Monthly Archives: November 2014

Advent in Art with He Qi: Annunciation

Happy Advent, everyone! A warm welcome to this year’s Advent in Art series, where we join thousands of others in contemplating artistic works while we wait, wait, wait for Christmas. Advent in Art 2014: Featuring artist He Qi He Qi is one of my favourite artists, so I’m particularly excited that this year’s Advent in […]

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The Sacrament of Breastfeeding #6: Mastitis and the Trinity

Welcome! This is a reworking of an earlier post, from March 2013 (just so I’m not soliciting undue sympathy: I’m fine now!).  Being a woman equals being in community. The same might feel true for men (I hope it does), but I can’t write that blog post, being in possession, as I am, of two […]

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Jamie Oliver and I Are Not on the Same Parenting Page

It seems that Jamie Oliver – cheeky television chef with the ‘beestung lips’ and the Essex accent – and I aren’t on the same page when it comes to our attitude to children. To put the differences between us starkly and bluntly, I’m not into assault, or punishment, or treating children as lesser humans. I […]

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The Christmas Promise, by Alison Mitchell, illustrated by Catalina Echeverri

Top 10 Christmas Picture Books (that Feature Jesus)

From Rudolf and Santa to Slinky Malinki and the proverbial Pukeko in a Punga Tree, there’s a Christmas picture book for everyone. In most bookshops, though, Baby Jesus is hidden behind Grinches, trains and elves. If you’re in the market for Christmas books for kids that tell the story of God coming into the world as […]

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47 Christmas gift ideas to make the world a better place, rather than just contribute to debt and landfill waste. Add your ideas to the list, too! | Sacraparental.com

47 Christmas Gifts that can Change the World

How can something as (potentially) shallow as Christmas gift shopping be a great way to make a difference in the world? Easy 🙂 If we aspire to living a life where our actions reflect our values, then how we spend our time and money on Christmas gifts can make a real impact on people beyond […]

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Why Father Christmas Doesn’t Visit Our House

I grew up with Father Christmas visiting each December. We had a particularly awesome system, in fact, that involved pillowcases instead of stockings (primarily so a board game could fit, I think). As I got older, I became aware that Father Christmas from the adult point of view was part of our family history, too. My […]

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