritually this means making space. Making space for Jesus to come into our hearts. This requires silence and down time—which can be hard to come by if you’re frantically running around doing the last minute shopping and hastily putting together thirty Christmas cards to go out.

That’s why I’m determined to get the vast majority of my Christmas shopping done before Advent. I want this to be a joyful, peaceful season. I want to take it all in and rest in the expectant hope of the coming of our Lord! I know the more I prepare, the better off I’ll be. In case you want to join me in this endeavor, I put a list together of potential gift ideas! These would be fun for any Catholic, but especially someone who might want help living liturgically throughout the year.

I mostly chose to include small Catholic vendors, so keep this in mind when considering ship time. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I have purchased from some of these companies already and am confident in the quality of the products. There you can also see some of these products in detail as I talk a little bit about each one I bought!

Happy shopping!

BOOKS

• Solemnities: Celebrating a Tapestry of Divine Beauty: written by three experts from the Liturgical Institute, this is a super in-depth resource for creating family traditions to celebrate the feasts of our Church.
• Catholic All Year Compendium: an incredible resource for practical ideas to live liturgically all year round!
• Drinking with the Saints: A Sinner’s Guide to a Holy Happy Hour: I have this book and refer to it often. It is a compilation of drinks for different feast days!
• Drinking with your Patron Saints: The Sinners’ Guide to Honoring Namesakes and Protectors.
• Cooking with the Saints: same concept but for delicious meals.
• Around the Year with the Von Trapp Family: another favorite of mine. Written by one of the actual Von Trapp’s, she gives all different types of traditions in the way of food, music, and activities from her experience growing up in a devout Catholic family.
• Saints: A Year in Faith and Art: a beautiful little book with a saint for every day of the year accompanied by an artistic rendition. I have this one as well and it makes a lovely and useful addition to any bookcase.
• Stories of the Saints: Bold & Inspiring Tales of Adventure Grace and Courage: perfect for exposing little ones to the saints and their incredible stories!
• Saints Around the World: another resource for young children, this one is intended to show the diversity within the Church and how different each saint is! (We know the author for this one and she is phenomenal!)
• Lenten Cookbook: love this idea—a compilation of recipes to make during Lent (no more eating just tuna every Friday!).
• Fools for Heaven: A Rhyming Collection of Moments from Our Holy Friends: written by a good friend of mine, this is a series of sweet poems about the different saints. A perfect way to introduce your children to the saints and poetry simultaneously, plus the illustrations are adorable!
• You Were Born to Be a Saint! Another beautifully-illustrated work that exposes our children to the stories of the saints and hopefully inspires them to be one!
• Fiat 2022-2023 Liturgical Planner: all the feasts in once place. Plus what class of feast it is and vestment colors! Also includes monthly goal-setting page, a spread for daily planning each week, weekly to-do lists, habit trackers, and more!
• A Saint a Day: 365 True Stores of Faith and Heroism: this beautiful book is definitely on my wish list this year. How perfect for learning a little bit about the saints every day!
• Little Saint Stories: three of my favorite saints in one precious place.

HOME

• Liturgical wreath: this ordinary time wreath is handmade and soo pretty (love the sage green)! They also have different wreaths for Lent and Easter.
• Small wooden nativity scene: a nativity scene is a must-have for all of us! I found this beautiful, hand-carved and painted mini nativity scene that is also economical.
• Calvary crosses: a great decoration to put out during Lent.
• Wooden crucifix : these are so beautiful! I try to have a crucifix over every doorway so I’m always on the lookout for one that stands out to me.
• Advent wreath: every family should have one! Love this simple, contemporary design.
• Crown of thorns: another great setup for Lent. For a few years now, I’ve been putting a crown of thorns with a small statue of the Pietá in the middle of our dining room table as the centerpiece during Lent.
• Advent wreath: this is another great piece from Theology of Home. The dark wood is so beautiful.
• Stella Maris Candle: They have different candles for different Marian feast days. I love to have these for particular occasions throughout the year. Such a simple, pleasant way to celebrate in our homes.
• Nazareth Pottery Mugs: these are a recent find and I just can’t get over them! They have mugs dedicated to different saints and I think it’s a fun idea to break them out on special days throughout the year!
• Pietá Statue: I have a couple of these in my home and I just never get tired of admiring this incredible work. I especially love to put these statues out front and center during Lent.
• Holy Face Candles: another recent find and boy oh boy you would not believe my excitement when I saw them! I have already ordered multiple for myself and to give as gifts. How cool!
• Little Lux Crown Prayer Candle and Beeswax Insert: A beautiful decoration for the table or a prayer corner to break out on special occasions!
• Heart of IESVS puzzles: Every Advent, Stephen and I break out our Nativity puzzle. This is a fun family activity which brings us together and helps remind us of what is coming! If you’re into jigsaws, these beautiful puzzles are perfect to anticipate and celebrate with friends or family the feast days including that of Stella Maris, The Annunciation, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Fatima, and MORE.
• Feast day candles! These are just super cute and could be used for any feast. Love the idea of using them just to celebrate our saint friends!
• Alphabet Saint Poster: a sweet way for little ones to learn the alphabet, decorate their room, and celebrate the saints! They also have one just for boy saints and just for girl saints.
• Natural Wood Nativity Garland: So sweet and perfect for decorating your home for Christmas.
• Engraved Shelf-Sitter Stations of the Cross: a beautiful tool to help your family pray the stations of the cross together during Lent. (Something we all need help with!).
• Garland-style 14 Stations of the Cross: another wood garland except for Lent!
• Ora Pro Nobis Wood Garland: they also have an English version! This would be fun for any feast day and will make decoration quick and easy.
• Lovely Lady Linens: I have purchased a few of their products as gifts and am so happy with the quality and beauty! The linens are inspired by different Marian apparitions and I just think they really are, well, lovely.
• 2023 Modern Liturgical Calendar: I. Love. This. A beautiful design that will make planning ahead for the liturgical year so easy.
• Variety Saint Coffee Saint Box: for the coffee aficionado and saint fanatic.
• Pyncocline napkins and tea towels: these charming designs make me so happy! You can pick from a variety of napkins or tea towels with images of Mary, the Holy Family and others.
• Religious cookie cutters: ok. I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say these are to die for. How cool is this?! From Easter to the Nativity and different celebrations in between, you can make cookies for any Catholic occasion!!

PAPER GOODS

• Marigold Makery Prints: for almost every feast day we celebrate, I have a small print I put out for decoration. These are perfect to do just that! Or if you have a devotion to a specific saint, this can be a way of honoring them in your home.
• Fearless Ali Prints: I have a few of her prints framed in Monica’s room. I just think they are so precious!
• Fearless Ali Cards: one habit I’ve been getting into is sending cards to loved ones for different feasts. These cards are the perfect way of doing just that, and then the recipients have a small piece of art for their home too!
• Junior Saint Card Pack: great for little ones to learn about the saints! Each one has a super cute portrait of the saint as well as a brief bio.
• Catholic Art Greeting Cards: we have a stack of these that I send out every so often. It gives me something to look forward and a reason to write an actual letter!
• Catholic Saint Cards and envelopes: these are adorable and can be used for so many different feasts!!
• Jesse Tree Ornament Set and book: the little ones will love putting these ornaments on the Jesse tree. And they can begin to understand the meaning behind what they are doing by reading the companion book as a family!
• Saint Paper Puppets: another cute and inexpensive option for helping little ones learn more and interact with their favorite saints.
• Polaroid saint pack: I love these so much! You can get a pack of 35, an individual saint, or a mini pack. Love the vintage photo look, super cool center piece for their feasts!
• Light Bearer Saint Greeting cards: had to include these too because they are just so pretty!
• Catholic Saint Quote Cards with Stand: these are so beautiful, and an easy way to add some saintly wisdom into our daily lives.
• Our Heavenly Friends Coloring Book: Monica is not old enough to color yet but I love this idea as an activity for children—and they have several volumes!

STOCKING STUFFERS

• Holy Cards from Paper Monastery: prayer cards are such a simple way to remind us to pray, especially for the intercession of certain saints or for specific intentions. I love this contemporary artwork from Paper Monastery and already have bought several of her cards this year!
• Theology of Home Travel Candle: This is another one I like to ship to people throughout the year for different feasts. It can also be a fun party favor! Love that they have this smaller, more inexpensive option.
• Liturgical living decal: stickers are a great stocking stuffer. We each got one in our stockings last year and I absolutely love mine! Great for younger family members too.
• Fearless Ali Prayer Cards: Another alternative for prayer cards. If you prefer the simple, watercolor style, you’ll love having these cards on hand!
• Saint Wine Charms: Another gift I love to give (who doesn’t like wine charms??)! I also have these and greatly enjoy breaking them out at parties. People think they are so fun!
• Catholic Saint Memory Game: You can’t go wrong with a good memory game. A fun and educational activity for the kids.
• Holy Image Catholic Magnets: a precious addition to your refrigerator or a cute party favor!
• Shoe Lace Saints: if you’re a runner or love someone who is (or are like me and just like wearing tennis shoes), these are the perfect accessory!
• Female Saints Decal: I love this! Definitely want one for my tumbler.
• Holy Play Cards Saint Edition: The perfect set of cards to break out at saint celebrations.
• Saint Washi Tape: Adorable and useful.
• Liturgical Living Cards: each beautiful card has monthly feast days and Holy days of Obligation, a quote from the Saint of the Month, and a Scripture passage for you to memorize!
• Tiny Saint Keychains: we each have a handful of these and they just make me happy. Tiny and saintly and so cute.
• Saintly Heart Saint Wooden Figurines: we have the nativity set and love it. These will be great toys that don’t take up much space!

SUBSCRIPTIONS

• Catholic All Year Box: I have not subscribed to this personally, but if you want to make living liturgically as easy as pie, I think this is a super fun and practical option!
• Liturgical Calendar Membership: with this membership you receive 18×24 fully colored and illustrated liturgical calendar posters throughout the year. They are absolutely beautiful!
• The Pretzel Club: A liturgical living paper club for the curious & imaginative souls: This is probably one of my absolute favorite finds. Every month you will receive “beautifully illustrated, interesting and easy to use resources to help your family live the liturgical year.”
• Catholic Family Crate: Another awesome option. On a monthly basis they send you materials to teach your children about the different feasts! You can also get crates just for Easter or Lent.

Ultimately, I think we all know Christmas isn’t about receiving or giving material goods. And yet it is an opportunity, in honor of God’s boundless generosity demonstrated through the gift of His Son, to also be generous with others.

These gifts can be a small sign of His goodness to someone else. Additionally they can help that person, in turn, share the faith with those who live and visit their home—what a gift!

Peace,

Miranda