"...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.
(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
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.
Advent & Christmas Feast Days:
December 13 - St. Lucy
December 26 - St. Stephen
December 27 - St. John
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.
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