O Night Divine

Bottle Cap Ornaments

To go along with the dowel tree we made these fun bottle cap ornaments. This particular set is for the "O Antiphons." We are also making one of the "12 Days of Christmas" so that we can continue to hang a set of ornaments on the tree each day of the Christmas season. 

              

These ornaments are quite simple to make if you have some beading/jewelry making supplies.  It's also a good way to recycle bottle caps. Some bottle caps are decorative like the ones from IZZE bottles in the picture below and can be used as is (after washing). Others with writing and logos you don't want to see need to be painted before using. You can also buy "craft" bottle caps at many craft and hobby stores.

Materials:
-beads (various colors to match theme)
-24 or 26 gauge jewelry wire
-crimp beads
-bottle caps
-spray paint (optional)
-foam mount sticky tape
-wire cutter
-chain nose  or crimp pliers
-awl or thin nail
-hammer
-images for picture (clip art, old Christmas cards, holy cards, photograph, etc.)

Make two holes close together in the rim of each bottle cap using an awl or thin nail. 

 
  
Cut a piece of wire approximately 3 1/2 inches in length. Thread wire through holes as shown.
 

Twist wire together tightly.

Thread selected beads onto wire: 3-5 is a good number depending on the size of beads chosen.

 

Add crimp bead and pinch closed with pliers. This keeps the beads from sliding off.  Bend wire to form small loop. 

Cut out desired image or picture to insert into bottle cap. A quarter makes a nice template for getting the correct size. For the "O Antiphons" I used these images at Catholic Culture. Cut and pasted into a Word document they turned out to be the perfect size to fit. Use double backed sticky foam or tape to adhere image inside of bottle cap. The ornament is now ready for hanging. 

 

 

 

Dowel Christmas Tree Craft

 
When I saw this simple, yet cute dowel Christmas tree last year in Paper Crafts magazine I knew it would make a great centerpiece for hanging all kinds of symbolic ornaments at different times throughout the Advent and Christmas seasons.  Ideas include Jesse Tree ornaments, O Antiphons, 12 Days ofChristmas, apples and bread for a Paradeis tree, ethnic tradition ornaments, and more. It could also be used during other seasons or times of the year as a display as well.  I like that it also has the triangular shape - for the Trinity.

Materials for tree:

one 1/2 inch dowel
one 1/4 or 3/16 inch dowel
acrylic paint, brown
fluffy or fuzzy yarn, green
wood block or circle (for base)
white school glue

Drill 1/2 inch hole in center of base. Paint wooden base piece and let dry. Cut 1/2 inch dowel to an 18" length.  This will be the center pole of the tree.  Cut the thinner dowel into three pieces with lengths of 12 1/2", 10 1/2", & 8 1/2" respectively. In the center pole, drill small holes to fit the thin dowels at 6 /1/2", 11" and 15 1/2" from the bottom. All lengths and distances are just what we used. Different lengths could be used if you wanted a smaller or larger tree - just position and size proportionally to get the triangular effect.

Slide thinner dowels through the drilled holes, centering each. Brush white glue on the dowels and  wrap yarn around. Keep yarn closely wound so the wood doesn't show through. I did center pole first, then each branch segment separately.  Leave small segment at bottom of center pole dowel free of yarn so that it will fit into the base.  Let glue dry.  Insert tree into base and decorate.

(Bottle cap ornament idea coming soon. )

O Christmas Tree

"O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, how lovely are your branches..."

The Christmas tree, with its lovely branches, is one of the most visible symbols of Christmas. In most western countries is is the predominant decoration or tradition next to the creche. There are varied ideas of when and where the use of an evergreen tree indoors, decorated to celebrate Christmas came about.  

Trees, especially evergreens, have long been a symbol of everlasting life and rebirth in cultures around the world even in ancient times.  The use of that symbol into the Christian traditions continued.  In the 8th century, St. Boniface was a missionary to the area now known as Germany. In an attempt to counter the superstitious practices of the people, he chopped down a sacred Oak Tree, where they worshiped Thor. It is said that he claimed a young fir tree growing in its shadow as the symbol of the Christian faith and eternal life and used the triangular shape of the Fir tree to describe the Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is suggested that people were encouraged to take the evergreen, into their homes as symbol.

There is an old European custom of decorating a fir tree with apples and small white wafers symbolizing the Holy Eucharist which were later replaced by pastry cut into shapes. This tradition evolved from the Middle Ages “Miracle Plays and Mysteries" particularly the one depicting the story of the creation and Adam and Eve. The end of the play prophesied the coming of a Savior and was therefore often enacted during Advent. An evergreen tree was used as a lush garden tree, and it was decorated with apples to represent the forbidden fruit. A summary of tree traditions on Domestic Church website says:

The one piece of scenery--the "Paradeisbaum (the Paradise Tree) became a popular object, andwas often set up in churches, and eventually in private homes as well. It became a symbol of the Savior. Since the tree represented not only Paradise, and man's fall, but also the promise of salvation, it was hung not merely with apples, but also with bread or wafers (Holy Eucharist) and often sweets (representing the sweetness of redemption). In sections of Bavaria, fir branches and little trees, decorated with lights, apples and tinsel are still called Paradeis.

The modern Christmas tree was first mentioned in 1605 in Strasbourg, and introduced France and England later - in 1840 by Princess Helena of Mecklenburg and the Prince Consort respectively. Christmas trees became fashionable during that time in the mid 1800's. German and English immigrants brought the Christmas tree to America.

Traditionally, Christmas trees were not brought in and decorated until Christmas Eve, and then removed the day after Epiphany.  But many people get their trees earlier now during the Advent season.  Some wait to decorate until right before Christmas, some enjoy the decorated tree through the Advent season, some have developed new traditions of progressively decorating the tree through Advent in ways that reflect the Advent season or Jesse Tree tradition. Whether your tree come from a  lot or you venture into the forest for a "wild" tree or plan an excursion to a Christmas tree farm to choose and cut your own, pick a live tree to be planted later or reuse and conserve by using an artificial tree, the tree is a central feature of most homes at Christmas.

To celebrate the symbol of the Christmas tree several upcoming posts will have activities and resources you might want to include.

Fresh Hay for the Manger - St. Lucy Day Planting

A beautiful Hungarian and Croatian custom on the feast of St. Lucy (December 13)  is to plant the "Christmas wheat" on that day. It will be sprouted and ready to add to the manger as a soft bed for the Baby Jesus by December 24.  The new green shoots are also a reminder of the new life born in Bethlehem.           

If you don’t normally keep wheat berries on hand this is a chance to get some before the 13th.  You can purchase them at most health food stores. And if any one couldn't do wheat other grain berries such as rye or barley, or even grass seed could be substituted. Choose a container -  tray, shallow round dish, flower pot, basket. Line the bottom of your growing container/basket with approx. 2 inches of potting soil (or vermiculite mixed with soil).  Sprinkle wheat berries over the soil in a single layer. Cover with a very light layer of soil. Lightly water the seeds with a spray bottle.  To speed the growing you can pre-soak the seeds for 6-12 hours until they have started to sprout slightly, then plant.

        

Place container in a warm area but not in direct sunlight. Cover it with newspaper or paper towel. Each day mist the seeds with water. Do not use too much water – just keep moist. Remove the newspaper once the leaves start to sprout (usually a couple of days).  By Christmas Eve you'll have several inches of lovely green "Christmas grass".   Then the children may carry it to the creche as a gift for the Child Jesus, symbolic of the Eucharistic bread by which He feeds our souls at the altar as well as of the staff of life by which His Father keeps life in our bodies. It also reminds us Christ, the Bread of Life, was born in Bethlehem, whose name means "House of Bread." They could be tied with a ribbon and a candle may be placed near them as a symbol of the Light of Christ, as is suggested in a couple sources.

Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. ~John 12:24

In researching I found other cultures (France, Ukraine, Romania, Yugoslavia) where setting out seeds to sprout before Christmas was a  tradition - some associated with the Feast of St. Barbara, December 4 instead of St. Lucy. In this recollection of a Danube Swabian celebration, it describes how the Christmas ritual began on December 4, St. Barbara Day.  A drinking glass was placed up-side-down in the center of a shallow bowl or plate. Grains of wheat would be planted around the outside. On Christmas Eve this would be the centerpiece on the table. The glass was removed and a candle was put in its place.  A bright red ribbon was tied round the bowl and the candle was lit.  

In France on the feast of Sainte-Barbe, children plant wheat or lentils, barley, chickpeas, or any seed that sprouts quickly, in a saucer: providing some greenery in the cold winter days, a precursor of the spring.  These seeds are described as being  sown on a piece of cotton wool, kept moist with water. Tradition says that when the seeds show a healthy growth by Christmas, the new year will be prosperous.

Another association of wheat with St. Lucy is an Italian tradition of eating bowls of a cooked wheat porridge known as cuccia.  The tradition comes from a time when during a famine, the people of Syracuse prayer to St. Lucy, who interceded and a ship arrived laden with grain.

Too late for this year,  but the Confraternity of Penitents also will provide St. Lucy Wheat Kits to those who request them - donations accepted.

Feast Day Paper Play Sets

Just in time to celebrate some Advent traditions of our faith around the world, Vee at Paper Dali has released two paper doll play sets.  Christmas in Sweden Paper Doll Set which celebrates St. Lucia Day and some additional Swedish Christmas traditions and Las Posadas (A Mexican Christmas) Paper Doll Set which focuses on the nine day celebration of "The Inns" leading up to Christmas in Mexico.

       
Each of these exclusive, multi-page paper doll sets are available as PDF downloads for only $4.  It's always nice to have quality hands on activities for the children to learn about traditions of our faith and cultures around the world.

Also available from Paper Dali's free historical paper doll collection are St. Lucia (w/ Unit Study), St. Juan Diego, Nativity Figures, and St. Nicholas (w/ Unit Study) for use during the Advent and Christmas seasons. 

Our Lady of Guadalupe Tinwork Ornaments

    

Tinwork also called “poor man’s silver” refers to the craft of creating decorated tin folk art items and has been practiced in New Mexico since the 1800's.  The tinwork tradition in colonial New Mexico was most likely introduced from Mexico. Craftsmen would make picture frames, religious ornaments, nichos (niches), crucifixes, candle holders and other items out of tin plate or scavenging it from tin cans. With the emergence of the Santa Fe Trail as a major trade route, imported tinplate became more readily available. It is an art form that saw a resurgence in the middle part of the 20th century and is quite popular today. Last year in a shop in Santa Fe, I saw some lovely Our Lady of Guadalupe image cross ornaments (see photo above) that were in the style of tinwork, though modified to an easier craft form. I thought they would be a great craft to make for the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Tinwork makes a lovely holiday ornament and one specifically fitting culturally for this celebration of Our Lady which is so honored in the Hispanic culture. 

Metal sheets for crafting can be found at many craft/hobby stores. I used the soft aluminum sheets (36 gauge) from KS Metals as they most resembled tin sheets. These lightweight metal sheets are extremely easy to cut, stamp and crimp to create stunning designs. In the absence of this crafting aluminum, a very heavyweight aluminum foil used for freezing could be substituted, though more care would be needed to avoid tearing and it would not be as durable for long term use.

Cut out shape of metal desired with utility scissors. I've included a pattern - Download TinCrossPattern - for you to trace onto the metal sheet. Classic tinwork has ornate and rounded edges not straight.

Cut out and glue paper image of OLoG  in center of cross. The tinworkers would have used metal stamps such as these for leather work to imprint designs into the tin/alunimun. If you have those type of tools you could use them, but you can also use a metal stylus (or even a ball point pen without ink) to carefully press and imprint shapes and designs into this soft metal. Choose ornate sequins of various shapes and colors to glue around the image and other areas of the cross. My favorite source of sequins - Cartwright's - has the most amazing shapes and colors. Traditional tinwork wouldn't have had sequins, but it makes a very pretty addition and adds color. I really liked the look.

Punch small hole in upper portion of cross. Using approx. 7 inch piece of wire, double to form loop. Thread a couple beads onto end of loop. Stick ends of loop through hole (with beads above), bend upwards and twist around wire to secure. Slide beads over wire twist.

Hang your ornament and enjoy this little bit of southwestern folk art on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

 

For more ideas to celebrate this feast day in all it's glory see this past post here at O Night Divine and the numerous culinary ideas at Catholic Cuisine.

Beeswax Ornaments

   
The art of molding and carving beeswax into holiday ornaments is a tradition that is centuries old and began in Germany with the Lebkuchen bakers. The bakers used their Springerle and gingerbread boards to mold the first beeswax ornaments. These boards were carved from fruitwood into elaborate scenes of St. Nicholas, animals, birds, guild workers and country life. By the mid-1500’s, Christmas markets were thriving in German towns. There are records of bakers attending these fairs making gingerroot flavored breads, as well as merchants who made wax souvenirs which people took home and hung on their Christmas tree.

The custom of wax ornaments hanging on the Christmas tree was brought to America by the early German settler, when melted beeswax was also poured into the wooden cookie boards. Often the wax castings were painted to resemble decorated cookies. In the 1930's to 1950's an American company manufactured a line of ornaments from paraffin that included full-bodied, hollow cast, white wax Santa figures, angels, snowmen and boots which were painted.

True beeswax ornaments have a lovely look and scent that is exquisite. While quite elegant and nostalgic, they are actually fairly easy to make.  Since December 7 is the feast of St. Ambrose, patron of candle makers and beekeepers, it would be fitting in the days near his feast day to partake in a beeswax project.  The ornament that we place on our Advent tree today to remember St. Ambrose is a beeswax ornament in the shape of a hive.

To make ornaments you need beeswax, a mold, string or ribbon, a can and pan for melting, and something for wax release (oil, cooking spray, or candle wax release spray). There are molds made specifically for wax ornaments. The cookie board style molds can be found at House on the Hill. Brown Bag and Cotton Press carry cookie/paper casting molds which can also be used for wax also. Plastic molds used for making candy can double for wax ornament molds. Though once you use them for wax it is suggested you not use them for food.

• Take a cleaned and dried can (pinch small section of rim together to form spout) and place beeswax chunks inside. Place can in pan with an inch or so of water. Heat over medium heat until wax is melted.

• Spray or rub inside of mold with release agent. Pour in the wax to fill.

• Take a piece of string, bend into loop, dip in melted wax to stiffen, and insert ends into mold (just under wax surface but not touch bottom of wax and mold. Let cool. To facilitate release, place for several minutes in the freezer. Cooled wax will shrink from sides and make for easier release.

Push on mold and pull gently on string to release. Trim edges with exacto knife to smooth if needed. You can leave them natural or paint and decorate them as you wish. Enjoy the sight and scent of your wax ornaments.

• Nice visual tutorial for beeswax ornaments
• eHow Tutorial for making beeswax ornaments

If you aren’t up to the idea of melting and pouring hot wax, another alternative that makes a really cute wax ornament is to use cookie cutters on sheets of honey comb wax. I found two really cute patterns shown below, though any cutters and ideas would work.

• Wax Snowflakes - from Martha Stewart

• Beeswax Gingerbread Men - from About Christmas Crafts

St. Francis Xavier Ornaments

St. Francis Xavier was born in 1506 in Navarre Spain, the son of a noble Basque family.  He was one of the seven founding members of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits.  Francis is one of the Church's most illustrious missionaries having traveled to and labored in western India, the island of Ceylon, Malacca, Molucca Islands, Island of Mindanao (Philippines), and Japan. In 1552 he started on a voyage to China but died on Sancian Island.  He is known as the patron saint of foreign missions. 

Because of our Basque heritage, St. Francis Xavier is a special saint to our family and for us a very important feast day in the liturgical calendar.  We have celebrated his feast day in the past with making origami ornaments for our Advent tree, representing his missionary work in Japan. Here are a few links to sites that can get you started on some origami ornaments of your own. 

• Folded Paper Ornaments

• Origami Club Christmas page - great animated folding instructions

• Beaded Origami Ornament

• Easy Origami Printed Patterns

Prayer on his Feast Day (Dec. 3)

Lord Jesus, You have sent us to proclaim the Gospel to all nations, and have promised to always remain with us. Look upon this family gathered on the feast day of St. Francis Xavier. Pour out the abundance of your Spirit upon each one of our brothers and sisters especially on those who are called to ponder upon the journey made and to plan what has still to be done, so that we may offer a more authentic service to mission. Grant that we may ever be faithful to the Gospel and to give an answer to the hopes which the world places before your church today. Stay with us, Lord, when we gather around the table of your Bread and your Word, and when we walk the paths of the world side by side with our brothers and sisters. Grant that we all find ourselves in heaven, our homeland, after having been members of the same family on earth. Amen.

Of Partridges and St. Edmund Campion, December 1

Several years ago I read the story that was circulating regarding the origin of the song, The Twelve Days of Christmas.  The Twelve Days of Christmas is actually a catechism song so the explanation claimed. See the Fournier's explanation at Our Domestic Church. com for more information on the symbols. We do know that between the years 1558-1829, English Catholics were not permitted to practice their faith openly and were often brutally persecuted. Without regular mass, sacraments, or catechism lessons from the priest, there was little parents could do to help their children learn and remember all articles of their faith. Based on casual references to the song he found in letters from the 16-17th centuries, Fr. Hal Stockert wrote that the song was created to keep the Catholic faith in their lives. In subsequent years the validity of this story has been questioned and Fr. Hal issued a postscript to his article:

It has come to our attention that this tale is made up of both fact and fiction. Hopefully it will be accepted in the spirit it was written. As an encouragement to people to keep their faith alive, when it is easy, and when any outward expressions of their faith could mean their life. Today there are still people living under similar conditions, may this tale give them courage, and determination to use any creative means at their disposal to keep their faith alive.

And the Fourniers have commented in a similar manner.

I say, "Whatever works, use." Mothers, fathers, families and teachers are using 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' as a catechism NOW. It works for them. That's good. Some day scholars will examine some of the documents Father Hal read and the story will be documented in a reference book that everyone can read.

Well, what does this all have to do with St. Edmund Campion, you might ask. During this early part of Advent in our home, I have for many years associated St. Edmund Campion with this song due to the time period in question.  Today, his feast day, is the day we add the partridge in the pear tree ornament to our advent tree in recognition of this saint.

St. Edmund Campion was a Jesuit priest and martyr during this period of persecution in England. He fled from England during the early persecutions but he returned to England to teach the faith and offer the sacraments in secret. He was the object of one of the most intense manhunts in English history. He was eventually captured, imprisoned in the Tower of London, and when he refused to apostatize, was tortured and then hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn on December 1, 1581.  

Share the story of Edmund Campion with your family, reflect on the possible symbolism of the song as a catechism in a time of persecution, and make a partridge picture or ornament. Your can download an outline of a partridge in a pear tree here. We traced the shapes onto colored scrapbooking paper, cut the shapes out, and glued on white paper. [NOTE: Typepad won't let me upload the partridge pattern right now. Leave a comment if you want a copy and I'll send an attachment to you.]

 

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the most familiar New World image of Mary and the only true picture of the Mother of God. As the patroness of the Americas and of the unborn, she holds a special place in the hearts of many. Each year on December 12 we commemorate the days in 1531 when the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego, a poor Indian, at Tepeyec, a hill northwest of Mexico City. Juan Dieogo's feast day is today, December 9.  This year we observe the 475th year since the apparition.

Her feast day falls just a few days after the feast of the Immaculate Conception.  Interestingly, the apparition of Mary to Juan Diego is one of the first apparitions of Virgin Mary as the Immaculate Conception.  In the image she is pregnant - encinta in Spanish, meaning "with a ribbon around her waist" which is the sign of pregnancy in the old Spanish world.  It is providential that the feast of the Immaculate Conception and the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe fall in Advent.  It gives us an opportunity to focus on Mary, who has been called the bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament - between expectation and fulfillment.

The feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the most popular Marian feat in Mexico and the Southwestern United States.  Following this feast day, between December 16 and 24, the community celebrates Posadas.  These two celebrations examplify the Hispanic experience of Advent.  Having lived for several years in New Mexico as a teenager, I fell in love with the traditions, the style, and the culture of the southwest.  I enjoy incorporating some of that into our Advent and Christmas preparation and celebration.  There are many ways that you can also.  Pick and choose from the various activties suggested to create your family's celebration. 

Before Juan Diego saw the Virgin Mary he heard celestial music and smelled flowers.  His tilma was later filled with the roses that Our Lady directed him to pick. So music and flowers are central to the celebration of the feast day as are the processions and veneration of the image. If you have a statue or image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the home it should be placed in a location of prominence and decorated with flowers (paper or real) - see craft section below. If you are in need of an image, votive candles, also can be found at Mexican grocers or sometimes in the Mexican food sections of other grocery stores.  An image can also be downloaded for use from this Our Lady of Guadalupe page. Guadalupe retablo and  Guadalupe ornament are available for you to use on an Advent or Christmas tree, or you can make your own - see craft section below.

Music:

Mañanitas are traditional Mexican songs that people sing early in the morning on birthdays and other special days. Often people are awakened with this song on their birthdays.  Traditionally this song is sung to Our Lady of Guadalupe on her feast day either at midnight or the break of dawn to greet her on this day.  You can start the day with a family serenade to Our Lady.

Las Mananitas (click on audio link to listen. Audio player will open in a new window.)

Estas son las mañanitas
que cantaba el Rey David
Hoy por ser día de tu santo
te las cantamos a ti.

Coro:
Despierta, mi bien, despierta,
mira que ya amaneció
ya los pajarillos cantan,
la luna ya se metio.

These are the morning songs
that King David used to sing.
Because today is your birthday
We are singing them to you.

Chorus:
Awaken, my dear, awaken
and see that he day has dawned,
now the little birds are singing,
and the moon has set.

• Our Lady of the Guitar is a collection of Spanish guitar melodies for Our Lady.
• Savae, a unique ancient world music ensemble, has two Guadalupe CDs -  El Milagro de Guadalupe and Guadalupe and Virgen de los Indios.

Books:

• The Lady of Guadalupe is the wonderfully written and illustrated book by Tomie de Paola.  The second week of Advent Unit study by Elizabeth Foss at Real Learning incorporates this book.
• Our Lady of Guadalupe by Fransisco Serrano is a gorgeous pop-up book that brings the story to life in three dimensions.  I hate to suggest this one as I am only finding it used for high prices, but it a treasure.  It is available new for much less in the Spanish edition and since it is the pictures that are most impressive that could be an option.
• Our Lady of Guadalupe in a Box
• For you or for older children A Handbook on Guadalupe  and The Wonder of Guadalupe are thorough resource.

Resources:

• Our Lady of Guadalupe page - stories, explanations, timeline, pictures, prayers
• Mystery in Our Lady's eyes on the above site and The Eyes of Our Lady detail the miraculous reflections in the eyes of the image.  The second link also illustrates the constellation of stars in her cloak and their significance.
• Symbolism of image is available here  and here .
• Woman for Faith & Family - suggestions for the feast day .
• Catholic Culture website - many recommendations including an enthronement and party.

Crafts:

• Our Lady of Guadalupe Marian Grotto Kit from Illuminated Ink
• Juan Diego paper dolls with fold down tilma from Elizabeth's Real Learning blog.
• Making ojo de Dios (God's eye) - a Mexican craft.  If you decide to discuss the significance of the reflections in Mary's eyes, the eye connection would make this a fitting craft as well as a great tree ornament.  Here is another variation from Alice at Cottage Blessings using cotton swabs.
• Paper roses to place before Our Lady's image.
• Papel picado is a traditional decoration of celebrations in Mexico.  It is easily made from tissue paper. Light blue, pink, and white are used for Marian feasts.

• Our Lady of Guadalupe tree ornament - these are two variations of homemade ornaments discussed on 4 Real Learning.

For the one on the left, I used one of the unfinished ceramic/plaster ornaments from the craft shop, painted it blue with white embellishments, then decoupaged a picture (downloaded from the Internet) of Our Lady of Guadalupe onto it.

For the one on the right Jenn, from Family in Feast and Feria, used polymer clay, rolled into ovals, rimmed by rolling the sides of the clay in to make a grotto and baked.  They were then embellished with metallic markers and an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe (from a holy card) was decoupaged in.

Activities:

• Re-enact the drama of Juan Diego and Our Lady with simple props (cloak, paper or silk flowers, image of Our Lady to pin on shirt)
• Get a rose scented air freshener or potpourri/scented oil.  Keep the smell of roses ongoing in the house all day. Of course loads of real roses would serve the same purpose and be a lovely addition to the celebration.
• Many pilgrims to the shrine in Mexico crawl on their knees up the steps.  Everyone could crawl on their knees through the house or up some stairs to see what that would be like.
• Plan for a posada , the nine day (novena) reenactment to start on the 16 (or modify to do just one day)
• Break a pinata, which is a common part of many Mexican celebrations.
• Decorate with poinsettias (the Christmas flower of Mexico) or farilitos (paper bag luminaries).  I see that December 12 is national poinsettia day!
• Learn the Hail Mary in Spanish:
          Ave Maria (Hail Mary)
  Dios te salve, Maria.  Llena eres gracia: El Senor es contigo.
  Bendita tu eres entre todas las mujeres.  Y benito es el fruto de tu vientre: Jesus.
  Santa Maria, Madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros pecadores, ahora y en hora nuestra muerte. Amen.

Paper activity books:

• Mary Fabyan Windeatt's Our Lady of Guadalupe Coloring Book
• Our Lady of Guadalupe Cut & Color
• Fresh Flowers in Winter - The Story of Saint Juan Diego coloring book (which goes with the audio tape below, but can be used alone)
• or download some coloring images - Juan Diego

Video/Audio:

• Fresh Flowers in Winter - The Story of Saint Juan Diego from Catholic World Missions is a great audio story for children.
• Juan Diego - Messenger of Guadalupe  animated story from CCC of America.
• Guadalupe is a new movie which opens Dec. 8 in the United States.  It is playing for a limited time at select theaters in the country and in Mexico.  See link.  It is in Spanish with English subtitles.  Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City has endorsed the movie and said, "It puts the discovery of the numerous unknown aspects of the Holy Mary of Guadalupe within reach of the public."

Food:

Of course no festival, celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, would be complete without some authentic food. Dinner could include traditional foods like enchiladas, tamales, burritos, tacos or pozole. Biscochitos are a standard Christmas season cookie and are served with wine, or hot chocolate for the children. 

Biscochitos (Mexican Christmas Cookies)
1 cup lard or shortening
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp red wine, brandy or sherry (or sub. orange juice)
1 tsp crushed anise seed
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder (optional)
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
1/2 cup sugar mixed w/ 1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350

Beat lard/shortening until light and fluffy.  Mix in the 2/3 cup sugar, then the egg. Beat in 2 Tbsp wine/sherry and anise seed.  Stir in flour (and salt baking powder if using), adding more wine as needed to form a soft dough.  Let stand for 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1/4 inch thick and cut into shapes as desired (fleur-de-lis is common shape).  Dip the top side of each cookie in the cinnamon-sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 10 or until slightly browned.

A fabulous and creative Our Lady of Guadalupe Tea can be  found at Alice's Cottage Blessings.  All the food served is made with the symbolism of the story in mind.  What a fun and educational approach.

Collect

O God of power and mercy.  You blessed the Americas at Tepeyac with the presence of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe.  May her prayers help all men and women to accept each other as brothers and sisters.  Through Your justice present in our hearts, may Your peace reign in the world.  We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your son who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit.  One God for ever and ever.  Amen.