How we do St. Lucy Day...

{Coloring Page Reminder}

Heather over at Audrey Eclectic is having a St. Lucia Day blog procession. Have you seen her amazing artwork? I'm trying to decide between 2 or 4 or 10 of her pieces because I love them all so much. Here is a little peek at our celebration.

St. Lucy Day was never a tradition in my family or my husband's since neither of us are of Scandinavian descent, but I bought a Lucy Wreath (with a matching one for her dolly) when my oldest daughter, Sunshine, was only a few months old and we've been enjoying this special day ever since. 

I made my own wreath for daughter #2, Rain, also with a matching dolly wreath. Look at how tiny they were!!! This year, they opted not to wear their wreaths but instead, passed them down to Cupcake.

Our St. Lucy Day always includes dressing up for the girls, bread or cinnamon rolls with candles, decorations, books and waking everyone up early for breakfast. We've never done the bringing food into the bed, rather, the girls simply wake everyone and call them to the table for breakfast. I think those Scandinavians probably stayed in bed because it was warmer there than anywhere else! (The cold never bothers us here in Texas!) Today, we will put lights on our tree and then go looking at Christmas lights tonight.

So, that's our tradition. 15 years going strong and beloved now by the oldest and youngest ones alike. Just this morning I promised to make Lucy Wreaths for all of my future granddaughters and my girls squealed with delight!

Lord, may the intercession of Your Virgin and Martyr, St. Lucy, help us so that, as we celebrate her heavenly birthday on earth, we may contemplate her triumph in heaven. Amen.

Happy St. Lucy Day!

Just some pics...

Saint Lucy Day 2013

 What color are those eyes? Green or Brown… they change on a daily basis. I know lighting plays a huge part because in this picture, she looks ginger even though she's not.

 Cupcake loved playing with the little Lucia and Star Boy dolls from years past. 

 Please ignore the yogurt crusted shirt. This was right before her bath.  She had finally decided to wear a Lucy crown!

Both Lucy crowns...

…at one time!

Santa Lucia

Happy Feast of St. Lucy! For little Miss Cupcake, it's all about the candles! But don't even think about putting something on her head. M'kay?

And if you are looking for a coloring page, you can find them here.

O God, our Creator and Redeemer, mercifully hear our prayers that as we venerate your servant, Saint Lucy, for the light of faith you bestowed upon her, you would increase and preserve this same light in our souls that we may be able to avoid evil, to do good, and to abhor nothing so much as the blindness and the darkness of evil and of sin. Relying on your goodness, O God, we humbly ask you, by the intercessory prayers of your servant, Saint Lucy, that you would give perfect vision to our eyes, that they may serve for your greater honor and glory and for the salvation of our souls in this world, that we may come to the enjoyment of your unfailing light of the Lamb of God in paradise. Saint Lucy, virgin and martyr, hear our prayers and obtain our petitions.

St. Lucy Coloring Pages

St. Lucy of Syracuse Coloring Page 

~ click here ~

St. Lucy with Star boy Coloring Page

~ click here ~

 

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

{pretty}

Our "Lucy buns". With dental work done that morning, nobody was in the mood to eat the traditional Santa Lucia Bread so we opted for cinnamon rolls with a promise that the Lucia Bread will be made for Christmas!

{happy}

 Is there anything happier than the wonder in a baby's eyes when seeing their first Christmas lights? Even though she was coming down with her first cold.

{funny}
 

They begged to put up the tree themselves. 

Too many generals, not enough soldiers!

{real}

St. Lucy left behind on a pile of clean laundry that hasn't been put away. That is real life right now.

Feast Day Fun

The girls put together this centerpiece and BigBoy decorated our Starry Mantle Tablecloth in honor of Our Lady's starry mantle. He takes this job very seriously! 

We enjoyed soft chicken tacos, homemade spanish rice (I use a quick and easy recipe, not an authentic one) with refried beans and sopapillas from the Mexican restaurant down the road. YUM!

Today, everyone except the baby and I headed to the dentist super early for some minor dental work of some kind and came back not really feeling like enjoying a hearty breakfast of cinnamon rolls and hot cocoa so we saved them and had them for dinner this evening. All in all, very lovely feast days!

Lucia Light

Hear us, O God, our salvation, that, as we rejoice in keeping the festival of Blessed Lucy, thy virgin and martyr, so we may profit by the tender devotion we gain through her example. Through our Lord. Amen.

 Our celebration is being postponed to this evening due to early morning dentist appointments.

Happy Feast of St. Lucy!

 

Heavenly Birthday Bread

It tasted divine! Thank you again, Karen!

Lord, may the intercession of Your Virgin and Martyr, St. Lucy, help us so that, as we celebrate her heavenly birthday on earth, we may contemplate her triumph in heaven. Amen.

Lucia Light

 I have been saving this Lucia ornament all year for the girls. I found it on a website that is no longer active, but you can find some on ebay now.

(Whoops... those are gone! Here's another option.  And here a few more.)

 My big girl... still little at heart... holding one of Tammy's masterpieces!

 Our morning table filled with light!
(Homemade beeswax candles from St. Ambrose's day.)

Oh, and speaking of ebay... I have been hunting down one of these Winter Silhouette Saint Lucia statues since I first saw one that a dear friend had displayed on her mantle a few years ago. Her grandmother started her collection and it is a beautiful sight to behold!

We had cinnamon scrolls for breakfast with clementines and hot chocolate, but it was all gone before I could grab the camera!

St. Lucy, pray for us!

Happy St. Lucy's Day!

Sunday Ends

This bread is fool proof, or in my case, cold proof. I didn't want to dip my finger in the milk to see how warm it was and suspect that it was on the hot side based on the steam I saw coming out of the saucepan. I only had clementines, not oranges and didn't let the bread rise the full time because there were anxious little vultures circling. I did manage to knead it for the full ten minutes (without coughing) so YAY! It was delicious and a lovely treat to end our Sunday celebration.

A moment

Santa Lucia

...pray for us!

Even in lay life, when possible, why not make provision for special times of prayer — especially the solemn celebration of Vespers, for example — or moments of catechesis, which on the eve of Sunday or on Sunday afternoon might prepare for or complete the gift of the Eucharist in people's hearts? ~ Pope John Paul II, from his Apostolic Letter, Dies Domini

Happy St. Lucy's Day

Star boys and Lucias at every plate

Yarn doll St. Lucys for the girls

St. Lucy doing a jig?

Sunshine's sweet Lucy doll in her arms with a sweet roll on her plate! Mmmmmmm!

I am hoping that the plethora of homemade decorations will make up for the utter lack of homemade goodies this year. I am nursing a strained muscle in my neck/shoulder and just didn't have it in me this year to make this delicious bread which is making the internet rounds. I hope you all had a lovely morning and if you are reading this in your jammies, I hope you get to stay that way!:)