📢Calling all Catholic Sprouts Kids! We have your next challenge! Join us for the HOME Advent and Christmas Challenge! Finally! All the Catholic Advent-and-Christmas Traditions in One Place! Ever wondered when you should put up your Christmas tree, how to make lighting the Advent candles more meaningful, what you could do to mark the feast of St. Lucy or St. Nicholas, or how many gifts you should give your children? Me too! I’ve spent years setting up my tree too early, unaware of fun Catholic traditions, and being swept away by the secular celebration of Christmas. No more! Catholic Sprouts Kids: HOME Advent and Christmas Challenge spells out exactly what Catholics do, day-by-day, throughout the Advent and Christmas seasons. Your Guide This Season Good-bye guess work, hello Catholic home! Catholic Sprouts Kids HOME Advent and Christmas Challenge will walk you through the days of Advent and Christmas. Inside, you will find a rich variety of traditions, prayers, crafts, songs, recipes, and customs that can fill this season with Catholic joy. For example, for the first week of Advent, you will find: * Reflection on the virtue of Hope * Instructions for setting up an Advent wreath * History of the Advent wreath * Blessing for the Advent wreath * Link to audio version of The Jesse Tree * Ideas for celebrating the Catholic New Year * Instructions for the Straw for Baby Jesus Home Advent Activity * Instructions for setting up a Nativity scene and hiding the Baby Jesus * Instructions for the St. Andrew Novena and cut-out prayer card * Biography of St. Francis Xavier and an invitation to renew your baptismal promises on his feast day * Biography of St. Nicholas of Myra and the traditional way to mark his feast day in your home. And that’s just in the first week of Advent! HOME Advent and Christmas Challenge covers: * Advent Week 1 * Advent Week 2 * Advent Week 3 * Advent Week 4 * Christmas Eve * The Christmas season * Epiphany Make the Activities More Meaningful Although this might appear to be a long list of activities, all of these activities are pretty simple, and often coincide with an activity you are already doing. The first week of Advent you are likely pulling out your Advent wreath and Nativity scene. You are also buying chocolates for the feast of St. Nicholas. The goal of the Home Advent and Christmas Challenge is to make those activities more meaningful, and more focused on Christ. HOME Advent and Christmas Challenge will help you add prayer to these common at-home Advent activities, and dive deeper into t