Posted by Karen Zappavigna Hoogland | 0 Comments
Merry 2nd Day of Christmas
Merry 2nd Day of Christmas! Our family tradition – carried on from my mom – is to not put the tree or decor up until about a week before. No lights are lit until Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day we begin the 12 Days of Christmas. We leave everything up to be enjoyed through Epiphany on January 6th. I often leave our decorations up until the end of January With the darkness of this time of year, I...
Posted by Karen Zappavigna Hoogland | 0 Comments
Merry 1st Day of Christmas!
Merry 1st Day of Christmas! I have enjoyed sharing the meaning of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” for over a dozen years. It is one of my favorite carols and, like my mom, I have observed the 12 days of Christmas for as long as I can remember. I enjoy the tradition! This year we ended up not finishing our decorating until a few days ago. It has been a rough few months as we have the experienced...
Posted by Karen Zappavigna Hoogland | 0 Comments
Epiphany 2024
Epiphany – Sat. Jan. 6, 2024 And suddenly the star they had seen rising went forward and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:9-11 Holy Light of the Manifestations Today, January...
Posted by Karen Zappavigna Hoogland | 0 Comments
Twelve Drummers Drumming
Merry 12th Day of Christmas – Fri. Jan 5, 2024 Today’s meaning for the 12th Day of Christmas reminded me again of my days as a catechist for seventh and eighth graders preparing for the sacrament of Confirmation. On the first day of class, I often did a study of the Apostles’ Creed with the students. Most times, the children did not realize it is basically summary of our Catholic faith in twelve points. Those were some fantastic...
Posted by Karen Zappavigna Hoogland | 0 Comments
Eleven Pipers Piping
Merry 11th Day of Christmas – Thurs. Jan. 4, 2024 My mom and dad, when they chose to have each of my 5 siblings and me baptized as infants, promised to raise us in the Catholic faith. While my parents did not always agree with everything happening in the Church, I know they did their best to live their lives as a good faith example to their children. Of course, they were not perfect. None of us are...