Thought I would share what we actually did on St. Lucy's day verses what was planned... my list is always twice as long as what actually gets accomplished. Today we will be planing our Christmas Wheat as it didn't make it on the to-do list. Yesterday we colored our Jesse Tree Ornament for the 13th Day of Advent from our Jesse Tree Cut and Color. The boys also colored a St. Lucy Coloring page that our close friend drew (it's very beautiful!). In their workboxes they also had Multiplication and Addition File Folder Games with St. Lucy.

Dinner really threw me for a loop as Saint Lucy's Day is more about breakfast than anything. Since the Swed's claim her as one of their Saints and that seems to be where most of the traditions come from I decided we would have a Swedish meal for dinner. Not eating much meat in this house or dairy that made it a little more difficult. We have been using this great recipe for meatless 'ground beef' and so I decided to see if it would hold and form into a Swedish Meatball. It wasn't to bad but being more organized ahead of time would have done wonders. They were a little dry but held well. I topped them with a mushroom gravy and served them as I read that they do in Sweden.... with dilled potatoes and 'lingonberry' sauce (a.k.a. Cranberry Sauce). Since there were no greens I added a garden salad which didn't get eaten because we were all stuffed after the main course.

For dessert (much later after dinner), we had our very mini and short 'procession' with our Santa Lucia bringing us our Lussekatter (Lucia Cat Buns). I subbed the dairy (milk/butter/eggs) and made then vegan and they turned out pretty good. The kids all had great fun and I'm sure it will be a day they remember. We will keep reading our St. Lucia book this week along with a few more St. Lucy themed activities to help them remember the 'why' behind our day.

"We present ourselves before thee, O virgin martyr, beseeching thee to obtain for us that we may recognize in His lowliness that same Jesus whom thou now seest in His glory. Take us under thy powerful patronage. They name signifies light; guide us through the dark night of this life. O fair light of virginity! enlighten us; evil concupiscence has wounded our eyes: pray for us, O thou bright light of virginity! that our blindness be healed, and that rising above created things, we may be able to see that true light, which shineth in darkness, but which darkness cannot comprehend. Pray for us, that our eye may be purified, and may see, in the Child who is to be born at Bethlehem, the new Man, the second Adam, the model on which the life of our regeneration must be formed. Pray too, O holy virgin, for the Church of Rome and for all those which adopt her form of the holy Sacrifice; for they daily pronounce at the altar of God thy sweet name; and the Lamb, who is present, loves to hear it. Heap thy choicest blessings on the fair Isle, which was thy native land, and where grew the palm of thy martyrdom. May thy intercession secure to her inhabitants firmness of faith, purity of morals, and temporal prosperity, and deliver them from the disorders which threaten her with destruction." -Dom Gueranger, Liturgical Year, Advent, St. Lucy December 13th (Impr. 1927)