Advent is the Christian period of preparation for Christmas.
Several Catholic feast days fall during Advent: Dec. 6 is St. Nicholas, Dec. 12
is Our Lady of Guadalupe and Dec. 13 is St. Lucia (or Lucy) Day, says School of the
Seasons. Here are free
printable St. Lucia Day activities. Advent is a great
time to learn about Christmas traditions around the world. St. Lucia was from
Sweden. St. Lucia is the patron saint of Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, Finland
and Denmark). So on her feast day, explore Scandinavian Christmas celebrations.
Reenact St. Lucia story. Legend tells of a period of great hunger
and snow storms in Sweden. St. Lucia is said to have brought warm food and
drink to the needy. She appeared dressed in white with a halo of light around
her head. On St. Lucia Day the eldest girl dresses in white, wears a lighted
wreath halo and serves sweet rolls and cocoa to her family and neighbors. You
could reenact the story or bring baked goods, Christmas cookies and holiday
treats to neighbors. Remember especially the elderly, unemployed, lonely or
handicapped. Thrifty Fun shares traditional St. Lucia Day recipes.
Make St. Lucia Day crafts and games. Willow of Wonder has a free printable St. Lucia Day crownand recipes for sweets.
Catholic Mom has Sunday gospel lesson plans for the entire liturgical year. The December page features
printable activities for Advent and feast days that fall during that time.
There are puzzles, games, crafts, wreath activities and more. Making Learning
Fun has free printable St. Lucia crafts, coloring pages, paper
dolls, puppets and 3D stand-up crafts.
Learn about St. Lucia Day. Here is a collection of free printable St. Lucia lesson plans from Bright Hub Education. Here a St. Lucia themed printable lessons from Lesson Planet. There are maps and
activities on Sweden, too. PBSKids has an Arthur episode with activities
featuring George and D.W. celebrating St. Lucia Day.
Celebrate St. Lucia Day as part of Advent. Pro Teacher has created
a printable December Holidays unit. These activities focus
on Advent and Christmas and take you though St. Nicholas Day, St. Lucia Day and
other December activities. There is a free printable Advent calendar, Advent
house and other activities. Loyola Press has a plethora of free Advent resources and printables.
