Our email winner:

Runner-Ups:

Honorable Mentions:

Our Instagram winner:

Runner Ups:

Honorable Mentions:

Our Facebook winner:

Runner-Ups:

Congratulations to all our winners and runner-ups!

And now, for a compilation of some of the other very creative costumes:

Thank you to all who entered!

And don’t forget, we have our in-person Advent Market this November 12th, 2022 in Marshall, VA! RSVP HERE and get a special Advent gift!

Some of our favorite products right now:

The post The 2022 Costume Contest: Winners & Honorable Mentions appeared first on Catholic All Year.

Here’s how it works . . .

If your kids are dressing up in a Catholic costume for Halloween or All Saints Day share a photo on Instagram and Facebook using #catholiccostume tag @catholicallyear and @kendra_tierney. (If you have a private account, you’ll need to set it to public for the day so I can see your tag.) If you are not a social media type, you can email your photo to me at helpdesk@catholicallyear.com.

We’ll do a round-up post following the close of the contest, which is November 1, 2022 at 11:59PM. Three winners will be selected & announced on November 2!

And now, for the PRIZES:

1. Requiscant In Pace Banner:
   Requiscant In Pace is Latin for “May They Rest In Peace.” Decorate for Hallowtide and the Month of the Holy Souls (November) with this beautiful and meaningful banner. Twenty-one 2.5 x 3.5 inch cards, professionally printed on 110 lb smooth white cardstock, featuring vintage line art illustrations of the Holy Souls and stamped gold foil details. Includes three yards of black waxed cotton string for hanging. 

2. Eternal Rest Candle
Use this candle during the month of November or any time, to remember to pray for the souls of beloved friends and family members who have passed away, and for all the holy souls in purgatory, especially those who have no one else to pray for them. Burn it daily during prayer time or dinner. Following the instructions for use below, the candle will burn for about 40 hours. 

Catholic All Year Handmade Candles are 100% beeswax + essential oils + natural resin incense. 9 ounce amber glass jar, wooden wick, black metal screw-on lid.

3. Memento Mori Hat
You will be the first to get one of our brand new Memento Mori embroidered hats! This is a special edition Catholic All Year item.

4. $100 CAY Gift Card
Treat yourself (or a friend) with a $100 CAY gift card! Grab that subscription box or a membership that you’ve had your eye on for sometime.

5. Eternal Rest Wooden Sign

This Eternal Rest sign was handmade in our VA warehouse. “Eternal Rest, grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.”

Don’t want to wait to see if you win to grab some Hallowtide items for yourself? We are also happy to refund the winners for a previous purchase.

The post The Catholic All Year Costume Contest is BACK! appeared first on Catholic All Year.

For many years, creating awesome costumes with my kids for our annual All Saints’ Day Pageant has been a whole family affair. We’ve had a homemade suit of armor for St. Joan of Arc, and arrows for St. Sebastian. We’ve had nuns, and princesses, and peasants, and viking kings. My all time favorites have been two takes on headless saints: Saint John the Baptist’s head on a platter, and St. Denis, carrying his own head.

I love coming up with costumes that can do double duty for Halloween and All Saints’ Day, sometimes as the saint, sometimes with a few tweaks to become something different. Check out the MANY saint costume posts on the blog for more ideas . . .

Over 150 All-Saints Day Costumes for Kids

Over 150 MORE All Saints Day Costumes for Kids

Last Minute Twofer Costumes for Halloween AND All Saints Day

More Twofer Costumes for Halloween and All Saints

I love making complicated All Saints’ Day costumes. I always like say that my motto is: Anything worth doing is worth overdoing. But I also like to say that you don’t have to overdo things to bring the Catholic faith into your home and family life. So today I’d like to show you how to create simple, fun, recognizable saint costumes for little kids out of t-shirts. All you have to do is find a familiar image of the saint from art or a photograph or a holy card. Keep in mind that saints, just like all of us, had varied lives. Feel free to represent your saint from whichever era of his life will be easiest. And don’t forget props! Saints have traditional attributes that are usually found in representations of them. Having a prop can really make the costume. So, look at your image, grab a few t-shirts in the right colors, make a few snips with scissors where necessary, use safety pins and rubber bands if needed, add a prop or two to represent the saints’ attributes, and you’re done! 

The shirts I used are mostly adult extra large t-shirt from a craft store, and that’s also where most of the props came from. You can also use shirts from the thrift store or old shirts from around the house. Just turn anything with graphics inside out. The costumes you’ll see here, buying new t-shirts and some props, and using some things we had around the house, cost an average of fifteen dollars each.

Let’s get to it! Here’s the video version:

And here are the details:

1. Saint Elizabeth of Hungary

• White t-shirt tunic
• White t-shirt veil
• Red t-shirt over-dress
• Metallic gold (or regular) duct tape circlet and belt
• Optional accessories/attributes: bread, roses

Cuts & taping: on the red shirt, cut the sleeves off with a scalloped edge to make the over-dress. Tear a 2 foot piece of duct tape. Fold it in half lengthwise to create a thin doubled 2 foot piece for the circlet.

Assembly: put on white tunic, put on red over-dress, use a long strip of tape to belt the over-dress above the waist. Add veil. Wrap the doubled tape around the forehead and secure with a piece of tape in the back. Add accessories.

2. Saint Patrick

• White t-shirt tunic
• Green t-shirt cape
• Optional accessories/attributes: green pipe cleaner shamrock, staff, toy snakes, green bishop’s mitre (can be made from cardstock, a craft foam sheet, or poster board)

Cuts: on the green shirt, make a trapezoid-shaped cut from the front (leaving the collar band intact) to make his cape

Assembly: put on white tunic, add green cape. Add accessories.

3. Saint Brigid

• Green t-shirt tunic
• White t-shirt toque (head covering)
• Black t-shirt veil
• Optional accessories/attributes: green pipe cleaner reed cross, staff

Assembly: put on green tunic, add white toque. The face should look out the head hole. Fold up the bottom of the white and gather most of it to the back, add the black veil on top. Fold the pipe cleaners into a St. Brigid Cross. Add accessories.

4. St. John the Baptist

• Brown t-shirt tunic
• Green t-shirt wrap
• Optional accessories/attributes: head on a platter, honey, crickets, shell

Cuts: On the brown shirt, make jagged cuts on the bottom & sleeve edges. On the green shirt, cut 1 foot off of the bottom (shorter than the brown shirt.) Cut off left sleeve with a straight cut about 2 feet long. Cut off right sleeve and collar with a diagonal cut.

Assembly: put on brown tunic, add green wrap, add accessories

5. Saint Mary Magdalene

• Off-white t-shirt tunic
• Red t-shirt cape
• Burgundy t-shirt veil
• Optional accessories/attributes: jar, egg

Cuts: on the red shirt, make a trapezoid-shaped cut from the front (leaving the collar band intact) to make her cape

Assembly: put on off-white shirt, add red cape, add burgundy veil. Add accessories.

6. Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta

• 3 white t-shirts (tunic, wrap, & veil)
• 1” wide blue painter’s tape 
• Optional attributes/accessories: Rosary, crucifix, safety pins

CUTS & TAPING: On shirt 1 (tunic) add tape all around the bottom edge. On shirt 2 (wrap), cut off left sleeve with a straight cut about 2 feet long. Cut off right sleeve and collar with a diagonal cut. Cut about 1 foot off of the bottom. Add a stripe of tape to the newly cut edges. Shirt 3 is the veil. (Add tape to that one later.)

Note: cut lengths of tape into 4 very thin strips lengthwise and add two thin stripes with each thick stripe for a more realistic look, but a more challenging project.

Assembly: put on white tunic, add veil, add wrap, pinning if necessary to keep it on the shoulder. Add a stripe of tape to the veil around the forehead. Add accessories.

7. Saint Pope John Paul II

• White t-shirt tunic
• White t-shirt pellegrina, fascia, and zucchetto
• Red t-shirt cape
• Optional accessories/attributes: crucifix, rosary, red shoes

Cuts: On 1 white shirt, make a rounded cut, shortening it to about 1 foot long from the collar and cutting off the sleeves. Make a trapezoid-shaped cut from the front (leaving collar band intact) to make the small cape. Cut a 3 inch band from the bottom of the shirt and cut one edge to make a long strip for the fascia (sash belt). Not pictured in the video: Cut off one sleeve. Turn it inside out and gather the cut edge, use a small rubber band to secure it. Turn it right side out. This is your zucchetto (skullcap).

Assembly: put on white tunic, add fascia, wrapping it around the upper waist, feeding one long end through the waist loop and laying it down flat. Add pellegrina, add zucchetto, add red cape. Add accessories.

8. Saint Joan of Arc

• Gray long sleeve t-shirt tunic
• White t-shirt overlay
• Red tape cross
• Silver duct tape helmet, cuffs, and belt
• Optional accessories/attributes: sword & shield

Cuts & taping: Cut straight down each side of the white t-shirt, cutting off the sleeve and going to the bottom. Leave the collar intact. Cut a scalloped edge across the bottom. Add a red tape cross or fleur di lis to the front and back center. Tear off a 2 foot piece of duct tape, fold it in half to create a 1 foot doubled piece.  

Assembly: put on gray shirt tunic, leaving it over the head as a covering. The face should look out the head hole. Place a piece of duct tape around the head on top of the shirt to keep it up. Use tape to secure the doubled piece of tape across the forehead as a visor. Use duct tape to make wrist guards (and keep the sleeves up). Gather the shirt at each side of the neck and secure with a 3 inch piece of tape on each side. Place the overlay over the tunic. Add tape belt, add accessories.

9. Saint George

• Gray long sleeve t-shirt tunic
• White t-shirt overshirt
• Red tape
• Silver tape
• Optional accessories/attributes: sword & shield, dragon 

Cuts & taping: Cut straight down each side of the white t-shirt, cutting off sleeve and opening the sides to waist-length. Leave the bottom sides intact. Add a red tape cross to the front and back center. Tear off a 2 foot piece of duct tape, fold it in half to create a 1 foot doubled piece. This will be the visor of his armor.

Assembly: put on gray shirt tunic, leaving it over the head as a covering. The face should look out the head hole. Place a piece of duct tape around the head on top of the shirt to keep it up. Use tape to secure the doubled piece of tape across the forehead as a visor. Use tape to make wrist guards (and keep the sleeves up). Gather the shirt at each side of the neck and secure with a 3 inch piece of tape on each side. Place the overlay over the tunic. Add accessories.

10. Saint Joseph

• Brown t-shirt tunic
• Green t-shirt cape
• White t-shirt head covering
• Optional accessories/attributes: lilies (usually white), staff, hammer, carpenter’s square, dragon

Cuts & taping: On the green shirt, make a trapezoid-shaped cut from the front (leaving the collar band intact) to make his cape. Tape lilies to the end of the staff.

Assembly: put on brown tunic, add green cape, add white head covering, tie the sleeves in the back. Add accessories.

11. Mary (Our Lady of Grace)

• White t-shirt tunic
• Blue t-shirt cape & belt
• White t-shirt veil

Cuts: On the blue shirt, cut a 2 inch strip from the bottom and cut one edge to create a belt. Make a trapezoid-shaped cut from the front (leaving the collar band intact) to make her cape.

Assembly: put on white shirt, add blue belt, add blue cape, add white veil

12. Saint Nicholas

• Red t-shirt tunic
• Off-white t-shirt pallium 
• Black tape

Optional accessories: beard, fancy book, money bag, three gold balls, three little boys in a barrel (if you happen to have little triplets about . . . Rebecca Gorzynska).

CUTS: On off-white shirt, cut a thick curved capital Y shape pallium, keeping the top of the Y connected at the shoulders. Add black tape crosses to the pallium.

Assembly: put on white tunic, add pallium. Add accessories. 

13. Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini

• 3 black t-shirts (capelet & bow, veil, tunic)
• Optional accessories/attributes: cross, pocketwatch

CUTS: 

On shirt 1, cut the capelet by making a rounded cut 1 foot away from the collar and cutting off the sleeves. On the same shirt, cut a 3 inch band from the bottom and cut one edge to make a long strip. (Or use wide black ribbon for this.)

Assembly: put on black tunic, add black capelet, tie a large bow with the shirt-strip around the neck, add black veil. Add accessories.

14. Saint John Vianney

• Black t-shirt tunic and collar
• White t-shirt cassock
• Green t-shirt stole 
• Accessories: crucifix, rosary

Cuts: On the black shirt, under the collar band, cut two rectangular flaps about 4” long On the green shirt, make a continuous cut from the bottom edge of the left front (lined up with the left side of the collar), over the left shoulder, across the back yoke just at the edge of the collar, and down the right side. Make a second cut 3-4 inches away from the first to create a 3-4 inch wide stole.

Assembly: put on black tunic, put white shirt over, pull the two rectangular collar pieces out and lay them on top of the white cassock. Place stole over shoulders. Add accessories.

15. Saint Bernadette

• Burgundy t-shirt tunic
• Blue t-shirt apron
• Yellow t-shirt wrap
• Off white t-shirt veil
• Optional attributes/accessories: Rosary, safety pins

Cuts: On the yellow shirt, cut off the sleeves & straight down each side to the bottom. Make a straight cut from top to bottom. 

Assembly: put on burgundy shirt, layer the wrap on top of the tunic crossing the ends in front. Put the apron over and tie or pin it in the back. Add veil, add accessories.

16. Saint Benedict

• Black t-shirt tunic
• Black t-shirt hooded cape
• White t-shirt beard
• Optional accessories: staff, fancy book, crow, safety pins if needed

Cuts: On 1 black shirt, cut down the center front for the hooded cape(not pictured). On white shirt, leaving neck band intact cut a long wavy beard. 

Assembly: put on black shirt, placing neck band over the top of the head as a strap, put on t-shirt beard, drape hooded cape on top of head and over shoulders. Secure cape to tunic at shoulders with safety pins if needed. Add accessories.

17. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

• Brown t-shirt tunic
• White t-shirt toque (head covering)
• Off-white t-shirt cape
• Black veil
• Optional accessories/attributes: roses, crucifix

Cuts: On the cream shirt, make a trapezoid-shaped cut from the front (leaving the collar band intact) to make her cape

Assembly: put on brown tunic, add white toque. The face should look out the head hole. Fold up the bottom of the white and gather most of it to the back, add the black veil on top. Add accessories.

18. Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

• Brown t-shirt tunic
• Brown t-shirt cowl
• Rope belt
• Optional accessories/attributes: 4 bandaids, one for each side of his hands, or black fingerless gloves, a twin (for bilocating Padre Pio)

Cuts: On 1 brown shirt, make a rounded cut, shortening it to 1 foot long from the collar and cutting off the sleeves to make his cowl. Cut a 6-8 foot length of rope. Tie three large knots 6 inches apart on one end.

Assembly: put on brown tunic, add cowl. Leaving the knotted end long, wrap the rope twice around the waist and tie. Add accessories.

19. Saint Francis of Assisi

• Brown t-shirt tunic
• Brown t-shirt cowl
• Rope belt
• Optional accessories/attributes: bird, tonsure

Cut: on 1 brown shirt, make a rounded cut, shortening it to about 1 foot long from the collar and cutting off the sleeves to make his cowl. Cut a 6-8 foot length of rope. Tie three large knots 6 inches apart on one end.

Assembly: put on brown tunic, add cowl. Leaving the knotted end long, wrap the rope twice around the waist and tie. Add accessories and, for maximum commitment . . . a haircut.

20. Saint Lucy

• White t-shirt tunic
• Red t-shirt cape & belt
• Optional attributes/accessories: dish of eyes (table tennis balls + paint pens), palm (leftover from Palm Sunday), wreath of branches + candles

Cuts: On red shirt, cut 2 inch strip from the bottom & cut one edge to create a belt. Make a trapezoid-shaped cut from the front (leaving collar band intact) to make her cape

Assembly: put on white shirt, add red belt, add red cape, add accessories

That’s it!

I hope you’re inspired to try one of these costumes or come up with one of your own.

Stay tuned to the end of the YouTube video for this month’s 25% off book recommendations!

How Saints Die: 100 Stories of Hope

Saints: Becoming an Image of Christ Every Day of the Year

Catholic Saints for Children

Get 25% off these three books at Ignatius.com through November 2021 with the code CAY1121

by @Ignatius_Press

by Elizabeth Mirzaei

CAY products featured in the video:

RIP Banner

Eternal Rest Candle

2022 Thirteen-Month Liturgical Year Wall Calendar

2022 DIY Patron Saints Poster

You can find out more about liturgical living in the home and throwing an All Saint’s Day pageant in the Catholic All Year Compendium

And find prayers and scripture readings for All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls Day in the Catholic All Year Prayer Companion

Get printable liturgical living resources for November with a Catholic All Year Membership

Get the Catholic All November prayer booklets here

Now Available! Limited Edition Advent Resources

The post 20 Easy Saint Costumes Made of T-Shirts! appeared first on Catholic All Year.

Also, I’m not going to do the big All Saints’ Day costume contest this year <ducks under desk> but Hallowtide has always been a big part of this blog, so I can’t let the whole thing go by without a single post!

The Question:

Hi Kendra,

Hoping you can give me a little guidance as I don’t have as much experience with this as you do.

We are attending an All Saints party with our kids this year. I’m planning on dressing my younger son as Saint Maximilian
Kolbe. I’ve got a little striped pajama, little glasses, the red P,
etc… I was super excited about this costume but then I started
mentioning it to others and got a lot of backlash and it’s making me
doubt my decision.

People have said its insensitive, inappropriate, in poor taste and makes light of the victims of the Holocaust.

I’m really torn right now because while I don’t want to offend others, I
really love this saint and I see dressing my son up in his honour as a
positive thing.

I saw that your son was dressed as Saint Maximilian Kolbe one year and
I’m wondering if you got any criticism and if so how you responded? I’m
new at this whole All Saints celebration so I’m just wondering where I
need to draw the line between political correctness and dressing my son
as an awesome saint.

I look forward to hearing your take on this!

Justine

My Answer:

Hey Justine,

Wow, I’m so sorry, and I have to say, really surprised. I expect that some people aren’t going to “get” our cephalophore St. Denis or body-less St. John the Baptist costumes, or our skinned St. Bartholomew, or our bullet-riddled Bl. Miguel Pro. They are, admittedly, pretty intense.

We don’t intend to be irreverent or insensitive, we just intend to be truthful. ESPECIALLY since these things are still happening in the world. Christians are still being martyred! All the more reason that my kids should know about these great saints. It seems ridiculous to me to limit the saints that my kids can dress up as, and learn about, and admire, to only saints who died a nice, tidy, non-shocking death. That’s just not the truth of the martyrs.

It’s my understanding that many Catholic schools and homeschool groups specifically ban any bloody depictions of martyrs. Thank the Good Lord ours’ does not, because that would disallow at least a quarter of our kids’ All Saints’ Day costumes over the years. I’m sure all those folks mean well, but we don’t choose to shield even our young children from learning the stories of the martyrs or seeing depictions of their martyrdoms. In our travels, doing that would have meant we’d have had to skip just about every single church in Europe.

Look at the statue of St. John the Baptist on the outside of Chartres Cathedral, or the statue of St. Bartholomew holding his skin inside St. Peter’s, or The Crucifixion of Saint Peter by
Caravaggio, painted for the Cerasi Chapel of Santa Maria del Popolo in
Rome. Are they shocking? Yes. Also beautiful and memorable. Generations of kids have seen them. My kids have seen those statues and that painting in person, and they made an impression. My sons have dressed up as each of those martyrs for All Saints Day. It hasn’t made them cavalier about martyrdom, quite the opposite. It has made them aware of martyrdom and respectful of it. Play is one way kids learn.

I do understand how those particular statues, paintings, and our
costumes depicting those martyrs would surprise some parents. But I think it’s a mistake, and perhaps a result of the fact that mostly moms are in charge of events like this, to purposefully remove stuff that boys think is cool from our celebration of/study of the saints, just because it isn’t what speaks to us or our daughters. My girls like Disney princess movies. Great news! There are princess saints. My boys like war movies and superhero movies and cowboys and Indians movies. Pretty much every one of those movies is going to have a bloody death or ten. There are plenty of saints that would fit right in there too. And if we let our boys get to know them, the saints can become an inspiration to them.

St. Issac Jogues (one of my boys’ choice of saint for this year) is a martyr, himself moved by the martyrs that came before him:

Jogues was inspired by the missionaries that had returned to France in
1636: Father Brebeuf, Father Charles Lalement and Father Masse to
venture to New France.
These missionaries told Jogues of their hardships, treacheries and
tortures which ordinarily awaited them by the native population, as
missionaries in New France. Their accounts however, increased Jogues’
desire to “devote himself to labor there for the conversion and welfare
of the natives”. (wikipedia)

But in your case you’re not even talking about a bloody costume. I just can’t wrap my head around anyone in a Catholic organization who would throw an All Saints’ Day costume party, then believe that to dress up as a saint who was killed in the holocaust, when he offered to take the place of another man, so that man might return to his family . . . is somehow insensitive to holocaust victims. That’s bonkers. It only honors holocaust victims when we teach our children about St. Maximilian Kolbe.

Maybe the confusion comes because some people’s take on Halloween is to dress up as a celebrity you don’t like to ridicule that person. All Saints Day costumes are the EXACT OPPOSITE of that. I would urge you to use this as a teachable moment. Stay strong, stay Catholic, stay awesome!

Cheers,
Kendra

P.S.
Just in case you’re wondering what the Tierneys are planning for this year, here’s a sneak peek at our plans for Twofer Halloween/All Saints’ Day costumes . . .

Betty:

Lulu:

Anita: 

The boys:

I think Mary Jane will be a little St. Kateri Tekakwitha sidekick to the brothers. And, fair warning if you know me in real life, the North American Martyrs costumes are probably going to involve some of these:

(But most likely this homemade version.) Because that’s how it went down:

We just really can’t help ourselves.

More costume inspiration can be found in the following posts:

Over 150 All-Saints Day Costumes for Kids

Over 150 MORE All Saints Day Costumes for Kids

Costumes for All Saints Day AND Halloween: One Part Catholic, Two Parts Awesome

Last Minute Twofer Costumes for Halloween AND All Saints Day

Hallowtide . . . It’s How We Roll: All Saints Day Costumes for Awesome Kids Only

And here’s some other stuff:

Halloween Movies to Spook the Whole Family

Spooky Stories for the Whole Family (and how to get them for free)

Scary Stories: Empowering Kids Since 1812

Praying for the Dead With Children

Disclaimer: I am not a theologian, nor am I an official spokesperson for the Catholic Church. (You’re thinking of this guy.)
If you read anything on this blog that is contrary to Church teaching,
please consider it my error (and let me know!). I’m not a doctor or an
expert on anything in particular. I’m just one person with a lot of
experience parenting little kids and a desire to share my joy in
marriage, mothering, and my faith.

If you’ve got a question,
please send it along to catholicallyear @ gmail . com . Please let me
know if you prefer that I change your name if I use your question on the
blog.

The post All Saints' Day Costume Backlash: only neat and tidy saints need apply? appeared first on Catholic All Year.

Another excellent year of Catholic Costumes y’all. I just love the variety.

Here’s a look at how the Tierney kids’ costumes turned out this year . . . 

I had all but given up on a costume for Mary Jane and I. Then, the
morning of our homeschool group All Saints Pageant, I woke up knowing
exactly what we could be. I printed out some paper stars and a moon and
angel on yellow card stock, grabbed some blue fabric out of my stash,
put Mary Jane in a pink dress with a black sash, grabbed my baby carrier
and the southwestern-style poncho that is mandatory-wearing this fall and . . .
boom. The perfect Catholic babywearing costume. It would have been even
better if I had an outward-facing carrier.

And now for YOU GUYS!

Some of these costumes are clearly crafted with love and great skill by very talented moms. But some of the most fun costumes don’t require much beyond rooting around in your own closet or dress up box!

There are a ton of winners this year! Congratulations and prizes go out to each of these costumes . . . 

Scroll all the way down to the bottom to see the prize choices, details below.

First place:

Second place:

Third place:

Honorable mentions (these all also win prizes!):

 

Looking at the prize list at the bottom of this post, I realized that some of them are pretty, well, specific. So, let’s try this. If you won a prize, email me at helpdesk@catholicallyear.com ASAP. In your email, tell me which saint(s) were yours and rank the prizes in order of your preference 1-11 (you can just put the number of the prize, like: 2, 6, 9, 8, 5, 1, 4, 11, 3, 10, 7) and I will assign you the prize highest on your list, in order of when I receive your email. Preference goes to the top three. If a prize wouldn’t be useful to you at all, just leave its number off of your list. I have multiples of some of the prizes. Be sure to include your mailing address. (Some of the prizes are available for US or North American residents only. Please email within 1 week, or prizes are forfeit. But you still get the glory.)

Thanks to everyone who participated!

If you didn’t win a prize, please don’t be offended. Some of the costumes below are really, really good and took a lot of skill and effort to put together . . . more skill and effort than some of the costumes that won prizes. But I wanted the prize winners to reflect the fact that not everyone has the ability or the inclination to create really complicated costumes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still come up with a great costume and participate in this fun Catholic tradition.

So, also honorably mentioned, but no prizes, here are the rest of the GREAT costumes this year . . .

If you tagged/emailed/posted your photo but don’t see it here, it’s my mistake. Please feel free to email me the photo again and I’ll add it.

 

The Prizes

1. From TAN Homeschool, a complete Dramatized Audio Bible . . .

I’ve been really impressed with these CDs from TAN Homeschool. They are my favorite part of a whole The Story of the Bible
curriculum that includes a text book, teacher guide, student workbook,
and even a lecture DVD series. The Dramatized Audio Book CD sets are
filled with voices, music, and sound effects, and total 7.5 hours per
volume. That’s going to get you through a LOT of driving or afternoon
quiet time.  

For more on The Story of the Bible, see this post:

How to Raise Good Little Catholics

2. From Saint Mail, a three month subscription to Saint Mail.

I subscribed to Saint Mail
for my own kids with my own money, and it has been worth every penny.
Each month we receive a package in the mail all about one saint whose
feast is that month. There’s a letter from the saint with tons of great
information, plus crafts, trinkets, and little collectibles that my kids
L-O-V-E love.

My kids are learning about the saints (AND are quietly occupied for many
many minutes) each month without me having to do ANY of the prep work.
Molly from Saint Mail is a Catholic mom who is doing the prep work for
you, only way cuter than you’d do it. Tiny San Damiano cross for St.
Clare! Awesome leather bracelet with St. Benedict cross medallion for
St. Benedict that Bobby has been wearing for nearly two years straight! I cannot recommend Saint Mail enough.

For more on Saint Mail, see this post:

IF YOU’VE ALREADY TAUGHT YOUR KIDS EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THEIR FAITH, YOU DON’T NEED THIS

3. From Catholic Word, The Encyclopedia of Peg Saints, a cute little guide to creating your own little saint dolls . . .

I think this book will be what finally pushes us onto the Peg Saint
Exchange bandwagon. Betty is really excited to do one with our Little
Flowers group.

4. From Peanut Butter & Grace, Sense of the Sacred: a Coloring Book for Young Illuminators, a beautiful coloring book of sacred images . . .

I love these coloring pages to have on hand for a feast day activity, or
something to do while we listen to an audio book. There’s a companion Illuminated Book of Catholic Prayers that pairs colored versions of the illustrations with traditional Catholic prayers.

5. From Arma Dei: Equipping Catholic Families, a printable 54 Card Deck of Super Saints . . . 

This kit comes with templates for all 54 Cards
along with the official Super Saints back cover template. along with
printing instructions and instructions on various games to play. There’s
a pokemon-type game for older kids, or you can print out two sets to
play simple matching games with little kids.

6. Updated! Now also available as a physical deck of cards!

7. From Do Small Things With Love, Sixty-One Cross Stitch Saint Patterns . . . 

Betty (11) and I have been working on these lovelies and they COULD NOT
BE CUTER. Seriously. I dare you to look at the little cross stitch
buttons on St. Louis Martin’s blue topcoat and not just swoon. They are
adorable. And really doable for even not-super-crafty-types. It’s
excellent starter needlework if you’ve never done embroidery before, and
easy enough for big kids to do all on their own. Anita (6) has been
able to do some stitching with a lot of supervision, because it’s easy
for the counting to get away from you.

The original set of forty saints can be found here, for only $3, and the 21 all new saints are here for just $2! The winner will get both sets for free.

8. From Printable Prayers (which is me), your choice of FOUR downloads from the shop . . . 

Could be the Guardian Angel Prayer, could be the Sts. Louis and Zelie
Martin holy cards, could be the Litany of Humility, could be a JPII
quote. The possibilities are endless. No, not endless. There are
forty-three  possibilities.

9. From Interior Castle Goods, your choice of little priestly vestments for boys . . .

Available in colors suitable for all of the liturgical seasons. Collect them all? Frankie has this gold one. It’s pretty awesome.

10. From Organic Mama’s Shop, your choice of Classic Donut Nursing Necklace . . .

The perfect thing to keep little grabby hands occupied while nursing. I’ve got one in pink (but I also love this orange one) and Mary Jane is just getting old enough to need it.

11. A box full of unused Catholic books and a DVD, mostly for kids, that have been sitting around my house looking for a good home, including my A Little Book About Confession for Kids!

See you next year everybody!

The post Over 150 MORE All Saints Day Costumes for Kids: and all the winners of Catholic Costume 2015 appeared first on Catholic All Year.

Last year’s costume contest was really cool. I loved seeing all the great Catholic costumes you good folks and your kids can up with. So . . . even though I’m not sure the world needs any more of my All Saints Day costume posts, I decided to do it again. And, as it turns out, I’ve got quite a backlog of theme appropriate items to give away, so the prizes this year are really good!

Here’s how it works . . .

If your kids are dressing up in a Catholic costume for Halloween or All Saints Day share a photo on the Catholic All Year Facebook Page or use the hashtag #catholiccostume (singular) and tag me on Instagram. (If you have a private account, you’ll need to set it to public for the day so I can see your tag.) If you are not a social media type, you can email your photo to me at helpdesk@catholicallyear.com.

Let me know if you prefer that I not use your photos on the blog.

The Prizes

1. From TAN Homeschool, a complete Dramatized Audio Bible . . .

I’ve been really impressed with these CDs from TAN Homeschool. They are my favorite part of a whole The Story of the Bible curriculum that includes a text book, teacher guide, student workbook, and even a lecture DVD series. The Dramatized Audio Book CD sets are filled with voices, music, and sound effects, and total 7.5 hours per volume. That’s going to get you through a LOT of driving or afternoon quiet time.  

For more on The Story of the Bible, see this post:

How to Raise Good Little Catholics

2. From Saint Mail, a three month subscription to Saint Mail.

I subscribed to Saint Mail
for my own kids with my own money, and it has been worth every penny.
Each month we receive a package in the mail all about one saint whose
feast is that month. There’s a letter from the saint with tons of great
information, plus crafts, trinkets, and little collectibles that my kids
L-O-V-E love.

My kids are learning about the saints (AND are quietly occupied for many
many minutes) each month without me having to do ANY of the prep work.
Molly from Saint Mail is a Catholic mom who is doing the prep work for
you, only way cuter than you’d do it. Tiny San Damiano cross for St.
Clare! Awesome leather bracelet with St. Benedict cross medallion for
St. Benedict that Bobby has been wearing for nearly two years straight! I cannot recommend Saint Mail enough.

For more on Saint Mail, see this post:

IF YOU’VE ALREADY TAUGHT YOUR KIDS EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THEIR FAITH, YOU DON’T NEED THIS

3. From Catholic Word, The Encyclopedia of Peg Saints, a cute little guide to creating your own little saint dolls . . .

I think this book will be what finally pushes us onto the Peg Saint Exchange bandwagon. Betty is really excited to do one with our Little Flowers group.

4. From Peanut Butter & Grace, Sense of the Sacred: a Coloring Book for Young Illuminators, a beautiful coloring book of sacred images . . .

I love these coloring pages to have on hand for a feast day activity, or something to do while we listen to an audio book. There’s a companion Illuminated Book of Catholic Prayers that pairs colored versions of the illustrations with traditional Catholic prayers.

5. From Arma Dei: Equipping Catholic Families, a printable 54 Card Deck of Super Saints . . . 

This kit comes with templates for all 54 Cards along with the official Super Saints back cover template. along with printing instructions and instructions on various games to play. There’s a pokemon-type game for older kids, or you can print out two sets to play simple matching games with little kids.

6. From Do Small Things With Love, Sixty-One Cross Stitch Saint Patterns . . . 

Betty (11) and I have been working on these lovelies and they COULD NOT BE CUTER. Seriously. I dare you to look at the little cross stitch buttons on St. Louis Martin’s blue topcoat and not just swoon. They are adorable. And really doable for even not-super-crafty-types. It’s excellent starter needlework if you’ve never done embroidery before, and easy enough for big kids to do all on their own. Anita (6) has been able to do some stitching with a lot of supervision, because it’s easy for the counting to get away from you.

The original set of forty saints can be found here, for only $3, and the 21 all new saints are here for just $2! The winner will get both sets for free.

7. From Printable Prayers (which is me), your choice of FOUR downloads from the shop . . . 

Could be the Guardian Angel Prayer, could be the Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin holy cards, could be the Litany of Humility, could be a JPII quote. The possibilities are endless. No, not endless. There are forty-three  possibilities.

I hope this gives you a little boost of inspiration to get out there for All Saints Day and saint it up. I can’t wait to see what you’ve got! In case you’re still costume planning, here are a few posts you might like to check out . . .

COSTUMES FOR ALL SAINTS DAY AND HALLOWEEN: ONE PART CATHOLIC, TWO PARTS AWESOME

HALLOWTIDE . . . IT’S HOW WE ROLL: ALL SAINTS DAY COSTUMES FOR AWESOME KIDS ONLY

AWESOME ALL SAINTS DAY COSTUMES IN EXPERT, STORE-BOUGHT, AND, WHAT? IS IT OCTOBER?

Over 150 All-Saints Day Costumes for Kids

Last Minute Twofer Costumes for Halloween AND All Saints Day

Twofer Costumes for Halloween and All Saints 2015 Edition

 

The post The Second Annual Catholic All Year Catholic Costume Contest {now with even MORE prizes} appeared first on Catholic All Year.

Enter the TWOFER costume. One costume that works for both Halloween and All Saints Day, with just a few tweaks.

The kids have decided on what they want to be for this year, so we are hard at work on the following costumes. I’ll put the Amazon link under the photos, in case you’re playing along at home . . .

Egyptian Princess Costume

Bobby’s middle name is Benedict, after Pope Benedict XVIII, and St. Benedict of Norcia, who founded twelve communities for monks. His Rule became one of the most
influential religious rules in Western Christendom. For this reason, Benedict is often called the founder of western monasticism.

Death Eater Costume

Beard (for St. Benedict, and we’ll also need a staff, and maybe a book of rules)

St. Lucy was born of rich and noble parents about the year 283. Her
father was of Roman origin, but died when she was five years old. Like many of the early martyrs, Lucy had consecrated her virginity to
God, and she hoped to distribute her dowry to the poor. Lucy was denounced as a Christian, and depending on which version of the story you hear, either had her eyes gouged out as torture, or gouged them out herself in order to discourage a persistent suitor who admired them. When her
body was prepared for burial in the family mausoleum it was discovered
that her eyes had been miraculously restored.

Princess Leia Costume

I saw this Upside Down Guy costume and just knew it would be a perfect St. Peter Crucified costume. Jack is usually the one who’s done the crazy costumes. But this year he’s at real school, and the middle schoolers don’t dress up! So, Gus has stepped up to be the crazy costume guy in the family.

Peter was one of twelve apostles chosen by Jesus from his first disciples.
Originally a fisherman, he played a leadership role and was with Jesus
during events witnessed by only a few apostles, such as the Transfiguration.
According to Christian tradition, Peter was crucified in Rome under Emperor Nero Augustus Caesar.
It is traditionally held that he was crucified upside down at his own
request, since he saw himself unworthy to be crucified in the same way
as Jesus.

Monkey Hat

Last year’s big Catholic Costume Contest resulted in a TON of amazing
costume ideas for All Saints Day. I posted them all after the fact, but
in case you’re looking for ideas for this year, check it out . . .

Over 150 All-Saints Day Costumes for Kids 

Here are our last year’s twofer costumes (Hermione/St. Elizabeth Ann Seton turned out SO well!) . . . 

Last Minute Twofer Costumes for Halloween AND All Saints Day

And here’s the post that started it all, featuring everyone’s favorite cephalophore, St. Denis, whose feast day it just happens to be today! . . .

Costumes for All Saints Day AND Halloween: One Part Catholic, Two Parts Awesome

If you’re planning All Saints costumes, and ESPECIALLY if you’re planning twofer costumes, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

————

If you’d like to keep track of ALL the feasts of the Catholic liturgical year, I’ve created a wall calendar to help you do it!

It features the all the feasts and fasts of the Universal Calendar and then some, illustrated with images featuring the traditional Catholic monthly devotions. It’s an easy visual way to bring liturgical living into your home. You can keep track of the feasts and fasts and seasons of the Catholic year, and be reminded to focus your prayer on a different aspect of our faith each month.

January:The Holy Name of Jesus 

February: The Holy Family 

March: St. Joseph 

April: The Blessed Sacrament 

May: Mary 

June: The Sacred Heart of Jesus 

July: The Precious Blood 

August Immaculate Heart of Mary 

September: The Seven Sorrows of Mary 

October: The Holy Rosary 

November: The Poor Souls in Purgatory 

December: The Immaculate Conception 

As the Church year begins with December, so does this calendar. You get December 2017 through December 2018, thirteen months. Available for purchase here. Thanks!

——

In unrelated news,  I was pleased to be interviewed by Ana at Time Flies When You’re Having Babies. Click over for the scoop on the imaginary children that were the biggest
mistake of my early homeschooling career, and whether I’m the type of
mom who sits on the floor playing trains with you.

————

I’m linking up again with Kelly for my seventy-fifth seven quick takes!

The post Twofer Costumes for Halloween and All Saints 2015 Edition appeared first on Catholic All Year.

It seems important somehow to let everyone know that, yes, there are Overachieving Pinterest Mom All-Saints costumes, hand-sewn and with special effects. But there are also Crafty Mom no-sew costumes. And Last Minute Mom stuff-that-was-laying-around-the-house costumes. There are as many ways to make an All Saints costume as there are paths to heaven. Which is to say . . . plenty.

But first: I was supposed to pick one winner, but they were WAY too good. I just couldn’t. I still only have one grand prize to give away. So, I’ve picked my favorites for ten categories. Each winner gets a custom-made-by-me free printable prayer of the prayer or quote of their choice. And one of those ten will be randomly selected to be the grand prize winner and receive the three month subscription to Saint Mail.

You can click on any photo to see it bigger.

Here are some categories I just made up . . .

1. BABIES

Hey, let’s start with something awesomely adorable, shall we? Babies. Dressed up as saints.

2. MOMS WITH SKILLS

Okay moms with skills, you know who you are. You look forward to All Saints Day. You plan ahead. You can sew, and wield a glue gun. You’ve got production value. Check you out.

Each one of these costumes is truly stunning. Seriously. How lucky are your kids? But I’m pretty sure Our Lady of the Assumption has LIGHTS in her CLOUDS. She wins the Printable Prayer in the category of Moms With Skills.

All the St. Lucy eyes are really great, obviously. And, if we’re being fair, Bl. Fra Angelico’s painting is clearly UH-mazing. But it’s my blog and the St. Juan Diego picture is pretty much the best thing I’ve seen all week. I can’t stop looking at it. It’s perfect. He wins the printable prayer in the category of Props.

7. KID-MADE

Not a crafty mom? Maybe your kids will make their OWN costumes. These kids did. VERY impressive.

Kid-made St. Kateri wins the printable prayer!

8. MOMS IN COSTUME

Hey, who says the kids get to have all the fun?

Hey! That bottom one is me. And it isn’t even a SAINT! I don’t win. The Virgen de Guadalupe wins the Printable Prayer in this category.

9. FAMILY GROUPS

The more, the merrier.

Okay, seriously. This St. George. And the little red dragon? I die. They win the Printable Prayer for the category of Family Groups.

10. THE BEST OF THE REST

I’ve run out of clever categories. But you should see these, too.

Yes, that’s my little St. Francis with tonsure. He needed a haircut anyway! It was pretty great. But the win goes to St. Therese for the printable prayer.

They are all so great!

And NOW, for the GRAND PRIZE! The winner of the Three Month Subscription to Saint Mail is . . .  Our Lady of the Assumption! If you won a custom-designed printable prayer or the Saint Mail subscription, please email me at catholicallyear @ gmail . com to claim your prize. And congratulations!

Pats on backs all around people. Nicely done.

Now, if you didn’t win the Saint Mail subscription, click here to subscribe for yourself! I did.

p.s. If your photo appears here, it’s because I think I have permission to use it on the blog. If you’d prefer that it not be up here, please let me know and I’ll take it down.

If you’d like to keep track of ALL the feasts of the Catholic liturgical year, I’ve created a wall calendar to help you do it!

It features the all the feasts and fasts of the Universal Calendar and then some, illustrated with images featuring the traditional Catholic monthly devotions. It’s an easy visual way to bring liturgical living into your home. You can keep track of the feasts and fasts and seasons of the Catholic year, and be reminded to focus your prayer on a different aspect of our faith each month.

As the Church year begins with December, so does this calendar. You get December 2018 through December 2019, thirteen months. Available for purchase here. Thanks!

Coupon codes are available from the publisher here.

The post Over 150 All-Saints Day Costumes for Kids appeared first on Catholic All Year.

We had Frankie’s birthday party last weekend and the husband has been out of town this week, so our first chance to get pumpkins was Thursday. I suppose it’s just as well, because I’ve learned the hard way what happens when you carve pumpkins too early in Southern California.

We looked at our calendar for the day, which included morning Mass, school for mom and kids, work for dad, two naps, taking the car in to get new brakes, two sports practices, and two sports games. The window for pumpkin picking turned out to be 8:30 – 9:00 am.

So, the Tierneys went to the grocery store en masse. Precious childhood memories. We got ’em.

And then, this afternoon, in shifts between shuttling various kids to various sports, and threats about Halloween being cancelled if that math/Latin/grammar didn’t get finished . . . pumpkins were carved.

The big capsule wardrobe reveal post was yesterday. This whole experience has been great, but especially getting to share it with all of you.

If you’re interested in learning more about the concept, check out my capsule wardrobe link-up. Or if you have a post of your own (old or new) about your wardrobe or simple living, link it up.

I’ve really enjoyed reading your posts. A couple highlights are . . .

At House for Five, Deme breaks it all down, with great advice about shopping, returns, and how many hangers you should have. I have too many hangers.

Speaking of community. We are the COOLEST. I have gotten dozens of awesome submissions already for the Catholic Costume Contest. They have ALL been great. Here’s just a sample . . .

From top left: Baby St. Olaf, Baby Blessed Mother (with even tinier baby Jesus), St. George + St. Michael + Bl. Pierre Georgio Frassati (with pipe) + St. Rose of Lima, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Isidore of Madrid + St. Gianna Molla, St. Catherine Laboure, Young JPII (at Sometime Martha Always Mary), St. Gianna + St. Dominic + St. Maria Goretti + Our Lady, kid-made St. Kateri (at Blair’s Blessings).

If you or your kids are dressing up Catholic for Halloween or All Saints Day, share your photos with us on Facebook or Instagram! Be sure to use the hashtag #catholiccostume . Can we get it trending? I don’t even know what that is. But I want us to do it.

You can also email them to me. Please let me know if you prefer I don’t share them on the blog. That’s allowed. You can still win.

Speaking of that, the winner will get a three month subscription to Saint Mail, my favorite solution for moms who want all of the liturgical living and none of the prep work.

As you may recall, a couple of weeks ago, I posted my reviews of ALL the Halloween-themed shows available on Netflix streaming, including the ones I hadn’t actually watched.

One show that got a sight-unseen thumbs down was Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest. I hadn’t seen it, but I am in general not a fan of the consequence-free “mischief” that is Curious George. I like a naughty anthropomorphic animal as much as the next mom, but I normally require that he get what’s coming to him, a la Peter Rabbit.

Anyway, people were shocked. SHOCKED. And rushed to his defense. And Bonnie, with whom I have a history of cinematic disagreement (and a friendship) insisted that if I was going to hate on George, I should at least watch it. So I said I would.

And then, life (and Once Upon a Time) got in the way. I kept figuring I’d watch it with the kids, but we never had a chance. So, last night, while I was sewing, because of my great dedication to the integrity of this blog and because I ran out of episodes of Once Upon a Time . . . I fired up Curious George Boo Fest and watched it all by myself.

I have to say that the mayhem created by George’s extraordinary lack of self-control and wanton disregard of all rules and laws and basic principles of civilized behavior in the books pales in comparison to what he exhibits in this movie. And everyone around him, but especially the man in the yellow hat, thinks it’s adorable.

The man rakes up the leaves, George jumps in the pile. The man tells him not to, he does it again. And again. So the man gives him ten bucks and sends him to the pumpkin patch. Are you paying attention kids? Disobedience = money and outings.

Then there were some songs that were fortunately not catchy enough to be memorable or I might have had to go listen to Fulwiler’s shoe song again to get THAT (awesome) stuck in my head for another week.

And THEN we get the plot. There is a legend of a scarecrow called No Noggin, who, angry that his pumpkin head was eaten by a deer, kicks the hats off of unsuspecting revelers on Halloween. Now, *I* prefer Halloween bad guys who want to actually steal your actual head, so he’s already starting to lose me.

But, okay. Hat kicking. Let’s see where this goes.

The man believes No Noggin to be just a story, but when he finds a photo that proves the legend isn’t true, it makes everyone in town, all the ADULTS, really . . . sad.

Then, in an extraordinary display of disobedience, sneakiness, and wanton property damage, George inadvertently restores everyone’s belief in No Noggin, and, as a result, their enjoyment of Halloween. So George decides that the charitable thing to do is to protect the poor grownups and the false beliefs that they need to be able to enjoy a holiday.

It’s not a question of adults protecting a fairy tale belief for their children, it’s a “child” knowing that to disabuse his “father” of his beliefs would make him sad. George knows the truth, but the adults around him need the lie. The opiate of the masses and all that.

Socialist cartoons. First Babar, now George. <sigh>

And, in case it’s not clear, I’m kidding-not-kidding about this whole thing. But I stand behind my original, unseen, assessment that it’s not a very good movie and we can do better for our Halloween entertainment. Now I’ve seen it and I get to not like it.

I also watched The Addams Family and my suspicion that Common Sense Media just wasn’t getting the joke was . . . confirmed.

I thought it was a fun, satirical, opposite world movie. And it has the sweetest happy ending ever.

That said, I was uncomfortable with the live auction scene in which, while it’s clear that the married couple are not in fact engaging in any physical romantic activity in public . . . it sure SOUNDS like they are.

The humor is sophisticated and nuanced and endearing. But it’s meant to be shocking, and it is. I would let my over tens watch it. I’d fast forward through the auction scene though. Awkward.

There’s a whole post on Once Upon a Time in the works, don’t you worry about that, because, in my professional PAID opinion, it’s the best non-BBC show on television. I do have to say, though, I’m not loving the “hey, you just need to get over that whole wanting to be with your baby thing.”

If I need to mix it up with a Snow Queen or a forest-dwelling ruffian, I’ll just put my baby in the Ergo. That’s what it’s FOR. I came here to nurse this baby and kick butt, . . . and the baby just fell asleep.

The post Pumpkin Picking, Pumpkin Carving, and the Anarchy and Socialist Anti-Religion Agenda of Curious George Boo Fest appeared first on Catholic All Year.

No?

Not to worry. These costumes can be thrown together in a couple of days, and if you have Amazon Prime, you might not even need to leave the house.

And in case you need a little MORE motivation to get your act together . . . we’re having a Catholic Costume Contest, with a prize that will help your kids live the liturgical year in your home, without YOU having to do ANY of the prep work. But I’m going to make you read all the way to the bottom to find out how.

Our homeschool group’s weekly parkday is on Friday. So this year our All Saints Pageant and Carnival will be held on Halloween. So . . . that’s a whole lot of party for one day. At least we have a history of making All Saints costumes that can double as Halloween costumes. This year, we’re really going to need it.

Any sort of a black robe will work for this. I went ahead and got Betty the Gryffindor Robe, because she’s been asking for a Harry Potter-themed birthday in February.

For the Hermione costume, we added her own shirt and skirt, her brother’s tie, her dad’s socks, and a homemade wand made from a rolled up piece of paper and some hot glue. We made her hair frizzy by putting a bunch of braids in her slightly damp hair before bedtime.

For Elizabeth Ann Seton, we replaced the tie with a black ribbon, and covered up the Hogwarts patch on the robe by pulling the other side of the robe across the patch and pinning it closed. I found the bonnet on Amazon for cheaper than I could sew one myself, but if you don’t want to sew OR buy one, you could use a loosely tied black handkerchief or piece of fabric. In images, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is usually holding a rosary and a book or piece of paper.

The basis of this costume is the Hooded Jedi Robe. You could sew one yourself, but I think it’s cheaper to buy one. For the Jedi, I put him in a khaki t-shirt and brown pants shorts (Bobby couldn’t find the pants, so he went for more of a California Jedi), and added our existing lightsaber toy.

Fra Angelico was a monk, so we closed up the robe with a rope belt and a rosary. He was also a painter, so we added a homemade cardboard palette and a paintbrush.

A Hooded Jedi Robe can be the start of ANY monk costume. This one my mom sewed for Gus when HE was two. But you could also use a too-big solid brown t-shirt, they sell them at fabric and craft stores.

Frankie wanted to be his name saint, so we added a rope belt, a rosary, and a little bird for his shoulder. Depending on how committed you are to this costume, you could shave his head into a tonsure. But that’s your call.

No St. Francis would be complete without his St. Clare. My mom sewed this costume for Anita when she was four months old, Lulu is almost a year and it does NOT fit her. But we’re going with it.

For Halloween, Lulu will be “A baby who is already sound asleep in her crib.”

Thank God that there is a Norwegian Princess saint, because it was Anna from Frozen or bust for my five year old this Halloween. This dress is adorable, machine washable and $20: Scandinavian Princess Dress

If you’re not interested in really confusing yarn wig tutorials, just skip the next paragraph.

For Anna, I used orange and white yarn and a headband to make her an Anna wig. I found a one inch wide headband with a rough, glittery surface that holds on to the yarn really well. To make it, I measured the total length of yarn I’d need: from one end of one braid, up over her head, to the end of the other braid. Then I put two chairs that distance apart, tied one end of the yard to one chair, then wrapped the yard around and around the two backs of the chairs, to get the length I needed. I used almost the whole small skein of orange yarn (saving out about 10 feet or so to make the bangs) then about four loops around of the white yarn, to make the white stripe in Anna’s hair. Once all the loops were on, I tied a six inch length of orange yarn around all of the loops, a little to the right of center between the chairs, since Anna has a side part. Then I looped the remaining 10 feet of orange around a small shoebox lid, for the bangs, and tied the end of it in a knot around all the loops, leaving a six inch tail. I arranged the long pieces on the headband, with the tie a little to the side for a side part. Because of the rough surface of the headband, I just had to tie the piece of yarn I used to make the part around the headband and the sides just kind of stick on it. Then I cut the loops on both ends, and pulled all of the white yarn to one side. I put the headband on my own head and braided it, tying each end with a piece of orange yarn. Done. I found the yarn on clearance, so the whole thing was less than $5.

For St. Sunniva, we just swapped the braids out for a dollar bin crown.

By now you’re probably thinking to yourself, “Wait, am I at the right blog? I thought this was the lady who allows her children to dress as all manner of horrifying martyr.” To you I say: Don’t worry. You’re at the right place. May I present to you . . .

We saw this statue of St. Bartholomew at St. John Lateran in Rome and, I tell you what, it’s not something you soon forget.

To recreate it for All Saints Day, we bought a SecondSkin Suit (ironic, no?) in red to be his skinned self. They HAVE a muscled one, which would allow one to look just like THIS statue of St. Bartholomew. But in an uncharacteristic show of restraint, we decided to go with plain red.

I bought two yards of flesh colored fabric and I traced him. THEN we remembered that we had some iron-on transfer paper left over from another project, and things got . . . a little more interesting. He cut himself out, and fashioned himself a knife. And rolled up a piece of paper. And that’s that.

For Halloween, he won’t bring the paper. Other than that, it’s pretty much set for Halloween. Or maybe he’ll leave the skin at home and just tell people he’s a splat of ketchup.

Gus is going as an old favorite around here. In fact, it’s HIS second go ’round as St. Michael. We had a blue tunic that fits him from another costume <cough> itwasmary <cough> and a fabric chest plate from a St. George costume, and a red cape and skirt from a St. Longinus costume. And some Feather Angel Wings and a sword. Electrical tape turns regular sandals into gladiator sandals (kinda).

You could do this pretty easily with just the wings, a sword, and three T-shirts: a blue for the tunic, a gray to cut into a chest plate and a red to cut into a cape.

We added the coat hanger to the wings so he could wear them outside the cape.

On Halloween, he’ll just be a Roman soldier, sans wings.

So that’s it for us this year. NOW for the fun part. We’re having a costume contest!

If your kids are dressing up for All Saints, I’d love to see it! Share your photos on Instagram with hashtag #catholiccostumes, or share them on the Catholic All Year Facebook page. Or email me at helpdesk@catholicallyear.com and I’ll share them for you!

The winner will receive a three month subscription to Saint Mail. I subscribed to Saint Mail for my own kids with my own money, and it has been worth every penny. Each month we receive a package in the mail all about one saint whose feast is that month. There’s a letter from the saint with tons of great information, plus crafts, trinkets, and little collectibles that my kids L-O-V-E love.

My kids are learning about the saints (AND are quietly occupied for many many minutes) each month without me having to do ANY of the prep work. Molly from Saint Mail is a Catholic mom who is doing the prep work for you, only way cuter than you’d do it. Tiny San Damiano cross for St. Clare! Awesome leather bracelet with St. Benedict cross medallion for St. Benedict! I cannot recommend Saint Mail enough. It is worth every penny. If you don’t win, you really should subscribe. And I’m not getting paid to tell you this. I just really like it that much.

For more on Saint Mail, see this post:

IF YOU’VE ALREADY TAUGHT YOUR KIDS EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THEIR FAITH, YOU DON’T NEED THIS

COSTUMES FOR ALL SAINTS DAY AND HALLOWEEN: ONE PART CATHOLIC, TWO PARTS AWESOME

and

HALLOWTIDE . . . IT’S HOW WE ROLL: ALL SAINTS DAY COSTUMES FOR AWESOME KIDS ONLY

and

AWESOME ALL SAINTS DAY COSTUMES IN EXPERT, STORE-BOUGHT, AND, WHAT? IS IT OCTOBER?

Speaking of contests . . . Tracy from A Slice of Smith Life is the big winner of the JPII contest!

If you’d like to keep track of ALL the feasts of the Catholic liturgical year, I’ve created a wall calendar to help you do it!

It features the all the feasts and fasts of the Universal Calendar and then some, illustrated with images featuring the traditional Catholic monthly devotions. It’s an easy visual way to bring liturgical living into your home. You can keep track of the feasts and fasts and seasons of the Catholic year, and be reminded to focus your prayer on a different aspect of our faith each month.

January:The Holy Name of Jesus

February: The Holy Family

March: St. Joseph

April: The Blessed Sacrament

May: Mary

June: The Sacred Heart of Jesus

July: The Precious Blood

August Immaculate Heart of Mary

September: The Seven Sorrows of Mary

October: The Holy Rosary

November: The Poor Souls in Purgatory

December: The Immaculate Conception

As the Church year begins with December, so does this calendar. You get December 2017 through December 2018, thirteen months. Available for purchase here. Thanks!

Linking up with Jen for the first time in forever (oh great, now that’s stuck in my head again) for 7 Quick Takes!

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