Holidays ~ Soapsmith's Blog

Soapsmith's Blog

Palm Weaving

Published: 03-04-2013 05:14pm
Posted In: Holidays

Hello friends, The Crown of Thorns Palm WeavingA wonderful tradition passed through the generations is the weaving and braiding of the palm into sacred reminders for the Easter season. The blessed palm branches are bestowed upon us at Passion Sunday Mass. The triumphant entrance into Jerusalem is recalled in solemn procession and heralds the beginning of the ancient rituals of Holy Week of the catholic church that culminate in the glorious celebration of the Our Lord's Resurrection on Easter Sunday.Each Palm Sunday I weave the palm into decorative auras, crosses, roses and crowns for our liturgical celebrations at chur... » Read More

Blessing of the Christmas Crib

Published: 12-25-2012 07:51am
Posted In: Holidays

Hello Friends,Sending wishes to all of my family and friends for at least a moment of solitude and serenity to contemplate the solemn mystery of this great feast - the coming of the Prince of Peace. Blessing of the Christmas Crib Lord, as we place this straw in our manger and await the feast of the Birth of the Holy Child, may we wonder and rejoice in this most ancient celebration. With straw as his blanket, he came to us and in his humanity, experienced the chill of the Bethlehem night, the roughness of the manger straw and the gentle touch of Mary. Lord, look upon this manger scene; may its simplicity and s... » Read More

Gift Wrapping Ideas

Published: 11-25-2012 03:53pm
Posted In: Holidays

Hello friends,Festively wrapped and ready for the celebration with family and friends. Even the smallest token gift deserves a jubilant decoration.Flocked and foils, sterling spiral adornments, sparkling snowflakes...Velvet and Lamme florals to coordinate with elegantly printed papers, opulent cascading curls... Multiple layers of natural burlap, glitter netting, cellophane, tied with hemp cording, wood burned acorn and coordinating gift tags,bundled into a hobo pack enhances my eco friendly gifts...This is a versatile idea for odd shaped gifts. Just cut a bunch of squares of fabric, tissue, cello, bridal netting etc. plop down the g... » Read More

A Traditional Polish Christmas

Published: 12-18-2011 01:20pm
Posted In: Holidays

Soapsmith's Christmas Traditions Wesolych Swiat! Bozego Narodzenia! is the Polish Merry Christmas greeting. Among Polish people, one of the most beloved and beautiful of all traditional Christmas gatherings is Christmas Eve. The Feast of the Evening Star, the Wigilia, is the time honored Christmas Eve Dinner. This solemnly celebrated occasion arouses deep feelings of kinship among friends and family gathered to honor the birth of our Lord. Christmas Eve is my birthday. My family gathers at my home for the festivities. We spend a lot of time preparin... » Read More

Advent Watch and Wait

Published: 12-08-2011 08:59pm
Posted In: Holidays

Hello friends,In this hectic time of holiday preparation, we are called to pause, take in the purple of the Advent season and savor the quiet serenity of this sacred time. We wait, we watch, we are still in this holy season of prayer. A quote from Edward Hays:"Advent, like its cousin Lent, is a season for prayer and reformation of our hearts. Since it comes at winter time, fire is a fitting sign to help us celebrate Advent.If Christ is to come more fully into our lives this Christmas, if God is to become really incarnate for us, then fire will have to be present in our prayer.Our worship and devotion will have to stoke the kind of fire in our so... » Read More

Happy Thanksgiving!

Published: 11-23-2011 06:27am
Posted In: Holidays

Hello friends, As we gather at the richly laden table with cherished family and friends to celebrate the marvelous feast of Thanksgiving, we are grateful for the abundant harvest. The earth has yielded its fruit. God, our God, has blessed us. Ps 67 I wish you and yours a glorious holiday filled with the wondrous joys of spending time with with loved ones, the breaking of bread, the sharing of traditions and a knowing, sincere, prayerful gratitude for our bounteous blessings. May we always be open to the needs of the less fortunate. “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest a... » Read More

Soapsmith's Polish Easter Celebration

Published: 11-09-2011 02:05pm
Posted In: Holidays

Hello Friends, I received such positive feedback from my traditional Polish Christmas blog that I decided to share with you our Polish Easter traditions. Much of our Easter celebration centers on the Holy Week services of the Catholic Church. Beginning with the gloriously triumphant Palm Sunday mass, through the Holy Thursday commemoration of the Last Supper, institution of the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, recalling Christ’s perfect example of humility and service in the washing of the feet, the solemnity of Good Friday with the recollection of Our Lord’s horrific passion and even... » Read More

Happy Easter!

Published: 11-09-2011 02:01pm
Posted In: Holidays

Hello friends, The powerful Easter Vigil celebration begins with our congregation gathered in total darkness. After the blessing of the new fire outside the church, the single Paschal Candle flame is carried into the church. Each congregate lights their baptismal taper from this single flame, dividing it but not dimming the light as it is ever growing in brillance. In the gentle glow of the candlelight, the beautifully sung Exsultet announces the victory of the Light of Christ over the darkness of sin and death. Light of Christ/Exsultet The light of Christ surrounds us, the love of Christ enfolds us, the pow... » Read More

Happy Independence Day!

Published: 11-09-2011 02:01pm
Posted In: Holidays

Hello Friends, Happy Fourth of July to all! I wish all of you a joyous celebration of our freedom. As you gather this weekend, take time to honor those who serve to safeguard our liberty and ideals, they deserve great respect. Once again as tradition warrants, my family and friends will gather at my home to break bread surrounded by my gardens that are in full splendor and glory of the summer. On the menu: Grilled lemon herbed chicken Barbeque baby back ribs Burgers and hot dogs Grilled rosemary fingerling yukon gold potato kabobs Grilled corn on the cob G... » Read More

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