This year Thanksgiving and Western Christmas
are close together and I can see that this
Nativity Season is going to be very full!
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My now annual Christmas Nativity Fast and Feast
planning is in it's second year.
Here's what I came up with...
November 27: Thanksgiving Day ~ go to prayers or liturgy for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving meal with friends and church family.
November 28: Fast begins! Make a joyful fasting meal to celebrate! Locate Christmas decorations.
November 29: order a Christmas ornament for our Christmas tree. Find lights to put up in our kitchen and living room.
November 30: Sunday Liturgy.
Begin reading Christmas book with Mr. Husband.
December 1 : This year I need to find an artificial Christmas tree for our home.
I am quite excited about this!
Put out first of Christmas icons (the one of Christ).
December 2 : Change coffee table to Christmas Colours.
December 3: Work on St. Nicholas Gifts.
December 4 ~ Thursday: Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God ~ Go to liturgy. Remember my Oma and
do something in her name for another person. Fish day!
December 5: Put out two Nativity Icons. Put up Christmas tree!
December 6: Prepare for St. Katherine’s Day (meal, find prayers, clean icon).
December 7: Sunday Liturgy ~ St. Katherine’s Day ~ honour her icon,
light candles by it and pray for those esp with her name.
Pray prayers to her.
Make a special meal in her honour. Fish Day!
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December 8: Christmas Knitting for tree ornaments done today. Put out Christmas plate and other decorations. If we have our extra freezer by now in our new home, begin baking St. Nicholas Day cookies to
carefully freeze for St. Nicolas Day. If do not have a freezer yet then
look at plans for December 16 and switch out activities (shopping) to this day.
December 9: Work on St. Nicholas and Christmas gifts, plan and shop for special meal for Kursk Root Icon. Prepare and wrap gifts for friends and family.
Start praying parts of Akathist for this icon in the evening.
December 10: Kursk Root Icon ~ Special meal for Kursk Root Icon and remembering the healing of St. Seraphim as a child.
Plan, prepare and shop for Holy Supper and Christmas.
December 11: Work more on Christmas gift plans.
St. Nicholas Cookies baking continued DV with freezer ready.
December 12: Christmas Gift shopping for the short people in our lives.
Put wrapped gifts under Christmas tree.
December 13: Put out the Nativity Books.
December 14: Sunday Liturgy
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December 15: Plan special meal for St. Nicholas Day Dinner. Begin listening to Christmas music. Bake for St. Nicholas Day.
December 16: Do grocery shopping for St. Barbara's Day, St. Nicholas Day, the Holy Supper and Christmas or bake St. Nicholas Day cookies.
Best to do the last minute grocery Shopping for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day early! Buy a special wine for Holy Supper and the Christmas Season.
December 17: Great Martyr Barbara ~ put out icon of St. Barbara and pray for those with her name. Read Chesterton's poem on St. Barbara.
Bake Saint Nicholas Cookies and prepare treats for shoes.
Have a special dinner for St. Barbara.
This year St. Barbara's day corresponds
with Mr. Husband's
work's holiday party so we will have
a festive lunch instead.
December 18: St. Nicholas Eve ~ Finish Preparing for St. Nicolas Day ~ if possible go to vigil for St. Nicolas Day
or pray the Akathist to St. Nicholas, put out St. Nicholas Icon
December 19: Saint Nicholas Day ~ Go to liturgy and give out goodies ~ Sister’s Birthday
December 20: Begin listening to Christmas music and
put out coffee table sized Christmas Tree.
December 21: Sunday Liturgy
December 22: Christmas preparations and planning; plan for birthdays and names days in near future. Prepare to make Christmas tea.
December 23: Special Baking and Knitting. Look at meal plan for Holy Supper on Christmas Eve, make list of what I will need
in terms of last minute groceries & look at plans made on Dec. 16.
December 24: Special Baking and Knitting. Planning special meal for St. Herman’s Day.
December 25: Saint Spyridon and Saint Herman ~ honour these Saints, put out their icons, pray special prayers to them. Read books on these Saints.
December 26: St. Lucia ~ Search for icon for her for next year and research books on her.
December 27: Have time spent with ones dear to us, Special baking.
December 28: Sunday Liturgy. Have time spent with ones dear to us, remembering to pray for those who are far.
December 29: My Birthday ~ special meal with loved ones near by.
December 30: Mr. Husband’s Name Day ~ special meal planned.
December 31: Enjoy civil holiday with Mr. Husband either at home or at a monastery. If home make special Lenten food.
January 1: New Years Day. If possible be at a monastery. If not then spend special time with Mr. Husband and others; have a special meal.
Do prayers of Thanksgiving for the new year (on the civil calendar).
January 2: St. John of Kronstadt’s Day ~ Honour his icon, do prayers to him, read his book. Plan Christmas Dinner for Second Day of Christmas.
January 3: Review list for Holy Supper! Enjoy the anticipation.
January 4: Sunday before Nativity.
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January 5: Pack things for Holy Supper including special table cloth, candles and candle holder. Print prayers for Holy Supper. Bake.
Prepare borsht for the Holy Supper.
January 6: Prepare Holy Supper ~ table cloth, candles and meal.
Have Holy Supper and Christmas Eve Vigil.
January 7: Christmas! Spent at church and with special friends.
January 8: Second Day of Christmas.
Special dinner and opening gifts if not opened on Christmas night.
Bake special Christmas cookies for this season to pass out to friends.
January 9: Third Day of Christmas. St. Stephen's day. Have a special Christmas Dinner with friends.
January 10: Fourth Day of Christmas.
January 11: Sunday ~ Fifth Day of Christmas. Church Christmas party!
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January 12: Sixth Day of Christmas.
January 13: Seventh Day of Christmas.
January 14: Eighth Day of Christmas. Circumcision of Christ and St. Basil’s Day ~ make cake for St. Basil and a special meal.
January 15: Ninth Day of Christmas. St. Seraphim's Day ~ clean and honour his icon, read from a book on St. Seraphim,
do prayers for his intercession.
Pray esp. for all those known whose name day it is.
January 16: Tenth Day of Christmas.
January 17: Eleventh Day of Christmas.
January 18: 12th Day of Christmas. Vigil for Theophany.
January 19: Theophany ~ Liturgy and Meal with friends.
7 comments:
I love your plans!
There is some interesting info about St Lucia (inc books) here:
http://goodbooksforyoungsouls.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/happy-st-lucia-day.html
I just can't bring myself to read this, being terribly behind and disorganized - BUT you have reminded me to get out my Christmas cards and plan for that one task. I can tell you are going to have a blessed and joyful season!
What a plan! send me an email if you get a chance - ammccollum at comcast dot net
Wow, that is a LOT of planning! It overwhelms me. However, as Gretchen Joanna said, it looks like your season will be blessed and joyful. I love the photo with the gifts and tree; it all looks so wonderfully old fashioned and charming and lovely. Makes me wish I could climb into one of Elizabeth Goudge's novels and Christmas as she writes about it.
well, it takes a while to think out the list to begin with but really it keeps me from trying to do too much in one day. Seriously if you look at the list, it's often as simple as 'find the Christmas lights' and helps me do things step by step. Makes the season fun and not exhausting! and helps me realize what I need to do when!
What a sweet blog you have! I came over from Apseed. You seem to have all your days planned out very well!
Are you American? Ive wondered how the Nativity Fast effects American Orthodox if Thanksgiving falls after the 25th.
As an aside--- I got to see and venerate The Kursk Root Icon this summer. It was such a special experience. I took my baby with me, and he was able to touch it :) it was only in my state for a few hours, and Im glad I got to make the trip to see it.
Very nice to meet you!~
heather
thanks Heather! Yes, I am an American, converted over 10 years ago now :) For the old calendar the fast starts the day after Thanksgiving so it's easy for my husband and I! For those on the new, they either do it earlier or have a dispensation for that day to eat turkey ...
How special about your experience with the Kursk Root Icon! I got to see this icon in Ottawa the Dec before my husband and I got engaged; it was a very special experience!
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