Madonna and Child for Display

Some religious souvenirs I collect are small icons of Madonna and Child. When traveling, my eye is always out for different renditions of this subject. I have close to twenty of these icons and group them together for a Christmas display, along with miniature lights, crystal and silver ornaments, and sometimes candles.

Here is a thought on this type arrangement from Holiday-guide regarding tradition and whimsy:

A little green, a little red, something sparkly, a few lights --is that your holiday decor plan? Time to go hunting for heirlooms in your china cabinet, add some ... handicrafts and make your home personal and memorable for the holidays.... focus on three elements -- personality, iconic theme and interesting colour combinations -- when ... conjuring up holiday decor ideas. "I recommend starting with your traditional favourites and adding an unconventional twist."

This is a grouping of my display of The Madonna and Child icons, displayed under a large mirror in our entryway. These icons were collected from Mexico, Israel, Rome, Italy, Spain and Norway:


The traditional part of the display would be the icons, and the whimsical part includes paper doilies covering miniature lights which I previously researched in this blog about doilies and lights. So inadvertently, the suggestions from Holiday-guide regarding whimsy and tradition were followed.

This beautiful icon of the Madonna & Child was created by Richard G. Cannuli O.S.A., picture courtesy of The Augustinian Press:

From WorldandI:

The theme of the Madonna and Child is among the most ancient and widespread in Christian iconography and has the greatest number of variations because--beyond its symbolic religious functions--it allows one to analyze the relationship between mother and child in its many aspects.

Reviewing the history of Madonna and Child art was an interesting morning in blog land. Other sources you might like to look at are:

Stencils and Pages for Reproduction and history-madonna-and-child and History of the Black Madonna and Child

Go to Kelli's House for lovely show-and-tell Christmas displays. Your eyes will have a virtual feast!

Teaching Prayer to Children; O Holy Night Video

By praying, ourselves, we fulfill the desire we have as human beings to know the God in whose image we are made. Something in us wants to know God. “Our hearts are restless,” Saint Augustine says, “until they rest in you.”

By praying, we rest in God. As our children learn to communicate with God, they too find this special place of rest.

For more information about children and prayer, go to Teaching Children to Pray.



Music by Selah from the album "Rose of Bethlehem" and image sync by my new friend in Ireland, Lynda Jones

Former Gov. Adlei Stevenson's Christmas Letter - 1962

Faith and Values spoken by Harold Myra (click on this video link)

The above link is a video from Faith Streams which I saw this morning on the website 30 Good Minutes. It is about facing fear in uncertain times, and how we are called to "face fear with loyalty and courage, and above all, our love for one another."

It was the custom of former Governor Adlei Stevenson to send a Christmas letter to his constituents each year he was in office. This R.L. Stevenson quote was incorporated into his annual letter shortly after the 1962 Cuban crisis:

Give us grace and strength to forbear and to persevere. Give us courage and gaiety and the quiet mind, spare to us our friends, soften to us our enemies.
Robert Louis Stevenson

It is a different take on the Christmas story. The video is well worth a thoughtful look and listen.