It's so exciting that the month of November begins with a Holy Day! What a great way to start off such an important month. There are so many things that you can do in November that will form rich traditions with your family, steeped in our wonderful Catholic faith. Let's begin the month of ideas with All Saints Day, shall we?
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All Saints Day
First of all, remember that All Saints Day is a holy day of obligation. And what a glorious one it is! There are so many fun things to do on this day.
- It's a big feast day in the church so make sure to celebrate it as such. Go to Mass, have some treats, and even consider having an All Saints Day party. I've outlined what our homeschool group has done in the past here. I especially like the part about souling!
- Plan now to dress up as a Saint. If you need some suggestions, these Saint books by Kimberly Fries are simple yet beautiful. There is Volume 1 and Volume 2 for girl Saints and one book for boy Saints. What I like about them is that the illustrations are gorgeous and give a good idea of what your costume should look like. Remember, the simpler the better in my book. Just get some white, brown or black material and some cardboard and you've got the makings of many Saint costumes.
- Want to add a cute story to your morning time routine for that week? Check out the book "The All Saints Day Party" by Jerry Windley-Daoust. It's such a cute story and will put your kids in the mood to party with the Saints.
All Souls Day and the Holy Souls
The next day is the feast of All Souls. While it is not a holy day, it is an important day to get to Mass, if you can, and pray for the souls of the people who have died.
As Catholics, we know how important it is to pray for the souls in Purgatory. Our prayers and sacrifices are their best hope for shortening their time there. What joy we will have when we get to Heaven and meet up with all the people we prayed for.
To encourage this tradition during the month of November, write down the names of the people you know who have died and pray for them on their day during this month. You can print out a blank calendar and:
- Put the name of one person on each day and fill up the month praying for those 30 people.
- If you have more than 30, put multiple names on each day and pray for those people on their designated day.
- When you have a small list, you can just pray for all of the people every day for 30 days.
No matter how you set it up, it is a great way to get your kids to know the importance of praying for the deceased and to teach them about Purgatory.
It's also a fun way to introduce them to family members that they had never met or don't remember. We love to tell the kids stories about their ancestors and family friends. It makes them feel better, too, to know a little about the people that were important to us.
Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.A.
We round out the month of November with a day of thanks. If you don't normally do it, try to get your family to Mass that day to give thanks to God for all He's done for you this year. Most parishes have their Mass that day a little later (if it's an early one) so that more people can make it.
You have to get up early to get that turkey in so you might as well get out to Mass!
A good way to make Thanksgiving Day last all of November is to make it a month of gratitude. Try to make a point of gathering together every night for a few minutes and encourage everyone to say something they are grateful for.
Fostering a sense of gratitude in our children makes them happier and much more content. Hopefully, then, they'll carry that attitude of gratitude into their adult years.
November will be here before we know it, so take a few moments this week to plan for how you'll live out the liturgical year in your family. What a blessing it is to be able to homeschool and live out our faith at the same time!