"...the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel." -Isaiah 7:14        In this season of preparation it is not a coincidence that we have some very special feast days to celebrate.....beginning with our family favorite, the Feast of St. Andrew on November 30th.... we stand in thanksgiving for his "Yes" to follow Christ to be a first disciple and bring in others such as his own brother Peter...our very first Pope (we have our own Andrew & Peter, too!).  Next to arrive is the feast for the patron saint of children, St. Nicholas, the real "Santa Claus"...tonight we will be laying out all nine pairs of shoes by the fireplace. We will wake in the morning to treats and always chocolate coins in our shoes... and somehow miraculously it always seems to snow, even just a little bit here in the Mid-Atlantic, just for the children. The weatherman said this morning "chance" of snow tonight!      We bake a lovely cake for the Blessed Mother's feast of her Immaculate Conception on December 8th. Several years we have made our own play to celebrate both the feast of Juan Diego on the 9th ....and the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of the unborn, on the 12th. We pray for her intercession and protection for the most vulnerable in our world... (Our girls sleep with their Lady of Guadalupe dolls). Quickly arrives the 13th, the feast of St. Lucy....my Swedish uncle always had us remember this day and now our oldest Anne is carrying on the tradition and waking us with cocoa and muffins....we also put up our Christmas lights outside the house on this day as my family did every year on the Festa of Santa Lucia, when I was little...        The next week will bring St. John of the Cross on the 12th ...that great Carmelite reformer...on the 21st is the feast of yet another disciple...St. Thomas... heralding us unto the birth of Our Lord on the 25th, Christmas day. Yes, it is no coincidence that God has placed these saintly celebrations to help us prepare each day towards Christmas....enjoy your family traditions...add new ones this year and most importantly pray together, adore together and thank the prince of Peace...our Lord Jesus Christ, Emmanuel!        We hope you will visit our Saints section.... and don't forget our Advent/Christmas section which are full our great products to help you prepare for this Holy season.      Advent Calendar with Minibooks,  Family Advent Calendar, Catholic Child's Advent Calendar, Twelfth Night Calendar and the Advent Manger Kit!      (Just click on the accompanying image or title to learn more about each product).        Now that the dust of another summer busy season has settled we have had more time to add many new titles so please check out our New Arrivals page as we are adding new items daily.  Also, be sure to stop by our Sale Items page as well!      We hope the following ideas and offerings will make it easy for you and your family to celebrate the feast days that fall within this glorious season of our rich Catholic heritage. One new favorite of ours is a beautiful CD called L'Angelus Sacred Hymn Collection.     Jesse Tree Kit     $10.95   Advent and Lent Quest     Only  $9.99     The Legend of the Poinsettia      $6.99     Christmas Novena      $1.50         Advent & Christmas Feast Days:      December 6 - St. Nicholas: The Miracle of St. Nicholas   December 8 - Immaculate Conception: Mary Most Holy Coloring Book   December 9 & 12- St. Juan Diego & Our Lady of Guadalupe: Tomie dePaola's The Lady of Guadalupe,   The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe,   Our Lady of Guadalupe Doll, Our Lady of Guadalupe Grotto kit    and Our Lady of Guadalupe Rosary kit too!     December 13 - St. Lucy   December 26 - St. Stephen   December 27 - St. John      Recipes included in A Continual Feast for all three feast days and many more!   December 28 - Holy Innocents: Prayer to end Abortion (included in Advent and Christmas for the Christian Family), a Pro-Life Chaplet and   Pro-Life Reflections for Every Day (by Fr. Frank Pavone). December 29 - St. Thomas Beckett: Murder in the Cathedral & If all the Swords in England           December 30 - Holy Family Framed Artwork A beautiful 8" x 10"   rendition of the Nativity by Murillo (shown at left), as well as   Murillo's Madonna and Child,   Kaiser's St. Joseph and Child Jesus    and Boticelli's Madonna and Child.           January 1 - Feast of Mary:  The Donkey's Dream, Mary My Mother     January 4 -St. Elizabeth Ann Seton:  Kat Finds a Friend       January 5 - St. John Neumann: Thomas Finds a Treasure    January 6 - Epiphany: A Continual Feast includes a recipe for King's Cake, which is how our family celebrates the feast of the Epiphany and Advent and Christmas for the Christian Family has wonderful ideas on celebrating Epiphany.      PS - For the Year of the Priest: The Priest Game, St. John Vianny, Chaplet for Priests, Spritual Bouquet for Priests and A Spiritual Bouquet for Seminarians.   New Year items: 2010 Calendar and 2010 Daily Planner    If Grandparents or Godparents need a helpful "hint" send them your WISHLIST, which can be created on the website and emailed to them.   God's Blessings to All, The Ciskanik Family & the entire Staff of Emmanuel Books