Ideas for Honoring the Day:

There are many ways to make the day memorable and meaningful. Whether our activities take place on March 25th or as near as practicable, we can always point out the gestational interval leading up to Christmas. On the Annunciation feast, we can focus on Christ’s joyfully announced Incarnation or the application of its pro-life import--or better still we can combine the two. But note that as a pro-life observance, the Day of the Unborn Child is different from other pro-life memorials in that it is founded deep in history upon the wondrous and joyous event of the Incarnation, and this should be reflected in our approach--for the feast of Christ’s conception is truly a celebration of the profound mystery of life. This page offers a great range of ideas for keeping the day special and keeping its meaning in our minds and hearts. There is something for almost everyone. Choose one, and establish it as a yearly tradition, or try something new each year.

General: (All ages--public/private, groups/individuals)

Spiritual Adoption (9 months of prayer for an unborn child from Mar. 25 to Dec. 25)

Highlighting the Christmas/New Year Connection (Annunciation promotion in Dec.)

Carnations for the Incarnation (suggestions on using this symbol to celebrate the day)

Ideas for Years in which the Feast is Moved (link the two days & utilize the interval)

Private Observance:

For Children

For Teens

For Adults and Families

Public Observance: (Also check our Past Events Archive for ideas from previous years)

Clergy/Church/School (including the +9 and FirstDays campaigns)

Pro-life Groups

Individuals

General (All ages--groups and individuals)

Spiritual Adoption (9 months of prayer for an unborn child):

Spiritual Adoption Basics:

Spiritual Adoption is a particularly poignant way to honor the feast of Christ’s conception. Basically it consists of a symbolically gestational nine months of prayer for an unborn child in danger of abortion. We can participate as individuals and families, or more formally in prayer groups and congregations. A church-based program often begins with participants filling out prayer-pledge slips and culminates in a Christmastime parish "baby shower" offering light refreshments and collecting monetary donations and needs-list items for a local pro-life pregnancy center--an approach that beautifully incorporates both the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Beginning Spiritual Adoption on the Annunciation and ending in a Christmas-season baby shower has the added benefits of reinforcing the pro-life aspect of the feast and its theological significance as the commemoration of Christ's conception, as well as highlighting the oft-unrecognized pregnancy-length interval between these two feasts. Both aspects can be opportunely reinforced during the holidays, particularly at the closing gift shower, to which the whole parish is invited. Another advantage of Spiritual Adoption is that unlike one-day Annunciation celebrations, those who missed the feast day opening of the program can still join in this symbolic period of prayer--for example, if they begin in the first three months of the program they can start by praying for the safety of a child in the first trimester, and change their specific prayer intention for that child every 25th of the month until Christmas.

Popular Approaches to Spiritual Adoption:

When done for the feast of the Annunciation, the start date is on or near March 25th (or the day to which the feast is moved)--to maximize participation it is often begun on the Sunday nearest or before the date. Pledge slips can be left in pews, in baskets with pencils near entrances, or included in the bulletin. The concept of "Spiritual Adoption" and the nine months to Christmas can be explained in the sermon/homily with an invitation to the congregation to fill out pledge slips and drop them in the collection or a box at the back of the church. The slips can list frequency options--for example: the Lord’s Prayer daily, prayer meeting weekly, or attending an additional church service each month. Participants can choose to pray for a boy, girl, handicapped child, etc.--or leave the selection up to God. A brief pro-life prayer can be used or written for the occasion. Roman Catholic churches often use Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen's original spiritual adoption prayer. Many pro-life organizations such as Students for Life recommend the program and there are various resources on the web, for example, a Spiritual Adoption Poster and free print materials at spiritualadoption.org including a selection of Spiritual Adoption Prayer Cards (for which a donation is appreciated but not required). Particularly helpful is the Spiritual Adoption webpage of The Catholic Diocese of Arlington Virginia which has links to downloadable files including printable pledge card slips featuring Archbishop Sheen’s prayer--or, for slips specific to the Feast of the Annunciation start date see our downloadable slips below. The Annunciation Church/School Program launched in the Catholic Diocese of Peoria in 2006 focuses on Spiritual Adoption and has been requested and successfully implemented in churches and schools of various denominations throughout the country. Also visit the 2006 section of the Past Events Archive to read the text used to promote the program in Chicago that year at St. Hyacinth Basilica.

One popular Catholic approach of selecting the Annunciation feast date to start a "novena" of monthly pro-life Masses can easily be combined with and complement a Spiritual Adoption program--both reinforce the nine-month interval before Christmas, and each Mass can be offered for a specific monthly intention concerning the physical, spiritual, and familial welfare of the "adopted" children such as those suggested below for church bulletins. If the novena is for an entire diocese, a church named for the Annunciation or Incarnation can be chosen if centrally located.

Bulletin Reminders/Inserts:

Church bulletins can announce the program in advance, explain the reason for starting on the Annunciation, and include monthly reminders with a Spiritual Adoption prayer plus an additional optional intention for each of the nine months.

(Sample bulletin text): Please join in our Spiritual Adoption program and pledge to pray regularly for the safety of an abortion-threatened unborn child during the nine months from the Annunciation feast to Christmas. Pledge slips will be available on _______ at _______. We begin on the Incarnational feast of the Annunciation because it commemorates Christ's conception and is increasingly honored as "The Day of the Unborn Child." At the end of the gestational nine-month period, a closing Christmastime "baby shower" will be held collecting donations for a local pro-life pregnancy center. Spiritual Adoption intention for month one: ____________.

(Examples of nine specific monthly intentions added to the general intention): (1) healthy development for the child, (2) an uncomplicated pregnancy and delivery for the mother, (3) a pro-life physician to care for them both, (4) that the father encourage and facilitate this life-affirming choice, and be willing to act as a responsible provider, (5) for both parents’ emotional welfare and maturation toward making good decisions for their child, (6) that they be guided by the Holy Spirit in considering adoption, (7) for wise counsel from clergy, and encouragement from friends, relatives, and especially grandparents who will recognize the child as a new member of the family, (8) that the child once born will continue to be safe from harm and raised in a moral faith-filled environment, (9) for the eternal salvation of the child and family.

In addition, the Annunciation Society offers meditations on Christ’s development in the womb as monthly bulletin inserts to be used from the Annunciation to Christmas (the society suggests this ivy design if decorative stationery is desired) -- right click to download the MS Word file for "The Nine Months of Jesus in the Womb--Mar.25 to Dec.25.

The Christmas Baby Shower:

Essentially this is a baby-themed parish get-together with refreshments in which there will be a donation bin to collect new items and a slotted box for monetary donations to benefit a local pro-life pregnancy center. All are invited, but if desired, special “Thank You” invitations can be sent to those who filled out pledge slips. The oft-overlooked "Twelve Days of Christmas" after the holiday rush is a perfect time in which to have the shower reminding us that traditionally the season really begins rather than ends with December 25th. Epiphany at the end of the twelve days is also a good choice since the baby gifts can remind us of the gifts Christ received from the Magi--the popular Annunciation Church/School Program has the closing party on Epiphany to collect “baby presents for Jesus.” Whether held before or after December 25th, the shower should be announced well in advance and indicate what items are needed and how checks should be made out. The pro-life pregnancy center should be contacted early on for their needs-list for new items and whether or not gently used baby clothing is also accepted--this info should also be prominently posted in the church and/or bulletin in the weeks before the shower. At the shower, signs, banners, and/or an info table should remind parishioners that the Spiritual Adoption program began nine months earlier on the Annunciation Feast of Christ’s conception to reinforce the relationship between the feasts--this is especially important for those who will come to donate for the shower but did not participate in Spiritual Adoption. Hint: Pastel blue and pink frosted cut-out cookies are attractive additions to the refreshments table. Try using these two pastel colors on Christmas shaped cookies to combine the shower and holiday themes. Use large cutters to add the dates "Mar. 25 - Dec. 25" with a writing-tip icing tube--larger angel cutters are ideal as the theme covers both the Annunciation and Nativity feasts. Baby-themed cut-outs can also be used--for ex.: baby bottle, baby carriage, or three piece set (bottle, teddy bear, rocking horse).

Downloadable Files for Printable Pledge Slips and Sample:

For printable pledge slips specific to the Annunciation Feast start date, right-click to download the MS Word file for Annunciation Spiritual Adoption Pledge Slips. (Some sites recommend printing the slips on pink and blue paper.) They can be modified or you can create your own--a sample appears below. The 2-part slips should include the info on the nine month pregnancy interval between the two feasts and should also mention the "baby shower" that will be held at the end near Christmas.

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Feast of the Annunciation Spiritual Adoption Pledge SPIRITUAL

Honoring the Incarnational and Pro-Life Meaning of the Feast of ADOPTION

Christ’s Conception Celebrated Nine Months Before Christmas

Name:

I will pray regularly for an endangered unborn child for 9 months--from the

feast date (also designated the Day Of The Unborn Child) until Christmas.

Address:

Please circle the level of frequency (suggestions in parentheses):

Daily (Spiritual Adoption prayer, Our Father, Memorare)

Weekly (Rosary, Chaplet, prayer meeting)

E-mail:

Monthly (Eucharistic Adoration, additional Mass or worship service)

The nine months of prayer will end with a Christmas season “baby shower” to collect

donations for a local pro-life pregnancy center--details will be printed in the bulletin.

(KEEP THIS PORTION AND POST IN A PROMINENT PLACE AS A REMINDER) (DETACH & SUBMIT)

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Click HERE for instructions on using our banners in e-mail, blogs, and websites (or printed labels) to show the Annunciation/Christmas/New Year's link.

Highlighting the Christmas Connection (and New Year’s too):

The Importance of the Annunciation’s Christmas Connection and its Historical Relationship to New Year’s Day:

There are several key reasons why the December 25th celebration of the Incarnate Word as revealed at His birth is an ideal time to renew our historical acquaintance with the March 25th feast of Christ’s conception and to spread the word via the suggestions below. First of all, Christmas is naturally linked to the Annunciation, not only as another important Incarnational feast, but also because it marks the end of the gestational interval separating them. Furthermore, Christmas is a mainstream cultural and religious holiday widely celebrated across nations and denominations. Despite all attempts at secularization, the Christmas season is still the time of year when there is general openness to or at least expectation of encountering religious and specifically Christian themes as well as pro-child birth images in the culture--in public displays, store merchandise, decorations on homes and businesses, postal stamps, music on the radio, and media coverage of local celebrations. Additionally, the Annunciation/Christmas connection allows the implicit pro-life message of the feast of Christ’s conception to be broadly disseminated, even to those who might not be as receptive to the explicit pro-life message of the feast as Day of the Unborn Child. Finally, it is the time of year when we have contact with friends and relatives whom we rarely see, and when churches and congregations welcome members or visitors who may only attend services once a year. The combination of these factors makes it essential to take the opportunity to introduce the Annunciation and its meaning into our Christmas season communications, gifts and celebrations.

The history of the Annunciation feast as the start of the New Year not only extends these opportunities to address the subject past the Christmas season, but also illuminates the interconnectedness of Christianity with the development of modern and especially Western civilization. The New Year’s connection allows the Annunciation feast to be presented as an interesting historical fact in a secular context to those who don’t celebrate Christmas. Those who would not be attracted to the religious or Christian aspect of the feast, or its modern assignation as Day of the Unborn Child, might nevertheless be interested in the history of the old calendar and its holidays and observances. A New Year’s greeting that includes this not-so-trivial bit of March 25th trivia can be an ideal way to introduce the Annunciation feast to secular and non-Christian friends, family, and business associates. The former status of Annunciation Day as the beginning of the year reminds us of the historical centrality of Christian practices as reflected in secular society, providing a stark contrast to modern agendas that paradoxically attempt to deny and root out that influence. In an age that devalues the formative influence of religion in the public square and denies the moment of conception as the beginning of life, it is instructive to consider that much of the world including Western civilization officially began the New Year on a Christian feast day celebrating the conception of Jesus Christ.

It is providential that we have these additional opportunities to maximize the impact of this once-a-year feast. The two most popular Christian feasts are already reinforced as seasons rather than one-day observances. The season of Christmas can be extended with the preparation of Advent and the historical 12 Days of Christmas. In the case of Easter, many Christians observe the season of Lent and the octave of Easter, and Sunday worship can serve as a reminder of Easter Sunday every week. The Annunciation feast, by contrast, comes only once a year, lasts only one day, and has no official period of preparation, so it is important to make the most of its relationship to other holidays--Christmas, New Year’s, and Catholics should also note how the nine month interval between the feasts of Christ’s conception and birth is also found in the interval between the feasts of Mary’s conception (Dec. 8) and birth (Sep. 8)--the December 8th holy day of obligation being another opportunity to discuss these two pairs of feast days.

Weaving the Annunciation into Christmas and New Year’s Traditions:

The suggestions in this section include ideas on introducing a few facts about the Annunciation into Christmas season e-mail/web-communications, postal mailings, customized Christmas cards, imprinted stocking stuffers, personalized gift ornaments, homemade gift tags, pocket calendars, and church services. Adults and teens can use our new Christmas-themed web banner with instructions for adding it to your e-mails, blog posts, or website. Though some suggestions are specific to families or children, others can also be put into practice by churches/organizations--the approach differing mainly in scale and formality. However, clergy, retreat masters, and others who have a public forum during the Christmas season have unique opportunities, and these will be addressed at the end of the listing. (Clergy and ministry/dept. heads should also see the Spiritual Adoption section for a very practical way to introduce and maintain the Annunciation/Christmas connection.)

The history of the March 25th Annunciation Day as the start of the New Year allows us to use this fact to raise awareness after Christmas and beyond. For example, a holiday season e-mail signature and larger size envelope/package seals can feature text on the Annunciation’s relationship to both Christmas and New Year’s, and these can be used on all mailings well into January. Rather than send separate cards, it is more common to include a New Year’s greeting in Christmas mailings, and perhaps the best way to do this is to include a calendar for the coming year imprinted with info on the Annunciation--either include our downloadable calendars, have them professionally printed, make your own with a home publishing program, or order custom calendar-style Christmas cards. Custom-made New Year’s cards (designed with a home publishing program or on-line printer like Vistaprint) that give some information on the Annunciation as the old New Year’s Day are another option. Both Christmas and New Year’s cards can be custom ordered as calendar style cards or mailable magnets. The calendar greeting approach presents an opportunity to give year round reminders of the Annunciation to family, friends, and associates.

Web & Electronic Mailings/Communications:

Our web banners (such as the one shown below) used in e-mails, posts, or websites, are one of the most effective ways to promote the Annunciation/Christmas link -- click HERE for the instructions page that also features a banner covering the New Year's connection; these can also be printed on sheets of labels as described in the next section. Perhaps the easiest way to spread the word about the Annunciation is to change or add a special e-mail “signature” for all your outgoing e-mails at the start of the December holiday season through New Year’s Day (you can also use it in March): Your usual closing and name and as much information about the feasts as you like, for ex.--“A Blessed Annunciation (Mar. 25) + 9 months = A Merry Christmas (Dec. 25)” and a line to connect it to New Year’s such as “New Year’s was Celebrated on Annunciation Day in the Pre-Gregorian Calendar” or “The Annunciation Feast of Christ’s Conception was the Old Calendar New Year’s Day Celebrated Nine Months Before Christmas”--in addition to being free, other advantages of using an e-mail signature are the unlimited text and the fact that e-mails often get forwarded.

Click HERE for instructions on using our banners in e-mail, blogs, and websites (or printed labels) to show the Annunciation/Christmas/New Year's link.

Seals/Stickers/Stamps for Envelopes/Packages:

Address labels can be personalized with any text you choose, and they make attractive additions to Christmas/New Year’s cards and can be used as envelope seals on the outside of all your holiday season mailings. You can use the web banner graphic above to print your own larger seals/stickers (Avery 2"x4" for example): To download an MS Word template to print the graphic on a sheet of labels right-click HERE to save the Annunciation/Christmas seals file and print on Avery 48863 labels (carried by Wal-Mart and office supply stores) or any Avery-template-5163 compatible label -- right-click HERE to save the version that adds info on New Year's Day. It is also fun to design your own at home with computer inkjet/laser printer labels and a word processing or home publishing program; this will give you control over the font and design, and your local office supply store will have a variety of shapes and styles for you to choose. However, an easier way is to design and purchase them on-line--many Internet stationery stores allow you to type your own text into the name and address lines on the screen. Choose styles that allow 25 or more characters and at least 3 lines. Note: Depending on the style and text you choose, the labels can also be used on March mailings leading up to the Annunciation. A stamper is a more economical alternative, but ink may not show up well on all paper types. Some examples with suggested text are below:

Stampers:

Though more cost effective than labels, ink may smudge on some paper types and may not be as readable on dark red or green envelopes. If choosing a stamper, consider the jumbo size self-inking with 7 (or fewer) 36-character lines.

Text-Only Labels:

Suitable for both feasts are the small Miles Kimball labels (silver, gold, or white) that have a generous text allowance--maximum of 5 lines of 35 characters/spaces. This is enough for two or three mini sentences or a few separate title lines. Type in the personalization after selecting quantity. Note for this style, limiting yourself to four lines will give you slightly larger text:

4-line example for both Christmas & Annunciation, 35-or-fewer characters per line:

A Merry Christmas--Dec. 25

Minus 9 Months Equals

A Blessed Annunciation Day--Mar. 25

--The Old Calendar New Year’s Day

Decorative Labels:

If you prefer a more decorative label with a graphic, Colorful Images offers many holiday themes including the larger square shaped style. Most have a 4 line 26-character-each limit. To order just click on a design below and type the text of your choice into the name and address boxes after adding the label to your cart.

Graphics that cover both Annunciation/Christmas include the 4-line 26 character golden bow/bells (also good for New Year’s), the blue singing angel, & the 3-line die-cut shaped musical angels.

Traditional Christmas decorative labels include the 4-line 26-character evergreen border, poinsettia/candles, golden bow/pine-cone, holly/poinsettias variety, & poinsettias variety. Outdoor/nature Christmas themes include the Xmas wreath/cardinals, winter scene with cardinals, welcoming home at Christmas, sleigh & child with Xmas tree.

Religious Christmas graphic labels include the 4-line 26-character Bethlehem, Madonna and child, baby Jesus close-up, and the 3-line stained-glass Holy Family.

Even the 3-line 26-character labels can accommodate:

Annunciation Day--Mar. 25

+ Nine Months =

A Merry Christmas--Dec. 25

Or 4-line example:

Annunciation Day--Mar. 25

& Christmas--Dec. 25

Are Exactly 9 Mos. Apart

[A 4th line might include: The Length of a Pregnancy or Honoring the Incarnation or Luke 1:15 & 30-44]

Or to stress its connection to the old calendar:

Annunciation Day~Mar. 25

(the old New Year's Day)

+ a gestational 9 months =

A Merry Christmas~Dec. 25

Note: Madonna House (founded by Catherine Doherty) offers ready-made Catholic Christmas cards including an unusual offering that could be effectively paired with the labels recommended above; the card’s text reminds us of Christ's Incarnation in the womb of Mary and His prenatal life by focusing on the lowly donkey "carrying a Virgin who carried God" on the way to Bethlehem where He would be born. The entire card quotation written by Doherty (whose cause for canonization is under consideration by the Roman Catholic Church) can be read on the greeting card ordering page for Madonna House publications.

Design Your Own Christmas/New Year’s Cards, Postcard Calendar Magnets, or Calendar Cards with text on the Annunciation/Christmas/New Year’s connection:

Vistaprint allows you to design your own cards with the images and text you choose without purchasing a large quantity. You can design your own from scratch using their stock of images, or use their templates. They have many Christmas themes and products that can easily accommodate the text examples for the Christmas/Annunciation labels given above--for example:

Customized Holiday Cards (regular folded, photo, and postcard styles) are available in Christmas themes -- -- just select type of card and then choose from many themes and designs and add your text.

Calendar cards are ideal for both Christmas and New Year’s Day and the perfect way to highlight the connection the Annunciation has with both holidays:

Holiday Calendar Cards (this tent style card that includes a year calendar can serve as a reminder of the feast for the coming year--the card calendars and magnet style below are ideal to point out the relationship between the feasts--so be sure to add text on the 9-months interval plus the fact that the March 25 Annunciation was New Year’s Day in the pre-Gregorian calendar).

Mailable Calendar Magnet Postcards (10 for $12.99. These too have the advantage of being year-long reminders--use the same text ideas as for the Holiday Calendar Cards above. If no holiday themes are given, choose the design you like best and then you can change or add graphics when you customize with your text.)

Stocking Stuffers Personalized with Info on the Feast Days:

Many small items can be ordered with a line or lines of text. One suggestion that’s sure to be a keeper is heat-sensitive color changing pencils--this set can be personalized on-line but allows only 30 characters (to save space separate the words with capitalization rather than spaces and write the line equation style to show the interval between feast days). Some 30 or less character examples:

Christmas=AnnunciationDay+9mos

Xmas=AnnunciationDay+9 Months

AnnunciationToXmasIsNineMonths

Annunciation+9 mos.=Christmas

AnnunciationDay+9mos=Christmas

Dec25=Mar25(Annunciation)+9mos

XmasDe25=AnnunciationMr25+9mos

Annunciation+9mos=Xmas:Mr&De25

To include the full feast names, personal Christmas greeting or your family name, check other personalization websites that offer items that accommodate more text--some offer color change pencils with 128 characters on multiple lines but these require greater quantities at a higher cost and are best suited to schools/organizations.

Give Customized Tree Ornaments as Gifts (with text on the Annunciation and Christmas):

A Christmas tree ornament has the advantage of being brought out every year as a reminder of the feast days, and if reasonably durable can be handed down as a keepsake. Some tree ornaments can be homemade using the image/text ideas below and those found under the gift tag and envelope seal sections. However, modern technology allows you to add your own text on-line to professionally made wood and metal ornaments that can be given/mailed as gifts. Some of the metal and fabric ornaments described below are sufficiently flat and lightweight to be inserted in Christmas cards.

Small to Large Quantity Personalized Wood Ornaments:

LazerDesigns offers several styles of wood ornaments that you can personalize with your own text. They are laser cut and engraved with your message and each comes in a gift box with string to hang--production time is 5-10 business days, and any quantity can be ordered from one on up--the greater the quantity, the lower the price per ornament:

Most appropriate is the angel design which covers both feasts and allows 4-lines of 25-characters each--you simply click the button to personalize and enter your desired text in the line boxes. The star bulb design also allows four 25-character lines, but the 4th must be entered in the “special instructions” box.

Here are some text suggestions for four 25 character lines:

Annunciation Day--Mar. 25

(the old New Year’s Day)

& Christmas--Dec. 25

Are Exactly 9 Mos. Apart

Incarnation & Nativity

Annunciation Day--Mar. 25

& Christmas--Dec. 25

Are Exactly 9 Mos. Apart

There is also a star design with 4 lines of only 20 characters each. The candle has this same limit, but the 4th line must be entered in the special instructions box.

Here is a text suggestion for 20 character lines:

Blessed Annunciation [or] Annunciation Day

+ 9 Months =

A Merry Christmas

March 25~December 25

Large Quantity Ornaments (Wood, Fabric, Metal):

Individuals and organizations needing larger quantities of customized ornaments have additional options at iaspromotes.com (most styles have a 50 quantity minimum). Their wood ornaments come in tree, star, bell, and snowflake shapes. They offer fabric ornaments in various Christmas designs (star, tree, etc.). A particularly attractive design in the metal ornaments category is the Gloria Duchin gold nativity. Organizations that need high quantity (250 and up) mailable metal ornaments should consider the 2, 3, or 4 inch Avaline brass thin enough to fit in a card.

Homemade Gift Tags (children/young teens):

Annunciation/Christmas theme gift tags are a good craft for children who can either draw/color the pictures or cut them out of catalogs/magazines--sticker machines are helpful for a mini collage. (Older children and teens can do these on a computer with clip art.)

You will need card stock or heavyweight paper and a hole punch and string for the corner. Simply cut a long rectangle twice as long as the finished gift tag should be, and fold in half. For example, a standard 8 1/2 x 11 sheet will produce 6 tags large enough for a small drawing or collage--cut the sheet in two 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 halves, then cut each half into thirds 5 1/2 x a little over 2 3/4.

Then fold strips in half--tags will be squarish in shape. With the fold at the left, punch a hole in the upper left corner.

On front of tag, write or paste a cut-out “Merry Christmas” at the top, and then “from:” below that, and “to:” near the bottom--leaving space to fill in names later.

Open tag (there will be two panels). On the left side write at top: “Annunciation Day” or “Feast of the Annunciation”, and on the right side across from it write “Christmas” or “Feast of the Nativity.” (“Feast of the Nativity” is a much older name for Christmas). Then near top under the feast names write “Mar. 25” on the left, and “Dec. 25” on the right, across from each other--then in the middle between the two dates write “+ 9 months =” or “plus 9 months equals” (this should be written across the fold).

Then draw or paste small pictures of the Annunciation on the left (Mary with angel, Mary with halo around her womb, rays of light coming from dove down to Mary), and of the birth of Jesus on the right (manger, holy family, star, sheep). When done children should sign their tag on the back after “made by” and add the year.

Then close tag and feed decorative string through both holes in corner and tie with a double knot so that loop is at least 4 1/2 inches long (long enough to attach to gift bags by wrapping the string around handles and feeding card through loop and pulling tight).

Mini Gift Calendars Personalized With Info on the Annunciation:

In each Christmas card you send, insert a customized wallet or desk size calendar for the coming year. As noted in the section on Calendar Christmas Cards/Postcards, a calendar that will be kept through the coming year is ideal not only as a continual reminder, but the calendar theme lends itself to info on the feast dates, the nine month interval, and the fact that the Annunciation was New Year’s Day in the pre-Gregorian calendar (until the 1700s in England). Any or all of this information can be included on a small calendar. You can have them professionally printed, download ours (coming in November), or make them yourself, as explained below:

Download Our Pocket-Size Calendars:

You can download and print our credit-card sized cards--a new calendar is uploaded in November in time for Christmas mailings. They can be printed one-sided, and you can sign the back with a personal greeting to each recipient; or, you can print one of the optional back sheets that has additional info on the feasts of the Annunciation and Christmas (with a carnation and poinsettia graphic) and either a blank space for your own greeting or our dot.com address. Note: If you choose to add your own greeting in MS Word, download the blank-space backing and double-click the calendar image in the document --there is a text box in edit mode (between the flowers) that you can personalize with your name, recipient's name, year, etc.--remember to close the picture after editing and to save your changes. Print in color on best quality setting and try a coated heavyweight paper for best results (photo paper, smooth cardstock/greeting card paper, or heavyweight graphics/imaging paper). Right-click the following three links to download and print our pocket calendars and optional dot.com back or optional blank-space back. (The calendars can also be used in March as enclosures if you send Annunciation Cards).

Professional Printing:

For a generous text allowance with space to include extra info on the feast dates or your name and a greeting, consider the the set of 25 self-stick mini calendars with tear-off month sheets with 6 lines available -- 24 characters max for All Caps line 1, and 28 each for lines 2-6. Text examples:

CHRISTMAS - 9 MONTHS = ?

March 25~Annunciation Day

(The Old New Year’s Day)

Feast of Christ’s Conception

May the Blessings of March &

December 25th be Yours

NEW YEAR’S DAY IN MARCH?

Christmas Minus 9 Months =

Mar. 25~Annunciation Day~The

Pre-Gregorian New Year’s Day

Feast of Christ's Conception

& Day of the Unborn Child

MARCH 25 ~ DECEMBER 25

Nine months before Christmas

is Annunciation Day (Festum

Incarnationis / Conceptio

Christi)--the pre-Gregorian

New Year’s Day until c. 1700

The same on-line merchant offers a the set of 100 burgundy self-stick mini calendars (all months on a single card) -- up to 4 lines of up to 34 characters each--text examples:

A Blessed Annunciation Day~Mar. 25

(the old New Year's Day) + 9 Mos.

= A Merry Christmas~Dec. 25

Happy HolyDays from the Johnsons

The feast of Christ's conception &

Incarnation was the pre-Gregorian

New Year's Day--9 mos. before Xmas

March 25th--Annunciation Day!

A more durable option is the set of 50 plastic credit-card size calendars -- available in glossy or matte with up to 28 characters for the first all-caps line and 32 max each for lines 2-4 -- text example:

CHRISTMAS MINUS 9 MONTHS = ?

Annunciation Day!~March 25th

The Pre-Gregorian New Year’s Day

Happy HolyDays from Jan & Frank

Another option is a set of Holiday Pocket Cards with Custom Calendars which allows 4 26-character lines of personalization on mini calendars that fit into a decorative inner pocket inside the cards. Example:

CHRISTMAS - 9 MONTHS = ?

March 25~Annunciation Day

(The Old New Year’s Day)

Happy Holy Days To You

For larger quantities (usually over 50) you might visit an office supply store in person or on-line to have standard business card stock professionally printed with any text you desire on the front and the calendar on the back, but a more durable option is the plastic wallet size calendars available in two calendar formats that offer several lines of text--enough for info on the feast days and a personalized holiday greeting with your name--you can choose the calendar style under format options (B and C).

Make Your Own:

If you want to include Annunciation/Christmas theme calendars in Christmas mailings every year it might be worthwhile to learn to make your own--many home publishing programs have calendar options--the graphic options for calendars are linked to programs that calculate the days for whatever year you enter. Your program may give you the option to choose a small calendar (pocket or desk size), which would be the best option. Once you have the calendar formatted the way you want (adding your text at top and bottom, font changes, etc.) you can copy it as an image. First you may have to click and drag around the whole calendar to group the months and titles as one image (a single red border around them all shows they have been grouped), and right click to copy. Then tile it across a blank document in your home publishing or word processing program to print out several per sheet, on smooth card stock, greeting card, or photo paper. You can sign the backs with a personal greeting. A standard sheet can easily accommodate 8 credit card size calendars in two columns of four. Or for a tent style desktop size calendar you would divide a standard size document into four sections from the top down--a sized-to-fit calendar can be copied into the 2nd section and the 4th at the bottom; then print and cut the sheet in half crosswise, cut off the blank edges, fold each in half and you have two stand-up calendars. However you size and print the copied calendar, remember to keep the original calendar (original size but with your additions) as a home publishing file that is still linked to the calendar program--then you can just update it every year by entering new dates (to change the date in the saved file, some require you to enter the new year separately for each month).

Note: If your home publishing program has no templates for small calendars that will fit in a Christmas card, those who are experienced with formatting and graphics can reformat and modify a basic single sheet one-year calendar. Instructions vary depending on the programs you use, but the following are based on older versions of MS Home Publishing and Word: In your home publishing program search for calendar templates and choose a landscape layout calendar with four columns and three rows for the twelve months. Enter your year so the program will recalculate the days. Change the letter/numbers font to a narrow but easy to read style such as Abadi MT Condensed bold or Arial Narrow bold. If each month has to be formatted separately, the easiest way to make major changes is to change one month to the format you like--rich click and choose “change calendar” for font changes and to center alignments, right click and choose “more options” to change border, gridlines, etc. Then right click the calendar for that month, choose “more options” and “duplicate”--do this until you have 12 of the correct format, and do the same with the text boxes for the names of the months, and then click and drag to arrange them and eliminate wasted space between months. Change the text boxes to the correct months--to save space you can put the year in each month title rather than the top of the calendar. Then right click on each of the 12 calendars and choose “change calendar” and then enter the correct start date for that month--it should have a box for month and year--change the start date and it will recalculate the days. Repeat for rest of months and check start and end days of each month against a professional calendar such as the one on your computer. You can then add a shape to circle the dates of Mar. 25 and Dec. 25 (from “main options” choose “add something” then “shape or line” then “shape”--the donut or round shapes are best) and drag and size it to circle Mar. 25, then right click it to change shape color to red, then copy the shape, and paste and drag it over Dec. 25. Use a long thin text box the length of the calendar at the top and bottom for your text (use Christmas colors if you choose)--for ex.: “A Blessed Annunciation + 9 months = A Merry Christmas“ for the top, and “The Mar. 25 Annunciation Feast was the pre-Gregorian-calendar New Year’s Day” for the bottom. When you like the way it looks, make sure you save this file in the home publishing program after formatting so it retains the calendar programming allowing you to change the date next year (also remember to save it in the original large size to maintain clarity and allow different sizing options next year). Then click and drag around all the images that make up your calendar to group them as one image (usually one red border around them all will show the images have been grouped)--then right click to copy, and paste the full size calendar (to preserve clarity) into a blank document in the home publishing or word processing program (it is best to reduce the margins of this new document to maximize the number of calendars printed per sheet). It should now be an image that you can reduce and shrink to the desired size (simply select image and drag a corner). Then you can click to select and then right click to copy and paste as many as can fit on a page. Moving by dragging is easier in a home publishing program; if you use a word processing program for print out, for wallet-size calendars try choosing the columns option (select two) for more even spacing to make cutting them out easier. Print in best quality and experiment with paper types--try smooth finish cardstock, photo paper, or heavyweight graphics/imaging paper. When cut out you can sign the back with a personal Christmas greeting.

Clergy and the Christmas Connection (see also Spiritual Adoption):

The most natural way to introduce the Annunciation as the occasion of Christ’s Incarnation and conception is in a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day sermon/homily, which reaches the greatest number of people because of increased attendance. But any Sunday during the holiday season is a good time to touch upon the history of the Annunciation feast date and its relationship to Dec. 25th. Those who want to comment on the pro-life import of Christ’s Incarnation can point out that the contemporary observance of the “Day of the Unborn Child “ takes place exactly nine months before Christmas on the traditional day commemorating Christ’s conception--March 25th. It needn’t be the focus of the whole sermon--just a brief comment to address the subject takes only a few moments. Additionally, the large public space available in a church can be utilized with a banner conveying a simple message such as: “A Blessed Annunciation + 9 Months = A Merry Christmas” and/or “Celebrate the Incarnation & Nativity--March 25th & December 25th--Exactly Nine Months Apart". Any one of these approaches can make an important contribution toward fostering not only our reverence for life but our understanding of Christology and the Incarnation--for this single reference in church on Christmas may be the only time Christ’s conception is brought to the attention of the congregation, especially those who come only once a year.

[Note: Catholic clergy in particular have an additional opportunity during the Christmas season to mention another pregnancy-length interval between a conception and birth feast. As with Christ's conception and birth, the feast of Mary's conception on December 8 is set nine months before her birth feast on September 8. The consistency in the symbolic spacing of these two pairs of dates is something that can be brought out in the homilies for each of the four feast days. There is yet another advantage to explaining the March 25th Annunciation on the feast of Mary’s Immaculate Conception and visa-versa--pointing out that there is a specific feast for Christ’s conception (logically set nine months before Christmas) clarifies the fact that the December 8 Immaculate Conception commemorates the day Mary was conceived--many people confuse the Immaculate Conception of Mary with the virginal conception of Christ. Confusion is apt to occur because the absence of biblical references to Mary’s parents necessitates the reading of the Annunciation passages concerning Christ’s conception on the feast of Mary’s Immaculate Conception, and there is also the less frequent but additional complication of some denominations’ use of the term “Immaculate Conception” to refer to Christ’s conception. Clearly we can be using the same language but meaning something entirely different. Each of these gestationally spaced feast dates is a welcome opportunity to set the record straight, and if we are directed to keep the nine month interval in mind, it is easy to understand which conception feast is for Christ and which is for Mary--because we all understand Christmas as commemorating Christ’s birth.]

Carnations for the Incarnation:

The Need for A Symbol:

The all-important moment of Incarnation--the central theme of Christianity--is often left out of depictions and discussions of the Annunciation, because it takes place hidden in the womb of the Virgin Mary on a scale too small to be seen. Even eyewitnesses standing by at the Annunciation could not say they saw the Word become Flesh, and artists who try to represent this real event by painting a window on the womb can only effectively show a later stage of prenatal development, not the microscopic level of conception. It is easy to visualize the angel and Mary or a dove floating above representing the Holy Spirit, but the embryonic Christ concealed in the womb of the virgin is a challenge for our imagination; it is a challenge even to imagine friends, family, and other ordinary human beings at this prenatal stage of life--how much more challenging to imagine God as that tiny embryo. “Out of sight--out of mind” is often equally true of the mind’s eye, especially when the pivotal fact of Christ’s conception can be overshadowed by beautiful mental images of the archangel Gabriel we can so much more easily visualize. For this reason there is a need for an abstract symbol not native to the oft-portrayed scene, but clearly referencing that most momentous event there taking place.

The Flower as Symbol:

The beauty and fragrance of flowers and their varied types make them natural symbols. From the time of the ancient Greeks through the Victorian era, flowers have been used as a symbolic language or “florigraphy.” Holidays (or holy days) and observances often have specific flowers associated with them. Christmas has the poinsettia, Easter has the lily, and pro-life Roe v. Wade memorials use the rose, but a visually appealing symbol is particularly important when illuminating an unseen mystery. In this case, it is the unique and unparalleled moment of Incarnation--the conception of Jesus--which, paradoxically, takes place in the material world but cannot be seen by man and remains hidden for nine months. The carnation is a much-needed and welcome symbol that in its very name focuses the mind on what happened on that awe inspiring occasion.

Carnations for the Incarnation:

The literal translation of “carnation” is a “flesh-colored” flower--making it an appropriate symbol for the enfleshment of the eternal Word even if it were not a near sound-alike for the theological term. Dianthus, its aptly named genus, means "divine flower" or “flowers of god.” But one needn’t know any facts about the flower to make the connection with “Incarnation”--these nearly homonymous words were once synonymous for a rosy hue--and the association between the two comes quite naturally. In fact, when the U.S. Postal Service revealed the name of the artwork featured on the 2007 Christmas Stamp--Bernardino Luini’s "Madonna of the Carnation"--some assumed it was a printer's error that left off the "In" (the cropped image on the stamp made it hard to recognize the small flower in the hand of the infant Christ). Art aficionados may have recognized the work as one of several identically titled paintings by famous artists like Da Vinci (see detail) and Dürer depicting Mary and the baby Jesus holding the beautiful blossoms as in this alternately titled painting by Bergognone. In the past, carnations have had various meanings, including maternal love, and the points or “pinks” of the petals were used as symbols of Christ's Passion--the carnation therefore also has the advantage of representing Christ’s entire earthly life from virginal conception to his redemptive death. Moreover, once established as a well-known symbol, this common florist-flower seen year-round can serve as a frequent reminder of Christ's incomparable gift of Himself in the flesh.

General Suggestions on Using Carnations:

Carnations present us with many lovely ways to make a poignant memory on the feast day--in the form of a thoughtful gift, beautiful bouquets in church, a single bloom on the dinner table, or worn as a boutonniere by both men and women. They come in a wide variety of colors, from the plain white you find at the florist to the Black King carnation with petals so darkly red they appear velvety black. As symbols of the Incarnation, keeping in mind the meaning of the words, flesh-toned carnations (rose, pink, and peach pastels are the most common) are preferable to the more bright purples, red/orange, and striped varieties. Click to read more about our downloadable “Carnations for the Incarnation” paper ribbons, which can be attached to the stems to highlight the symbolism. For an emphasis on the pro-life aspect of the day, use the smaller baby carnations, or a mix of pink carnations and white dyed blue (click for instructions). Artificial carnations are especially useful for crafts--they may be easier to find and far more affordable at dollar and discount stores than craft/party specialty stores. See the suggestions below for specifics on using the carnation theme in particular Annunciation feast activities and settings, including the church, parish, and school; ideas for the home; organizations or families hosting a dinner/party/tea/event; baked-goods and candy; gifts and party favors; crafts for adults and children, and cards/invitations, envelopes and seals.

Carnations in Church, Parish, & School-Based Activities:

Bouquets and Arrangements in Church:

Flowers have long been used in church as examples of the beauty of God’s living creation. Use carnations prominently in church on the feast day or on the Sunday before or nearest the feast, with clear mention of the symbolism and the day’s significance.

Flowers in Processions:

For example--on the feast day, have a first communion class enter church in procession holding carnations.

“Incarnation Celebrations” (use the carnation as a symbol in promotional materials):

Annunciation events that focus on the Incarnational reality of Christ’s conception are sometimes called “Incarnation Celebrations”--carnation graphics can be used in fliers, signs, and bulletin inserts promoting the events.

Carnation Sale Fundraisers:

Celebrate the feast by having a carnation sale fundraiser with a portion of the proceeds benefiting a local pro-life pregnancy center. Fundraising carnation sales for churches and charities are often promoted as Carnation Day, but the practice can easily be applied to the celebration of Incarnation Day to reinforce the meaning of the feast and raise money for a worthy life-affirming cause. Click here for general info on having a carnation sale and also see the suggestions on Mother's Day flower sales that can apply to Annunciation carnation sales. Contact your local nursery or florist for flowers, and offer to place their name on the order forms in return for a discount. Promotion of the sale should stress the carnations are being sold for the Annunciation feast of Christ’s Incarnation with proceeds going to a pro-life pregnancy center in memory of that moment of His conception--download a promotional sign with this info and carnation graphics (standard size sheet--print best quality color in landscape).

Carnation Seeds (for distribution at church/school, or given as gifts):

Though they lack the visual appeal of the flower, carnation seeds are the ideal symbol of the Incarnational conception of Christ--a seed represents new life, and the blessing of seeds is an old Annunciation Day tradition. Their small size brings to mind the embryo--the tiny plant embryo hidden within the seed coat as the newly conceived Christ was hidden in Mary’s womb. Right-click to download our "Carnations for the Incarnation" color sheet (with the feast name, date, etc.) which can be cut and folded into four mini seed packets, or into paper ribbons to staple to clear bags/packets if desired--see instructions below (for printed fabric ribbon see Give Fresh Flowers section). A standard carnation seed packet from a nursery or home store is enough for 10 or more mini packs--a small pinch a pack. For larger distribution, bulk carnation seeds can be purchased on-line in a multi-color mix (various quantities--1/16 oz. to 1 lb.) or, for a more select color variety go to seedcentre.com for a pink/red/white mix and click on their Perennial Catalog link for current prices and then follow the instructions on their web site.

Instructions for Making Seed Packets:

Right-click to download and print our standard size color "Carnations for the Incarnation" sheet (one sheet makes four packets). Cut the sheet in four 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 in. quarters. Place one of the quarter sheets long-side vertical, so that the writing is right side up as for reading. Flip it sideways so the printing is face down. Fold up from bottom in half (half the printing is now visible upside down). Then fold right edges up about 1/2 in. and crease down toward the center--do the same with the left edges. Then fold these right and left folded edges in again toward the center so they almost touch in the middle. Crease all folds tightly. The side facing down should now have a pocket about one-and-a-half inches wide--put a small pinch of seeds in the pocket (enough to rattle--at least 7). Then with folded side facing up, fold the top down about 1/2 inch and crease the several layers tightly especially at corners. Flip packet over side-to-side so smooth side is facing up, and staple near top centered about 1/4 inch down to secure flap.

If Clear Seed Packets Are Desired:

Clear mini bags that show the seeds can be purchased at craft stores or Internet sites. If they are not the zip lock type, remember to fold each top corner in to create a point and then fold pointed top down and staple. Transparent packets can also be made with tracing or wax paper by using the folding instructions above for regular printed sheet packets. If using printed paper ribbons below, attach with the one staple used to close packet. To attach paper ribbons with feast info to clear packs: Right-click to download and print our standard size color "Carnations for the Incarnation" sheet--but print it double-sided. Cut sheet in half lengthwise into two 4 1/4 x 11 strips. Cut 4 1/4 strips wide enough to read three or more of the repeated lines of text--about 1/2 inch wide. Fold strip in half at an angle to create a V-shape, and staple near top of packet (if using folded tracing/wax paper packets or non-zip-lock plastic, use the one staple to close packet and attach ribbon). (If desired, you can cut white edges off each side of sheet after printing, or for a more finished look, you can cut ends of ribbon on a bias after cutting each strip). [NOTE: this same downloadable sheet can be printed double sided and used to attach longer ribbons to fresh cut carnations--click for instructions.]

Carnations for the Home and Family Dinner Table:

The most common suggestion for using carnations on the Annunciation is to have fresh cut flowers for the dinner table. Most everyone can buy a single carnation for the occasion, and take a few moments to say a special grace before the meal thanking God for the incomparable gift of His Incarnation and asking him to protect unborn children. Pro-life organizations such as American Life League recommend making a carnation centerpiece for a more formal feast-day family dinner. Women for Faith and Family has an Annunciation webpage featuring an Activities With Children section that also suggests using carnations in a household shrine -- explaining to children that they symbolize the Incarnation and allowing them to sprinkle the flowers with holy water. EWTN’s web page on celebrating the Annunciation includes these and adds info on the meaning of the carnation as symbolic of the Incarnation, life, love, and the crucifixion.

For dinner parties, see the suggestions for a carnation-themed event/diner/party/tea below.

Families & Organizations: Host an Event, Dinner, Party, or Tea with a Carnation Theme

Invitations can be sent with a carnation theme including carnation confetti inside--see cards/stationery. Please also see the favor suggestions under gifts, and the dessert ideas in the baked-goods/candy section.

Centerpiece Options:

Fresh Flowers:

Use a vase of fresh cut carnations, and offer one to each of your guests to take home as a reminder of the feast day--you can also attach paper “Carnations for the Incarnation” ribbons (click for more info) by downloading our color printed sheets (for printed fabric ribbon see Give Fresh Flowers section). For a more formal table, order or create your own carnation florist-style arrangement.

Floating or Fragranced Carnation Candles:

Floating carnation-shaped candles in a clear bowl (using cut crystal reflects the light) will create a lovely atmosphere, and they can also be given as gifts and favors. Reasonably-priced floating carnation candles can be purchased in various colors, including peach, on-line. Those who prefer the fragrance of carnation can choose a scented jar candle or, if many favor-sized candles are needed large quantity small votive carnation scent candles (choose carnation scent and desired color and shape from their drop down menus--you can also click the option to add personalized labels and tags and add the feast day info).

Flowering Carnation Tea:

For a unique potable centerpiece, consider a “flowering” carnation tea--see details under Afternoon or After-Church Tea.

Novelty Stemmed-Carnation-Soaps Favor Bouquet:

Stemmed carnation-shaped soaps in a vase make a fun centerpiece that can be divided among guests as take-home gifts. A bouquet of 12 soap carnations can be ordered on-line in a choice of five colors. Larger quantities of the "carnation flower soap with stem" can be ordered for less per piece via another site that offers an option of assorted colors.

Molded Carnation Candy Mini-Favor-Bouquets:

Stemmed carnation candies can be used as mini bouquets in bud vases. See the section on candy making.

Setting the Table:

Napkins/Plates:

If cloth napkins are used, tuck a small carnation (real or faux) into each napkin ring. You may also be able to find carnation themed paper napkins and plates for more informal gatherings.

Carnation Petal Confetti:

Artificial carnation leis or dollar/discount store carnations can be cut into wedge shaped petals and scattered on tables or put in carnation-themed party invitations. You can also use real petals. Wedding supply stores sell freeze-dried carnation petals (and whole flower heads), but a less expensive option would be the Internet tea supply stores that sell dried carnation petals which may not be as well preserved in shape or color.

An Afternoon or After-Church Tea:

See the general dinner/party suggestions above, but note that refreshments for teas are usually light, and can range from tea with muffins to a light lunch of salad, mini-sandwiches, and dessert. If you will be having dessert, see the baked-goods/candy section. Mini bouquets of baby carnations are charming on the table. Have a variety of teas including flavored. For a more exotic beverage as well as a striking centerpiece, consider a “flowering” carnation tea steeping in a glass teapot, described below:

Flowering Carnation Teas (for drinking and display in clear glass):

Flowering teas feature a compact bouquet of long tea leaves with a dried flower in the center that opens in the hot water--these are usually white or green teas which allow the flower to be easily seen. Another option is “tethered” flowering carnation tea--these are on a string and steeped like a tea bag--suitable for small clear pots or clear cups (one is strong enough for a few cups). If you just want to try one or two, Tealaden sells pink flowering carnation tea drops by the piece (these are particularly nice steeping in a brandy glass). Greenjoes sells an 8-pack of tethered flowering red carnation tea. For larger pots try the 6-per-pkg. "red song" teaposy with white tea and a flowering red carnation, or if many are required see the 40 piece bags of "Red Carnation" with white tea leaves.

Baked-Goods & Candy: (Cookies, Pastries, Chocolates & Mints, Cakes):

All of the following make thoughtful party treat/favors, packaged gifts, or desserts.

Cookies:

Use your favorite cut-out recipe, and make carnation cookies. For medium size cookies use a flower shape cutter with 10 or more short scallops--for example, the Wilton blossom nesting set, or for smaller cookies try the mini cutter. For the largest cookies (that can accommodate text), try large biscuit cutters (3 to 4 1/2 in. diameter)--particularly those with a zigzag or rippled edge: for ex., Williams-Sonoma stores stock a tin of eleven fluted round decorative cutters the largest being 3 7/8 in.--sku 1998194. Internet merchants offer the set of 6 fluted cutters (2 to 4 1/2 in.), the set of 4 fluted/scallop cutters (1 1/2 to 4 1/2 in.), or the set of 12 crinkle edge cutters (3/4 to 4 3/8 in.) To decorate the cookies, try making concentric circles of squiggly zigzag lines with a skinny-tipped pink icing writer. Alternately you can frost the whole top with pink or peach icing and press the tip of a fork into frosting in a spiral pattern from the center out--on these cookies you can also write in white or light green icing: Mar. 25, or on the largest cookies, Incarnation, and a few with Xmas-9 Mos.=? or 9 Mos. Before Xmas (3 1/2 to 4 1/2 diameter cutters are best)--note that if these cookies are displayed on a large plate or tray, not all have to have the text--just a few of each, and if given as homemade packaged gifts just one of each will do.

Pastries--One-Serving Cakes & Bite-Size Cakelets for an Elegant Dessert:

See the products listing at Oldstylecakes.com and scroll down the page to find their decorative one-serving and bite size mini cakelets decorated with a white or brown chocolate carnation. (Note: the brown carnations are called “autumn flowers.”) The cake itself is chocolate flavored with black raspberry liqueur and filled with chocolate ganache. There are four varieties:

Autumn Flower Minis--33 per carton

White Carnation Minis--33 per carton (photo shows both colors)

Autumn Flower Pastries--9 per carton (click here for photo)

White Carnation Pastries--avail. in 4 or 9 per carton (click here for photo)

Carnation-Themed Chocolates & Mints (purchase or make your own):

Purchase Chocolates Online:

Carnation-shaped chocolates (each in cellophane tied with ribbon) can be purchased on-line at chocolatevault.com in milk, dark, white, or tinted pink. Carnation flower candy wrappers with or without the chocolate included can be purchased and personalized with info on March 25th and the Incarnation: There are six 32-character lines (3 per side) of personalization available--enough for info on the feast and, if desired, a “from” line with the date to personalize as a gift, or a thank you message for volunteers/attendees for a pro-life feast day fundraiser, for ex. “From the Smiths, March 25th 2008.” See the text suggestions for carnation-themed envelope seals.

Make Your Own Chocolates & Mints (with melts or from scratch):

Craft stores and the bulk section of supermarkets carry melting candies allowing you to make carnation-shaped chocolates including the stemmed lollipop-stick style with the carnation molds below. Note that white melting chocolate and mints can be tinted pink or peach. Click to see a chocolate lollipop-style carnation mold that has room for sucker sticks to produce stemmed chocolate flowers. Or, scroll down the Sugarcraft site for two chocolate-on-a-stick-style carnation molds plus the directions for using them in charming chocolate pots at the top of the webpage under Mini Chocolate Roses in Flower Pots (consider using pink-tinted white chocolate carnations in milk or dark chocolate pots). For regular chocolate minis you can use the Streichs mold without the sticks, or for more of a side view of the flower try the one at CCWsupply. There is also a carnation mold for mints.

Decorate a Special Cake with Text and/or Carnations for the Incarnation:

Order or bake a special Incarnation Cake with a carnation theme. Writing on the cake might include: The Incarnation--March 25th--(9 months before Xmas). Order it topped with icing carnations. If you are making it yourself, you can decorate it by “drawing” simple flat carnations with zigzag petals made with a pink skinny-tip icing tube, or for a more professional look, order molded chocolates (including white tinted pink), or ready-made sugar carnations in pink, red, or white can be purchased on line. Experienced cake decorators might want to try the tips on making carnations with an icing bag, or, for very realistic flowers consider the carnation gum-paste/fondant cutter set or the variety of cutters to make carnations and the leafy green calyx base. The carnation theme can extend to the serving plate and table decorated with artificial carnations (from discount/dollar or craft stores) or petals cut from large or small artificial carnation leis (sold at party stores). [Note: Although real carnation petals organically-grown and washed are considered edible flowers and can be used to decorate cakes, the leaves have a mild toxicity and whole flowers or flower heads should not be used on cakes, especially if small children will be present. Food quality carnation petals from specialty stores can be candied, used in jams, butters, salads, desserts, or a hot sugar syrup for fruit. If you intend to cook with carnation petals, consider growing your own organically--for example, the Peach Delight carnation is desirable for both its color and flavor.]

Carnation-Themed Gifts & Party Favors:

(Also see the crafts and baked-goods/candy-making section for homemade carnation gifts. Cookies and homemade chocolates or the ones you can purchase below are appropriate for all ages and genders--as are the mini carnation seed packets.)

A gift given for the Annunciation should be simple and remind us of Christ’s gift of his Incarnation and the gift of life itself--the carnation flower as a beautiful living symbol provides a perfect theme.

Give Fresh Flowers (and attach our “Carnations for the Incarnation” ribbons):

Single carnations can be given as gifts. Consider attaching our “Carnations for the Incarnation” paper ribbons to underline the symbolism: right-click to download the standard 8 1/2 x 11 sheet, and print in color double sided. Cut the 8 1/2 inch long strips just under a half-inch wide. Wrap around stem above a branching stem or leaf, and staple the loop with a mini stapler, or try pinching each side of the ribbon in half to narrow it near the stem and then twist the notches together. For a more formal presentation, print words or phrases on fabric ribbon with the Xyron Design Runner, or order personalized ribbon; namemaker.com offers 3/8" satin ribbon that will accommodate 45 character imprints in standard Title case (less for all caps)--for example: Feast of the Incarnation~9 Months Before Xmas (or) Carnations for the Incarnation--March 25th

Order Carnation-Themed Chocolates Online:

Carnation-shaped chocolates (each in cellophane tied with ribbon) can be purchased online at chocolatevault.com in milk, dark, white, or tinted pink. At another site, Carnation flower candy wrappers with or without the chocolate included can be purchased and personalized with info on March 25th and the Incarnation: There are six 32-character lines (3 per side) of personalization available--enough for info on the feast and, if desired, a “from” line with the date to personalize as a gift, or a thank you message for volunteers/attendees for a pro-life feast day fundraiser, for ex. “From the Smiths, March 25th 2008.” For wrappers, see the text suggestions for carnation themed envelope seals. (For homemade carnation chocolates including stemmed flower style see baked-goods/candy).

Floating or Fragranced Carnation Candles:

Mini Flowering Carnation Teas:

A mini flowering carnation tea is a unique gift or favor--for drinking and/or display in a brandy glass, these are best steeped in a small clear pot or glass cup. See the section on Afternoon Tea for more info. Flowering teas feature a compact bouquet of long tea leaves with a dried flower in the center that opens in the hot water--these are usually white or green teas which allow the flower to be easily seen. Another option is “tethered” flowering carnation tea--these are on a string and steeped like a tea bag--suitable for small clear pots or clear cups (one is strong enough for a few cups). If you just need one or two, Tealaden sells pink flowering carnation tea drops by the piece (these are particularly nice steeping in a brandy glass). Greenjoes sells an 8-pack of tethered flowering red carnation tea. For larger pots try the 6-per-pkg. "red song" teaposy with white tea and a flowering red carnation, or if many are required see the 40 piece bags of "Red Carnation" with white tea leaves.

Carnation Soaps

Carnation scented products make lovely Annunciation day gifts--the most useful and affordable are the mini-soaps available at several Internet sites. Most decorative are the mini carnation-shaped soap flowers -- at only 26 cents each they are the perfect choice when larger numbers of gifts/favors are needed.

A 3-pack of Roger & Gallet carnation soaps or a single Roger & Gallet carnation travel-pack soap can be purchased through Amazon.

Stemmed carnation shaped soaps are a unique gift one at a time or as a bouquet--they can also be displayed in a vase as a centerpiece, making them double-duty party favors. A bouquet of 12 soap carnations can be ordered on-line in a choice of five colors. Larger quantities can be ordered for less per piece via another site that offers an option of assorted colors.

(Also see crafts section for several homemade carnation soap ideas.)

Specialized or Unusual Carnation-Themed Gifts:

For writers, consider a blank journal with carnation-graphic cover.

Pro-life activists will appreciate this hard-to-find book -- A Carnation a Day: A Pro-Life Doctor's Story -- by Mario A. Castello, M.D. -- reviewed on the EWTN website (click the link and scroll down to read).

Gardeners may enjoy receiving a seed packet of carnations from a local or Internet nursery, or a color pictorial guide to growing carnations -- Carnations and Pinks, by Pamela and Russell McGeorge (paperback) or (hardcover), or Carnations and Pinks for Garden and Greenhouse: Their True History and Complete Cultivation by John and Eileen Galbally.

Carnation Crafts (for family activities or to give as gifts)

(Candy makers please see section on baked-goods/candy)

Carnation Seed Packets

Make mini carnation seed packets for family and friends--using the directions and downloadable packet/ribbon sheet under Carnation Seeds for church distribution.

Pin Button/Badge Making

With a pin button/badge making kit, use a carnation photo or graphic and text such as the following on a large badge:

March 25

Feast of the Incarnation

9 Mos. Before Xmas

Wear the badge during March, and give badges to family and friends, pro-life prayer groups, etc. Try using a large pink carnation graphic or photo as big as the badge and position text centered on it in a black font, or use smaller

carnation graphics in the white space around text.

Make a Carnation Wreath for Your Door

Make a carnation wreath with real or artificial flowers to hang on your door as the feast day approaches--follow the link or use other wreath-making instructions--for a spring feast of the Incarnation wreath use pink instead of red Carnations--if using artificial carnations you can use use Styrofoam or dylite instead of florist’s foam. If you make a wreath with a large hole, consider making a round insert on decorative parchment-style cardstock printed with a greeting in a decorative font such as “Blessings on the Feast of the Incarnation” or “Feast of the Incarnation~March 25th” (see envelope-seal text suggestions for more). Check dollar/discount and craft stores for artificial carnations.

Make a “Feast of the Incarnation” Flag/Banner for Outdoor Display

Festive flags celebrate almost every season and holiday. Make a homemade flag or banner to display in your front yard throughout March to promote the Incarnation feast in your neighborhood using carnation graphics. Use weatherproof materials and include carnation images or sewn-on silk carnations with the text “March 25” and “Nine Months Before Christmas” in addition to the “Incarnation” feast name. For design ideas and options, see the suggestions for ordering a customized version on-line.

Make a Carnation Teacup Arrangement

Arrange real or artificial carnations in a teacup for a dainty gift or centerpiece (this is also a good way to use a lovely but imperfect old teacup that has crazing and is unsuitable for beverages). Small or baby carnations work best. Use real or faux greenery, twigs, or baby’s breath. If using artificial carnations, for this project consider the more realistic ones sold at craft stores rather than the discount/dollar store variety, and use a water-soluble glue to paste a Styrofoam base in the bottom of the cup in which to insert the flowers and greens. If using real flowers, cut a round piece from a block of floral foam to absorb water and hold the flowers in place.

Dye White Carnations Blue for a Baby-Themed Pink and Blue Bouquet

For a baby-themed bouquet for your home, use pink and white carnations and dye the white ones blue -- follow the link for more details. This fun activity is a nice way to start family-based Spiritual Adoption on the Incarnation feast--but get the flowers two days ahead as it takes time for them to absorb the blue color. Baby carnations, if available, nicely fit the theme. Basically, you will cut stems under water taking off about 1 inch, and mix blue food coloring into warm water for the dye--flowers should be fresh when dyed and it is best to use a floral preservative or a little sugar in the water. The color will deepen over hours or days, and when it reaches the desired shade, transfer them to clear water with the pink carnations.

Make Paper Carnations

Several web sites give instructions for making paper carnations using gift wrap tissue paper -- for a more realistic look, cut little v's or slits in the edges of the paper that will be opened into the petals (you can try a zigzag scrapbooking type scissors). [The directions are very similar to making flowers out of facial tissues for decorating cars, etc. If you know this method, simply substitute 4 layers of gift-wrap tissue cut into rectangles (try cutting them the size of a standard sheet of paper), then make lengthwise 1-inch fan-folds along the 4-ply tissue back and forth until you have a thick strip about 11 inches long, then fold in half and staple at base, and cut opposite ends into frilly petals with short slits or tiny v-cuts, then gently separate and open petals, and for a stem insert wire (or two long green pipe cleaners twisted together for strength) in base (younger children may want to tape a green wooden stick such as a plant stake to the flower base instead) and wrap with green floral tape in overlapping spirals starting just under petals and down the wire.]

Carnation-Shaped and/or Scented Candles and Soaps

(To purchase ready-made soaps and candles see carnation gifts)

Soap or candle makers can use the various carnation molds at the Rosecandles site -- including the Open Carnation Flower mold (3”x1.5" tall--2 oz soap or wax product), the smaller Open Carnation Flower mold (2.5"x1" tall--1.25 oz soap or wax product), or the smallest 9-Small-Carnations Cavity Mold (Total Wt for all 9 is 1.5 oz--for decorations, wax melting tarts, or mini soaps). Click for carnation scent to make soap/bath products, candles, and potpourri. You can also make regular bar soaps or wide candles and use inkjet lasting decal paper for soap and candles to apply a carnation graphic.

Clear Soap Bars with Faux Carnation Petals:

Craft stores have soap-making kits/supplies for clear soaps with silk flower petals inside--use carnation petals from carnation lei flowers cut into wedges--available at party stores or buy artificial carnation leis online. This clear soap kit for silk flowers includes both bar and liquid. If you want to try it without the kit you can just buy the clear bar soap at craft stores and use general directions for this type of project, or for the liquid soap with silk flowers click here and scroll down for products and instructions.

Soap Petals

The SoapBarn site’s instructions for making Carnation Soap Leaves use carnation scent and actual leaf skeletons, but can easily be modified to use artificial silk/poly petals from artificial carnation leis to match the visuals to the fragrance. The spiky petal leis can often be found in party supply stores or purchased online--the large-flower jumbo carnation leis work well for Soap Petals. Cutting the round lei petals in quarters or thirds is much easier than finding and disassembling whole faux flowers. Once the fabric petals are cut, simply follow the directions for soap leaves substituting the fabric petal wedges for the leaf skeletons--supplies required are 100g clear glycerine soap, carnation fragrance (10 drops), and clear plastic/cellophane bags or other gift packaging. If you can’t find it at your local craft store, carnation scent for making soap/bath products, candles, and potpourri can be ordered online. These “use once only” soap petals can be used at home, given as gifts, kept in a purse for soap-less washrooms, and are perfect as guest soaps. [Caution: Since they are made by melting soap on low heat in a pot on the stove and carefully dipping each petal in to cover it, it is a craft for adults and older children with adult supervision.]

Carnation Envelope Seals, Cards/Invitations, Stationery

Carnation-Themed Annunciation E-Cards

You can design your own with a home publishing program, or send one of the two carnation-graphic e-cards at DateOfLife.com that are free when you sign up--when you click to select the card to send you will get green menu bars at the top (“Select Poem” will allow you to add the "Prayer to Christ Unborn" or "Prayer to Christ in His Hidden and Public Life").

Carnation-Themed Envelope Seals:

Once mailed, an envelope may pass through many hands and seals are a nice way to promote the feast. Ready-made carnation labels are hard to find. One option is to make your own with ink jet/laser labels and clip art or photos, giving you a variety of size, graphic and font options--see text suggestions below. You can also design and order them online -- for example, at Vistaprint design carnation-themed label/seals from scratch with the Vistaprint design wizard and their stock carnation images. Keep in mind that a large image of a single carnation or close-up will work better on a small label. Text ideas should emphasize “The Incarnation” in the first line of text to connect with the visuals, and perhaps have the old feast name “Festum Incarnationis” as the last line.

For example:

Celebrate The Incarnation [or] Honoring The Incarnation [or] Feast of the Incarnation

Nine Months Before Christmas

[and one or two of the following:]

March 25--Annunciation Day

Old name: Festum Incarnationis

The Old New Year’s Day

Feast of Christ’s Conception

Carnation-themed Greeting Cards, Invitations and Stationery:

Just as you would send Christmas cards, you can observe the Annunciation feast by sending Carnation-themed cards focused on the Incarnation. Carnation-themed invitations add a nice touch to an Annunciation or Day of the Unborn Child event, as do thank-you notes for volunteering at the events--you can add real or faux carnation petal confetti as described below. And carnation envelopes with text on the feast day can be used for all your March mailings. You can design these with your home publishing program, or create and order them online with the links below.

Download our “Happy Annunciation Day!” Cards:

Right click to download and save our Carnation Annunciation Day note cards in MS Home Publishing (.php) format. File prints two cards on a standard size sheet, with a cutting line between them. For best results use heavyweight paper or cardstock--white, cream, natural work well. Print and cut a test sheet first before multiple copies.

Make Your Own with a Home Computer:

You can make your own with inkjet or laser cards/envelopes and clip art carnations or photos you take yourself. You can even try scanning a real carnation (this is a fun activity for kids).

Design and Order them Online:

Internet printers like Vistaprint allow you to customize cards using their carnation templates--this one is for a flat card. Vistaprint also allows you to design one from scratch with their design wizard, or an easier option is to choose a favorite from their many floral designs and use the advanced editing option to click the flower and replace it with a carnation from their stock images. For the text, simply flesh out the ideas for Carnation seals above with appropriate slant for the type of card--feast day greeting, invitation, or thank-you. [Note: For an added touch of “confetti”--dried carnation petals (or artificial petals from artificial carnation leis cut into wedges) can be used as confetti in carnation themed cards and invitations to Feast of the Annunciation or Day of the Unborn Child events.] You can also customize carnation-theme envelopes (with room for your own text front and/or back) to use all through March to promote the feast -- size 9 carnation envelope templates are good for most mailing needs (large enough for a standard sheet folded in thirds), or, they also have carnation templates for 6x9 envelopes. (If you’re more ambitious you can design matching cards and envelopes from scratch with Vistaprint’s design wizard.)

[Note: If you are sending out Incarnation theme cards for March 25 consider inserting our mini calendars--right click the following file links to save Word format downloadable pocket calendars for the current year with optional back sheet highlighting the nine-month interval before Christmas -- and print our pocket calendars and optional dot.com back or optional blank-space back. They can be printed one-sided, and you can sign the back with a personal greeting to each recipient; or, you can print the optional back side that allows you to add your own text by double clicking the image--there is a text box in edit mode (between the carnations) that you can personalize with your name, recipient's name, year, etc.--if doing so remember to save your changes and close the picture after editing. Print in color on best quality setting and try several paper types to see what works best with your printer -- a coated heavyweight paper is usually best (photo paper, smooth cardstock/greeting card paper, or heavyweight graphics/imaging paper. These can also be inserted in Christmas cards, and the file for next year's cards will be available by December on this page under Mini Gift Calendars in our section on Highlighting the Christmas Connection.]

Ideas for Years in which the Feast is Moved: (link the two days & utilize the interval)

Please first see our Q&A on the importance of attending your church’s official Annunciation Feast celebration in years when it is moved from its given date of March 25th. This often happens, for example, in the Roman Catholic observance owing to Easter conflicts (in such cases when moved only one day ahead it might be possible to attend or arrange an evening mass at or after sundown the night before, which would be the 25th by the calendar but the 26th liturgically speaking.) In those years when there is a change, March 25th can still be an occasion for preparatory activities leading up to the feast day, private/family gatherings and prayer, as well as special pro-life events that will promote the upcoming celebration of the Annunciation.

Private Preparations for Families and Individuals:

When the celebration of the feast is postponed, set March 25th aside as a day to prepare decorations, bake carnation cookies, or make homemade gifts/crafts for the official celebration days later. Or simply make prayerful preparation by lighting a candle placed near a carnation, reading the Bible passages on the Annunciation, and saying a special grace before dinner that night.

Linked Events and Multi-Day Activities in the Church and Community:

Public observance in years when the feast is moved presents both a challenge and an opportunity. One approach is to link the days with two special events (the first promoting the second) and to make use of the interval to reinforce the feast’s Incarnational meaning and pro-life import. Take advantage of the intervening days as additional opportunities to encourage attendance at the official celebration of the Annunciation and to raise awareness about the feast’s Incarnational significance and its pro-life emphasis highlighted in the Day of the Unborn Child observance.

Two Linked Events:

One option is to use the two occasions of March 25 and that year’s transferred feast date to emphasize different aspects of the feast of Christ’s conception. The 25th could be set aside for a more solemn memorial or ecumenical service to gather in prayer for the unborn and for success of the Day of the Unborn Child in raising pro-life awareness, while the official Annunciation observance could have the celebratory character of a feast day giving praise and thanks to God for the gift of the Incarnation in the conception of Christ.

In years in which the feast is moved, the Day of the Unborn Child is oftentimes celebrated on the same day to which the Annunciation is transferred. However, in other cases the Day of the Unborn Child events are still held on the 25th while promoting attendance at the upcoming feast day events. For example, a pro-life prayer service on the 25th to pray for and end to the culture of death and the success of the Day of the Unborn Child can also highlight the importance of participating in the upcoming celebration of the feast day, which might simply be to attend one’s parish mass for the Annunciation.

Regardless of the approach, the first event is an opportunity to promote the second with brochures, signs, and/or announcements, and at both events the gestational interval between March and December 25 (and the reason for the current year’s move of the feast) should be pointed out.

Multi-Day Events/Activities--Baby Item Drive, Parish Mission, Lecture Series etc.:

One simple, positive, and practical way to bridge the gap between the two dates is to have a baby-item drive that accepts donations from the 25th through the day on which the feast is being observed. This not only benefits the needy via a local pro-life charity/pregnancy center but also informs the congregation about the life-affirming significance of these days as well as providing an occasion to promote attendance at the concluding Annunciation mass and/or any related events--a sign on the collection bin and a nearby info table can give date and times and some brief historical facts on the feast. A closing after-church get together with refreshments could be offered in keeping with the "feast" day and as a thank you for donors.

Other examples of multi-day events that can underscore the importance of this feast are conferences, parish missions, retreats or a lecture series with a pro-life/Annunciation/Incarnation theme. These can make productive use of some or all of the intervening days with a different focus on each day. For example, a three-day series could focus on the awe-inspiring mystery of Incarnation at Christ’s conception, the pro-life implications of the feast chosen as Day of the Unborn Child, and considering the Lenten/Easter season one might highlight the Incarnation in relation to the Passion and Resurrection. For Catholics one topic could focus on the Incarnational aspect of Christ’s conception as a Rosary meditation subject for the Annunciation as the first of the Joyful Mysteries.

Private Observance

For Children: (also see gift tags in the Annunciation/Christmas section)

Make “FirstDay” Cards or a “FirstDay” Cake for Jesus (to remember the first day of His earthly life):

Homemade “FirstDay” cards can be made at home or as a school project to remind us of the day when Christ the Eternal Word became man. Children can draw the angel and/or a dove over Mary with a halo around her womb. A cake can be decorated similarly or simply with “Happy FirstDay Jesus!--March 25th” Click the following links for more info on (FirstDays campaigns begun on the Annunciation) and the celebration of (FirstDays) plus a (downloadable FirstDay card).

Make a “FirstDays” Calendar for Family and Friends (to extend the significance of the day throughout the year):

Make a “FirstDays” calendar marking the days that fall nine months before loved ones’ birthdays. Use the calendar as a reminder to give little gifts or treats to friends and family on their special days in the coming year. A “FirstDay” card can be made to use alone or to accompany a gift and explain the occasion (the front can read “What day is your March 25th?”). Alternately, the card can simply ask the recipient to guess the reason for the mystery gift or card--try decorating the front with a question mark, and be sure to include the day and month on the card, especially if you are mailing it and aren’t sure what day it will arrive. Click the following link for info on our downloadable FirstDay card for all ages. (Click here for more information on starting a FirstDays campaign to coincide with the Annunciation feast).

9-Month Countdown Calendar to Christmas:

On March 25th begin a 9-month countdown calendar to Christmas, constructing it out of one sheet of colored paper folded in thirds both ways to create nine equal squares. Mark the first square with the feast date March 25 and write the current and past names of the feast underneath (Annunciation, Incarnation, Conception of Christ), and the last square marked Christmas--December 25. Do something special at the end of each month as you mark them off.

For Teens:

Create an Annunciation E-mail Signature

See suggestions under this topic under Adults and Families. Start using the signature at the beginning of March.

Design & Mail March 25th Greeting Cards:

With a greeting card or home publishing program, design and print out March 25th cards with an appropriate theme and mail them several days ahead of time. Cards can also be designed and ordered in small quantities on-line--for example, at Vistaprint. For design and text ideas see also the envelope seals section of Carnations for the Incarnation, the Annunciation image ideas for the homemade gift tag section, and suggestions for Annunciation envelope seals below. [Note: If you are sending out Annunciation cards consider inserting our mini calendars--right click the following links to save Word format downloadable pocket calendars for the current year with optional back sheet highlighting the nine-month interval before Christmas -- our pocket calendars and optional dot.com back or optional blank-space back. They can be printed one-sided, and you can sign the back with a personal greeting to each recipient; or, you can print the optional back side that allows you to add your own text by double clicking the image--there is a text box in edit mode (between the carnations) that you can personalize with your name, recipient's name, year, etc.--if doing so remember to save your changes and close the picture after editing. Print in color on best quality setting and try several paper types to see what works best with your printer -- a coated heavyweight paper is usually best (photo paper, smooth cardstock/greeting card paper, or heavyweight graphics/imaging paper. These can also be inserted in Christmas cards, and the file for next year's cards will be available by December on this page under Mini Gift Calendars in our section on Highlighting the Christmas Connection.]

Design & Send March 25th E-cards:

Design E-cards with a March 25th theme (either the Annunciation or Day of the Unborn Child) and send them a day or two before the feast. To sign up for free, ready-made Annunciation e-cards, see the Date Of Life Foundation on the Related Links page.

**Create a Feast of the Annunciation/Incarnation Outdoor Banner/Flag:**

Festive outdoor banners and flags celebrate almost every holiday--why not display one in your front yard for the Annunciation feast from the beginning of March until the day is celebrated--either craft your own homemade version or order a customized banner on-line using your own uploaded graphics. For example: A simple banner/flag design would include a decorative border and an attractive yet easy to read font for the text: March 25th at the top, Nine Months Before Christmas at the bottom, and the feast name in the middle perhaps in a contrasting color, italic or font. You might add a simple graphic. For example, if using an image of Mary with an angel or descending dove, work the title Feast of the Annunciation in among the images. Or, you might use carnation flower graphics appropriate for the springtime season, using instead the older title Feast of the Incarnation among the carnation images. If you are making a large banner, carnations can be used as a wide border, or to add dimension, sew-on a few fabric carnations. (Don't worry about depicting the unborn Christ in your graphic--the "9 Months Before Christmas" text will communicate the feast's meaning.) For photo upload banners, graphics can be created on a home publishing program and then converted to the desired file type with the "save as" option. Click here for a mini banner you can customize -- approximately 15 x 10 inches and hangs vertically -- (for the mini you may need to use the abbreviation 9 Mos. Before Xmas). During the ordering process you will be asked to upload your graphic in one of the following types: JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg), TIFF (.tif, .tiff), or EPS (.eps). The pole for the mini can be purchased here at the same online store or check at local flag/banner stores such as Flagtastic.

Do an Electronic Version of the Family & Friends “FirstDays” Calendar:

On March 25th, do an electronic version of the family & friends “FirstDays” calendar. Set reminders on electronic organizers and computer calendars to send “FirstDay” or “Life-Day” cards, e-cards, or greeting cards on the days that fall nine months before (or three months after) the birthdays of family and friends. To register for free reminders and Life-Day e-cards and alerts, see the Date Of Life Foundation on the Related Links page. Click the links for more info on (FirstDays campaigns begun on the Annunciation) and the celebration of (FirstDays) including our (downloadable FirstDay card) for all ages.

Evangelize with “March 25th” T-Shirts, Jewelry and Pin Badges You Design Yourself:

Design a “March 25th” t-shirt and print it out with iron-on paper to create your own wearable tool for evangelization--or have one made for you, or design it yourself at Vistaprint. You can add names of the feast--Feast of the Annunciation, Feast of the Incarnation, Conception of Christ (in Latin: Festum Incarnationis, Conceptio Christi)--or simply “Celebrate March 25th” to invite questions. Jewelry can be designed with the same messages, either with block bead letters and numbers; or with text you write or print yourself, paste in a jewelry finding, and cover with glass or plastic domed cabochons (that magnify whatever picture or text you put underneath); with pin-on badge/button making kits, or with colored paper/aluminum key tags.

For Adults and Families:

Read the Gospel Passages on Christ’s Conception and Prenatal Life:

Scripture reading is one of the simplest and most poignant ways to honor the day. Set aside some time to gather together, perhaps before or after dinner, and read aloud the verses on the Annunciation and prenatal meeting of Jesus and John (Luke 1:15 & 30-44). Children old enough to read can participate by taking turns. Close with a prayer of thanksgiving for the incomparable gift of the Incarnation and for all unborn children. Mark the occasion with a special touch like placing a fresh carnation on the table, or lighting a carnation candle. Note: Catholics may also want to read relevant passages from the 1994 Catechism, including: 717--"John was 'filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb' by Christ himself, whom the Virgin Mary had just conceived by the Holy Spirit. Mary's visitation to Elizabeth thus became a visit from God to his people"; 486--which alludes to the fact that Christ's birth is part of the gradual "manifestation" of the Incarnation that had already taken place at the Annunciation; 495--"Called in the Gospels 'the mother of Jesus,' Mary is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit and even before the birth of her son, as 'the mother of my Lord,'" revealing that life, motherhood, and Christ’s divine personhood are present at this very early stage of pregnancy.

Create an Annunciation-Themed E-mail Signature for March:

Perhaps the easiest way to spread the word about the Annunciation is to change or add a special e-mail “signature” for all your outgoing e-mails in March (if your special closing stresses the Christmas connection you can use it in December also). For example, you can use your usual closing and name and below that a few lines with information about the feasts, such as “A Blessed Annunciation (Mar. 25) + 9 months = A Merry Christmas (Dec. 25)” or, for text more specific to March 25--“Have a Blessed Feast of the Annunciation~March 25th~Nine Months Before Christmas” or, just a few lines on the history of the feast--its current name, that it was once named for the Incarnation, that the feast of Christ’s conception once began the New Year, the 9 month interval before Christmas, etc. (See the text suggestions for Annunciation and Carnation-Themed Envelope Seals)

Make an Annual March 25th Donation to a Pro-Life Pregnancy Center:

Contact your local pro-life pregnancy center and ask what items they need. Purchase and/or deliver these items (diapers, bottles, baby clothing) on March 25th.

Calendaring and E-mail Evangelization:

Many of the suggestions for teens will work just as well for adults, sending out March 25th cards as you would Christmas cards, or the setting of electronic reminders to send e-cards or e-mails to friends and family nine months before their birthdays. To register for free Life-Day e-alerts/reminders and e-cards, and to send ready-made Annunciation e-cards, see the Date Of Life Foundation on the Related Links page.

Annunciation Envelope Seals for March Mailings:

Stickers and seals with info on the Annunciation and the nine-month interval between the feast date and Christmas can be used on mailings throughout March. [If you use text that stresses the Christmas connection they can be used throughout the holiday season as well--please see the section on Highlighting the Christmas Connection for labels with graphics covering both feast days. For Annunciation envelope seals that stress the Incarnation please see the suggestions in the Carnations for the Incarnation section.] Do-it-yourself inkjet/laser adhesive label sheets can be used to design your own with a home computer. But one easier way is to purchase custom made address labels, which can be ordered with any text you choose.

For a generous text allowance consider the small Miles Kimball labels (silver, gold, or white)--maximum of 5 lines of 35 characters/spaces. This is enough for two or three mini sentences or a few separate title lines. Type in the desired text after selecting quantity. Note for this style, limiting yourself to four lines will give you slightly larger text:

4-line example for both Christmas & Annunciation:

A Blessed Annunciation Day--Mar. 25

(the old New Year’s Day) + 9 Months

= A Merry Christmas--Dec. 25

Luke 1:15 & 30-44

4-line example specific to the Annunciation:

March 25th--Annunciation Day!

(The feast of Christ’s conception

& Incarnation was the old

New Year’s Day--9 mos. before Xmas)

More 35 or fewer character lines for the Annunciation:

March 25--Feast of the Annunciation

Nine Months Before Christmas

The old “New Year’s Day”

Honoring the Incarnation of Christ

March 25--Day of the Unborn Child

Honoring the Conception of Christ

4-line examples for both Christmas & Annunciation--26 or fewer characters per line:

A Blessed Annunciation Day

+ 9 Months

= A Merry Christmas

March 25th--December 25th

Annunciation Day--Mar. 25

& Christmas--Dec. 25

Are Exactly 9 Mos. Apart

[A 4th line might include: The Length of a Pregnancy or Celebrate the Incarnation]

More 26 or fewer character lines:

March 25--Annunciation Day

Feast of the Incarnation

9 Months Before Christmas

Day Of The Unborn Child

The Old “New Year’s Day”

Honoring the Incarnation

Honor Christ's Conception

An Incarnational Feast

Celebrate the Incarnation

Another idea is to add the scripture references to the Annunciation and prenatal meeting of Jesus and John:

Luke 1:15 & 30-44

Have a Feast of the Annunciation Dinner/Party (similar to the Epiphany tradition):

Celebrate the feast at home with a special dinner and invite family and friends. In a vase or centerpiece, use carnations (the word means flesh-colored flower) in honor of the Incarnation--offer flowers as take-home favors and if desired, attach paper or fabric ribbons marked with feast date info. Or, give each guest a small imprinted favor as described in gift recommendations below. Especially if children will be present, have a special cake or cookies marked with the date in icing. The invitation alone will help spread the message, regardless of how many accept. Click here for more ideas on a carnation-themed dinner, party, or tea.

Give Simple Gifts Reflecting the Day’s Meaning to Family and Friends:

Carnation-themed or imprinted items make meaningful gifts for the occasion. Many small items can be ordered with a line or lines of text with info on the day. One suggestion that’s sure to be a keeper is heat-sensitive color changing pencils--this set can be personalized on-line but allows only 30 characters (to save space separate the words with capitalization rather than spaces and write the line equation style to show the interval between feast days). Some 30 or less character examples:

AnnunciationDay=Xmas-9 Months Mar25(Annunciation)=Xmas-9mos.

AnnunciationDay=Christmas-9mos AnnunciationMr25=XmasDe25-9mos

Annunciation=Christmas-9months Annunciation+9mos=Xmas:Mr&De25

Xmas-9mos=3/25=AnnunciationDay Xmas-9 mos.=Mar.25=Incarnation

Xmas-9 mos.=3/25=Annunciation Annunciation3/25DayOfTheUnborn

AnnunciationToXmasIsNineMonths XMAS-9 MOS.=MAR.25=INCARNATION

To include the full feast names and info check other personalization websites that offer items that accommodate more text--some offer color change pencils with 128 characters on multiple lines but these require greater quantities at a higher cost and are best suited to schools/organizations. 128 characters will allow some or all of the following text: Feast of the Annunciation~9 Mos.Before Christmas~Mar.25~Festum Incarnationis~Honor Christ’s Conception & Day Of The Unborn Child

Bake a traditional Annunciation Cake:

In the village of Tichborne, England, flour was blessed on Annunciation day and distributed to the poor. Some of that flour was no doubt baked into traditional English feast-day cakes called “plum cakes.” (In those days raisins were called “plums,” hence the name “plum cake.”) To make plum cake one simply kneaded butter or lard, sugar, spices, lemon peel, raisins, and sometimes eggs, into ordinary bread dough and baked it in a large round loaf. Every country had some version of plum cake whether it was Spanish pan de feria, Russian babka, Irish barm brack, or Italian pannetone. Here is a recipe for Annunciation cake adapted from a traditional recipe. (The recipe may be doubled, if desired, to make two loaves.):

2 packages quick rise yeast

3/4 cup warm water

½ cup sweet butter (1 stick) melted and cooled

1 t salt

½ cup sugar

2 room-temperature whole eggs, beaten

3 room-temperature egg yolks beaten till lemon-colored

grated peel of one washed lemon

1 T natural almond extract

5 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour

½ cup yellow raisins

½ cup black raisins

¾ cup dried apricots snipped into small strips and dredged with flour

1 silver coin, e.g. a quarter, wrapped in wax paper

extra butter for greasing tin and coating dough

bright green poster board

red, pink, and yellowish-green construction paper

small figures of Mary and the Angel from Christmas crib

1. Start early in day. (If desired, cake may be baked well in advance of use, cooled thoroughly, and stored tightly wrapped in freezer.) Soften yeast in the warm water.

2. Mix butter, salt, sugar, eggs, lemon peel, almond extract, egg yolks. Add the yeast and butter mixture to 2½ cups of flour and beat with electric beater. Remove beater and add as much of the remaining flour as needed to make a very soft dough. Grease your hands lightly with butter and coat them with flour. Knead dough on a lightly floured board till smooth and free from stickiness, adding only as much of the remaining flour as needed to make a very soft dough. Knead in raisins and apricots and continue to knead till dough becomes silky and stretchy in texture and bubbles or blisters appear.

3. Place dough in greased warmed bowl, turn dough once to grease top surface, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place, such as the top of a radiator, until doubled in bulk, i.e. one to two hours. If dough does not double in bulk in this time, knead again and repeat rising process. (If necessary, punched-down dough may be covered and refrigerated overnight and the rising continued the next day.

4. Knead dough again till smooth. Separate out a lump of dough large enough to halfway fill a greased and floured two-pound coffee tin. Insert wax-paper-wrapped coin into dough. (Any remaining dough may be baked in muffin tins.) Brush tops of loaf with melted butter and let rise again until doubled in bulk. The dough should just reach the tops of the pan. With a razor or sharp knife cut a deep cross in top of loaf.

5. Bake in a pre-heated hot over (400 degrees) about ten minutes or till the surface begins to brown. Reduce over temperature to slow (350 degrees) and bake about 30 to 40 minutes longer until the loaf pulls away from the side

of the pan and rings hollow when thumped.

6. Cool thoroughly upright on rack before serving or storing.

7. On Annunciation day, decorate the cake with small Christmas-crib figures of Mary and the angel and four white candles. The Christmas message “Gloria” on the angel’s banner may be painted out with acrylic paint and the Annunciation message “Ave Gratia Plena” written on the banner with a fine-tip indelible pen. The angel may be suspended from its hook on the notched end of two large matchsticks which have first been spliced together with masking tape and the unnotched end inserted in the cake. Or, if desired, the angel may be suspended with thread from a chandelier above the cake.

8. Cut a crown from bright green poster board, stapling it together in the back. Cut tulip shapes out of red and pink construction paper; cut stems and leaves out of yellowish green paper. Paste or staple the tulip shapes around the outside of the crown alternating red and pink tulips. At dessert time light the candles and sing an Annunciation carol before cutting the cake. The person who finds the coin in their slice receives the flower crown to wear. The coin signifies that Christ has bought us; the flower crown signifies the bliss of heaven which Christ won for his people. Annunciation day marks the beginning of our redemption for it is the conception day of Christ. [Recipe contributed by the Annunciation Society].

Public Observance (Also see our Past Events Archive for ideas from previous years)

Note: Our “Prayer to Christ Unborn” page has downloadable files to print text-only March 25 prayer cards and brochures, as well as a display sign explaining the day’s significance for billboards, informational tables, etc. Perhaps the simplest way to promote awareness of the day is to have an after-church coffee and refreshments get-together on the Sunday before or nearest the feast day featuring an info table with the downloadable sign and prayer cards and/or brochures--this can easily be combined with a baby item donation drive for a pro-life charity. [In addition to prayer cards and brochures, consider handing out small all-ages gifts such as pencils (click for details) with information on the day and its significance that will remind attendees of its meaning].

For Clergy, Churches, Schools:

(Please see the home page section on how the Annunciation provides a uniquely child-friendly introduction to the meaning of conception and the sanctity of life--particularly helpful in teaching those children too young for the details of human reproduction. See also the suggestions for Spiritual Adoption and the Annunciation/Christmas/New Year's Connection).

Church-Based Suggestions: Sermon/Homily, After-Church Get-Together, Baby Item Collection or Carnation Sale, Prayer Card Distribution:

Church Services--Sermon/Homily:

Plan a sermon for the Sunday before March 25th that addresses the importance of celebrating Christ’s conception as the moment of Incarnation to raise awareness of the day ahead of time. If your church already has a daily service for the feast, encourage member of the parish or congregation to attend, and also mention any other Annunciation/Incarnation celebrations or Day of the Unborn Child events in the area, making sure the details are printed in the bulletin and/or posted on fliers. If your denomination does not specifically celebrate the Annunciation, write a piece for the church bulletin/newsletter on March 25th as “Day of the Unborn Child” and/or the compelling reasons to celebrate Christ’s conception and the logical symbolism of doing so nine months before Christmas. If time permits, plan one or two events that emphasize either or both aspects--a simple prayer service on the day to pray for renewed respect for all human life, and a grateful celebration of Christ’s Incarnation. One popular approach is to begin a nine-month Spiritual Adoption program on the day to pray for the welfare of newly conceived children. Some Catholic parishes select the Annunciation feast date to start a "novena" of monthly Masses (the Annunciation Society offers monthly meditations on Christ’s development in the womb to be used from the Annunciation to Christmas--right click to download the "The Nine Months of Jesus in the Womb--Mar.25 to Dec.25). This approach also reinforces the nine-month interval before Christmas and can stand alone or complement a Spiritual Adoption program--each Mass can be offered for a specific monthly intention concerning the physical, spiritual, and familial welfare of the "adopted" children. Please also see Worship Resources, and An Ecumenical Celebration for traditions and sermon ideas from particular denominations.

Baby Item Collection Drive:

One simple and practical way to highlight the pro-life aspect of the day is to have a baby item collection drive promoted ahead of time in the bulletin and with postings. Contact a local pro-life pregnancy center or charity and ask them for their current needs list. Have the collection bin in place on the morning of the Sunday before the feast day--attach a sign or flyer to the bin specifying the items wanted and giving basic info on the upcoming Annunciation feast--that it honors Christ’s conception and falls nine months before Christmas, as well as its designation as Day of the Unborn Child--a special time for charity towards unborn children. If there is room on the bin, also attach a flier with the time/location for any special events for the day, or an adjacent info table might offer flyers for local Annunciation or Day of the Unborn Child events as well as prayer cards.

Carnation Sale Fundraiser:

Another option is a carnation sale fundraiser to remind us we are celebrating the Incarnation and to provide financial support to a local pro-life pregnancy center reflecting the feast’s designation as Day of the Unborn Child. The sale and its purpose should be promoted in advance and can be combined with a well-attended Annunciation event, or on the Sunday nearest to the feast day to maximize the response.

After-Church Get-Together:

An after-church get together with refreshments and a literature table is another way to spread the news--this can be on the Sunday before, combined with the start of the baby-item drive, or on the feast day itself after a church-based event--either way, make sure it is publicized in advance in the bulletin and with posted fliers. This needn’t be costly--simply offer coffee, tea, and donuts, or ask parishioners to provide baked goods.

Prayer Card Distribution:

On the day itself (or Sunday nearest--preferably before), one option is to distribute prayer cards and/or brochures focused on the conception of Christ, the welfare of the unborn, or both (for downloadable materials see our Annunciation pro-life prayer cards page). They can be handed out after the service or mass, or displayed along with a refreshments table.

The Annunciation Church/School Program:

“The Feast of the Annunciation Church/School Program: Jesus’ Journey In The Womb Teaches The Sanctity Of All Preborn Children”--by the Diocese of Peoria Respect Life Board. Churches of many denominations have used this program focused on Spiritual Adoption since its launch in 2006. To order the Annunciation Church/School Program booklet, or the companion Lenten Reflection (described below) on conception as the start of Christ’s earthly Passion, contact the Family Resources Center at 309-637-1713

“A Lenten Reflection On The Beginning of the Passion Of Christ”--by the Diocese of Peoria Respect Life Board. This companion piece to the Annunciation Church/School Program described above stresses the sacrificial nature of Christ’s entire earthly life from conception. To order the booklet, contact the Family Resources Center at 309-637-1713.

Note: Another Peoria Diocese Respect Life Board publication, “Life Is a Miracle: Families Celebrate March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation,” has additional ideas, reflections and suggestions for celebrating the feast. It includes books, songs, videos, prayers and more. The booklet can be ordered on-line here or call the Family Resources Center at 309-637-1713.

Speaker Luncheons/Dinner/One-Day-Conference:

Another popular approach is to have an Annunciation/Incarnation diner, luncheon, or conference with a guest speaker on the Incarnational and/or pro-life aspect of the feast day--a portion of the price can be donated to a local pro-life pregnancy center.

Note: If one large event is planned for a locale or diocese, a church or school named for the Annunciation or Incarnation can be ideal if conveniently located.

Launch a +9 or Celebrate FirstDays like BirthDays! Campaign

Choose Annunciation Day to launch a “+9” or “Celebrate FirstDays like BirthDays!” campaign--promoting the slogans throughout the nine months leading to Christmas. Each poignant but pithy phrase focuses positively and appealingly on the prenatal life of the person reading or hearing it, rather than directly on the victims of abortion. Both are premised on the idea that if people understand the inherent value of their own lives including the first nine months then they will recognize the inherent worth of others including the unborn. “Plus Nine” reminds us that our legal age is not our real age, and “FirstDays” give us a new reason to celebrate. The mottos gently imply and open the door to the more direct follow-up affirmation that “You matter--from conception!” Short enough to print on signs, stationery, and in each issue of church bulletins/organization newsletters, they can be paired with the URL of a local church or pregnancy-center webpage updated to feature info on the meaning behind the catchphrase. Toward the end of each of the nine months (preferably on the 25th) there might be a new focus or venue added, or a special promotional activity such as a +9 bumper sticker giveaway, school essay contest on the slogan’s meaning, or student art show to select the best “Celebrate FirstDays” sign. These simple consciousness-raising efforts reach out to a broad base of varying ages and ideologies, including those who might turn away from more explicit anti-abortion messages--ranging from the young child innocent of the reality of abortion, to those post-abortive parents trapped in denial, and even the longstanding pro-abortion activists who never consider the fact that they themselves were once unborn children. These approaches also can serve as entry-level forms of pro-life activism. Reflecting on our own prenatal life has the additional benefit of enriching the pro-life perspective of those who already oppose abortion. NOTE: Internet postings and e-mail signatures offer expanded opportunities to spread the slogans, and smaller versions of the signs can be produced on bumper stickers, magnets, dorm/school doorknob hangers, and envelope seals for wider distribution--all these formats are also available on home printing specialty papers allowing individuals and families to further promote awareness. For additional suggestions and background info, see the respective sections with downloadable signs below.

Begin a “+9” campaign with the posting of boldface +9 signs that serve as thought-provoking and life-affirming reminders that we are all nine months older than our legal age. As profiled in Human Life International’s Dec. ’06 Special Report No. 264, the “plus nine” campaign is a “brilliant and simple educational concept to underscore the value of human life from the moment of conception”--“catchy, attractive, and effective.” It is also ideally suited for children, whose desire to be and think of themselves as “older” can now be channeled into a positive and reality-based understanding of their own worth from conception. It is especially important to teach this lesson to vulnerable preadolescents, whose eagerness to “grow up” can easily be exploited by a media which continually bombards children with corrupting content promoting destructive ideas and behaviors at increasingly younger ages. Particularly well suited to school-based programs, it can be implemented for and by students, posting and making +9 signs. HLI reports that Paul Vincenti of Gift of Life (click & scroll down to see their +9 web banner) and a co-worker conceived and developed the idea for a pro-life campaign in Malta where these signs posted on “walls, trees, and lampposts,” combined with the practice of adding “plus nine months” to the answer when asked one’s age, have effectively raised awareness of the fact that life begins at conception. This fact of our real age has been reflected at times in various cultures. For example, EWTN's Fr. Benedict Groeschel has cited the traditional Irish expression referring to a newborn as "nine-months-old by his mother's time," and HLI's March '07 Special Report noted that in "Taiwanese culture," "it is standard practice to count the nine months of pre-born life as part of a person's age." For the most part however, the "out of sight, out of mind" tendency has obscured the prenatal part of the life span--and it is just this quiet corner of human life that the +9 program is designed to illuminate. The sign’s simple design of the mathematical plus symbol and the numeral 9 transcends the language barrier, and turns the modern tendency to focus on self into a life-affirming self-reflection.

Download A Small +9 Sign:

Right-click here to download a simple +9 sign (standard size, prints in landscape)--fill in URL line with the web address of the local organization, church, etc. running the campaign--with the home page updated to include info or a link on the +9 program.

Start a “Celebrate FirstDays like BirthDays!” campaign, promoting the slogan in both public and private areas and communications. For years pro-life families have celebrated “FirstDays” with cards, gifts, and parties as a way to incorporate the pro-life philosophy into daily life. In 2000, a pro-life group in the USA (Youth for Life) even prepared a "firstday" card for Pope John Paul II (click and scroll down to read) to present to him in Rome on August 18th of that year (nine months before his birthday). As Zenit News Agency reported (5/16/00), the gesture was designed to "make the point that a person's life should be celebrated from its very beginning, nine months before birth." But the concept of celebrating one’s FirstDay can be brought to the wider society and has appeal for all ages--most everyone is receptive to the idea of enjoying a special occasion, especially for a good reason. “Firstdays” (a term cleverly close to “birthdays”) are generally celebrated a symbolic 9 months before a birthday, unless more accurate info is available (ex.: prematurity or original due date) to determine more precisely what is also termed “Life-Day” (click here for a link to the free Life-Day e-card Date Of Life site). A “firstday” needn’t be costly or materialistic or involve a large gathering. For kids, a meaningful little gift with card and a balloon or small cake will suffice for an at-home celebration, or spend a day or evening out at their favorite amusement park or recreation area. If from an early age children are given a sense of their own worth from conception in a positive and fun way, they are also likely to see the worth of others from the very first, including the children they will someday conceive. But “firstdays” are for adults too--perhaps in the form of an outing to a nice restaurant for one’s favorite meal. We can’t assume others will remember our FirstDays, so keep in mind that it’s something you can do for yourself, even on your own if need be--like having a rarely indulged-in dessert or buying your favorite flowers. Marking firstdays with such innocent pleasures is an appealing way to change people’s thinking about their own prenatal lives to impact the way they see others in this vulnerable stage of life. Promoting this new FirstDay tradition is a gentle pro-life initiative suited to an all-ages general population, and also a way to deliver the message through the back door of those who are otherwise closed to anti-abortion messages. It harnesses the “treat yourself” trend and turns to good use the modern tendency to focus on self. If we are to celebrate, let it be something important, and if we are to appreciate ourselves, let us center on the unappreciated first nine months of our lives. Firstday celebrations have the potential to turn the wrong kind of self-love (that leads us to harm others) into the right kind (the kind that empathetically opens us to the worth and needs of others particularly the unborn). Note that the capitalization of the term can vary depending on whether your sign aims at emphasizing the freshness of the idea (FirstDays) or the continuity of celebrating them in addition to the similar sounding “birthdays” (firstdays). Either way, the traditional celebration of Jesus’ conception is an ideal time to spearhead a campaign to celebrate the conception of all children--indeed the feast of the Annunciation/Incarnation is the perfect way for Christians to introduce young children to this practice, for the conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit can be freely discussed with those who have not yet had the “facts of life” talk explaining natural conception. Already we find the same organizations advocating both FirstDay celebrations and observance of the feast of Christ’s conception--we need only connect the two in order to maximize the impact. Priests For Life, which encourages pro-life Annunciation celebrations, announced their “FirstDay Project” in 1996--click here to read the article from their Sep/Oct newsletter of that year. It recommended the observance of “Firstdays” or “Lifedays” with greeting cards and celebrations. As stated in the PFL newsletter: “It's only logical! It may even make some people think! And it can be fun--let the celebration begin!” PFL reinforced the idea two years later in an 8/3/98 column entitled 1996--How Are You Both? This article addressed the problem of unwittingly reinforcing the culture-of-death by failing to recognize the unborn in everyday speech, expressions, and traditions; beginning new traditions like FirstDays was suggested as part of the solution. Of course the historical observance of Christ’s conception (and for Catholics, Mary’s as well) proves the concept is not entirely new, and in more recent years pro-life blogs have promoted the natural connection between the celebration of the Annunciation and FirstDays.

Download FirstDays Signs & FirstDay Cards:

Right click here to download a small "Celebrate FirstDays like Birthdays" sign (prints in landscape), or here for a "9 Months Before Your Birthday, Celebrate Your Firstday" sign (both print on a standard sheet)--fill in URL line with the web address of the local organization, church, etc. running the campaign, with the home page updated to include info or a link on the “FirstDays” program. Right click to download and save our our All-Ages Acorn FirstDay Card in MS Home Publishing (.php) format. File prints two cards on a standard size sheet, with a cutting line between them. The card features a color acorn graphic and the text, “Happy FirstDay!...Celebrate!” with a circular line of text in the center that reads: “...Like the tiny plant that rests inside a seed, we begin our lives small and in secret, hidden from the eyes of the world.” For best results use heavyweight paper or cardstock--white, cream, natural work well. Print and cut a test sheet first before multiple copies. For more on FirstDays including FirstDay cards and calendars see the sections on Private Observance for children and teens.)

Pro-life Groups:

Plan pro-life demonstrations or prayer vigils for March 25th. Prepare “Day of the Unborn Child” signs and t-shirts for the occasion (you can design them yourself at Vistaprint), and notify the media of any large scale events. Please also see the sections on selecting this day to launch a “+9” or “Celebrate FirstDays like Birthdays!” campaign as well as the General suggestions linked at the top of the page, many of which are suitable for pro-life groups and organizations--for example, having a carnation sale on the day to remind us it is the feast of the Incarnation, and to raise funds for a pregnancy center reminding us it is also the Day of the Unborn Child.

Individuals:

Depending upon your denomination's traditions, your church may already have an opportunity for public observance in having services on that day (or a day close to it if moved for Easter Week). If so, all you need to do is encourage attendance and highlight its centrality as the principal memorial of the Incarnation and its pro-life significance--for example by offering to write or suggesting an advance notice of the service in the bulletin. If the feast is not on the official calendar, suggest a new tradition of celebrating March 25th as Day of the Unborn Child with a prayer service. Also, check our Events page to see if anything is happening near you. If not, there are many suggestions here to help you plan an event with your church or local pro-life group, and you can always use the ideas above for general and private observance as well.

Ideas for Honoring the Day:

General: (All ages--public/private, groups/individuals)

Private Observance:

Public Observance: (Also check our Past Events Archive for ideas from previous years)

See Also:

General (All ages--groups and individuals)

Spiritual Adoption (9 months of prayer for an unborn child):

Spiritual Adoption Basics:

Popular Approaches to Spiritual Adoption:

Bulletin Reminders/Inserts:

The Christmas Baby Shower:

Downloadable Files for Printable Pledge Slips and Sample:

Highlighting the Christmas Connection (and New Year’s too):

The Importance of the Annunciation’s Christmas Connection and its Historical Relationship to New Year’s Day:

Weaving the Annunciation into Christmas and New Year’s Traditions:

Web & Electronic Mailings/Communications:

Seals/Stickers/Stamps for Envelopes/Packages:

Design Your Own Christmas/New Year’s Cards, Postcard Calendar Magnets, or Calendar Cards with text on the Annunciation/Christmas/New Year’s connection:

Stocking Stuffers Personalized with Info on the Feast Days:

Give Customized Tree Ornaments as Gifts (with text on the Annunciation and Christmas):

Homemade Gift Tags (children/young teens):

Mini Gift Calendars Personalized With Info on the Annunciation:

Clergy and the Christmas Connection (see also Spiritual Adoption):

Carnations for the Incarnation:

The Need for A Symbol:

The Flower as Symbol:

Carnations for the Incarnation:

General Suggestions on Using Carnations:

Carnations in Church, Parish, & School-Based Activities:

Bouquets and Arrangements in Church:

Flowers in Processions:

“Incarnation Celebrations” (use the carnation as a symbol in promotional materials):

Carnation Sale Fundraisers:

Carnation Seeds (for distribution at church/school, or given as gifts):

Carnations for the Home and Family Dinner Table:

Families & Organizations: Host an Event, Dinner, Party, or Tea with a Carnation Theme

Centerpiece Options:

Setting the Table:

An Afternoon or After-Church Tea:

Baked-Goods & Candy: (Cookies, Pastries, Chocolates & Mints, Cakes):

Cookies:

Pastries--One-Serving Cakes & Bite-Size Cakelets for an Elegant Dessert:

Carnation-Themed Chocolates & Mints (purchase or make your own):

Decorate a Special Cake with Text and/or Carnations for the Incarnation:

Carnation-Themed Gifts & Party Favors:

Give Fresh Flowers (and attach our “Carnations for the Incarnation” ribbons):

Order Carnation-Themed Chocolates Online:

Floating or Fragranced Carnation Candles:

Mini Flowering Carnation Teas:

Carnation Soaps

Specialized or Unusual Carnation-Themed Gifts:

Carnation Crafts (for family activities or to give as gifts)

Carnation Seed Packets

Pin Button/Badge Making

Make a Carnation Wreath for Your Door

Make a “Feast of the Incarnation” Flag/Banner for Outdoor Display

Make a Carnation Teacup Arrangement

Dye White Carnations Blue for a Baby-Themed Pink and Blue Bouquet

Make Paper Carnations

Carnation-Shaped and/or Scented Candles and Soaps

Clear Soap Bars with Faux Carnation Petals:

Soap Petals

Carnation Envelope Seals, Cards/Invitations, Stationery

Carnation-Themed Annunciation E-Cards

Carnation-Themed Envelope Seals:

Carnation-themed Greeting Cards, Invitations and Stationery:

Ideas for Years in which the Feast is Moved: (link the two days & utilize the interval)

Private Preparations for Families and Individuals:

Linked Events and Multi-Day Activities in the Church and Community:

Two Linked Events:

Multi-Day Events/Activities--Baby Item Drive, Parish Mission, Lecture Series etc.:

Private Observance

For Children: (also see gift tags in the Annunciation/Christmas section)

Make “FirstDay” Cards or a “FirstDay” Cake for Jesus (to remember the first day of His earthly life):

Make a “FirstDays” Calendar for Family and Friends (to extend the significance of the day throughout the year):

9-Month Countdown Calendar to Christmas:

For Teens:

Create an Annunciation E-mail Signature

Design & Mail March 25th Greeting Cards:

Design & Send March 25th E-cards:

**Create a Feast of the Annunciation/Incarnation Outdoor Banner/Flag:**