Ideas for January Feast Days and Celebrations

Here are some of our favorite traditions for the Month of January. This is by no means an exhaustive list, rather it's my way of creating a resource that I plan to revisit each year for myself! I hope you can find it beneficial as well!

Month of the Holy Name of Jesus

(Feast on January 3rd)

• Make a craft with the name of Jesus: Catholic Icing
• Or this craft with the name of Jesus: Confessions of a Homeschooler
• Or buy these: Oriental Trading Company

(Okay, enough examples, you could do so many things to make a craft with the word Jesus!)

January 1st: Mary, Mother of God

If you didn't chose a patron saint for the liturgical new year, consider picking one for the secular new year!

Other Ideas:

• Use this Marian table blessing at dinner: Catholic Culture
• There are several great food ideas in this Marian Luncheon from Catholic Cuisine
• Read Mary, Mother of Jesus or Mary my Mother
• Make a Mary and baby Jesus craft: DLTK

January 6th (ish): Feast of the Epiphany

I have placed my Epiphany ideas in my Christmas Season post.

January 13th (ish): Baptism of Our Lord

• Make Christ's Diapers, a treat suggested for this day in the book A Continual Feast
• Look at photos from your children's baptism and tell them the story of their special day
• Read Child's Guide to Baptism
• Pray the 1st Luminous Mystery, The Baptism of the Lord
• Baptism coloring page: Sermons 4 Kids
• Read the story of the Baptism online with lego pictures: The Brick Testament. (It's not the Catholic version, but it's fun.)
• Do a craft from this Sunday School lesson: Growing in God's Grace

January 25th: Conversion of St. Paul

Make a St. Paul lunch!

The hotdogs and pretzels swords are for the beheading of St. Paul with a sword. We have these all the time because my kids can dip them in ketchup without a fork or mess. The fruit by the foot scroll is for the many letters in scripture that Paul authored. And the apples and cheese boats are for the many voyages he took, including his famous shipwreck, to spread the gospel.

Other Ideas:

• Read Adventures of Saint Paul (chapter book) or St. Paul the Apostle (picture book) or join Kevin in reading N. T. Wright's Paul and the Faithfulness of God... it's only 1,700 pages
• Make a sword craft
• Play St. Paul charades: Catholic Culture
• Pray the Litany of St. Paul

January 28th: St. Thomas Aquinas

Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas Lunch

Other Ideas:

• Pick out some star shaped food for your meals today! (The start is St. Thomas' symbol because it represents the divine guidance given to him when writing The Summa.)
• Read excerpts of The Summa to your kids during meals today... just kidding... sort of.
• Pray the Litany of St. Thomas Aquinas: Catholic Culture
• Read St. Thomas Aquinas: The Story of the Dumb Ox
• Color this picture of St. Thomas Aquinas: Catholic Playground

Be saints, it's worth it!
Lisa