Get your Christmas shopping done early with OSV’s Christmas gift guide

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Christmas gifts
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Enrich a loved one’s faith this holiday season by giving them a gift that fosters the beauty, goodness and truth of the Catholic Church. This year’s Christmas gift guide from Our Sunday Visitor offers great gift suggestions for the whole family. Check out the Art Nouveau Marian print, skateboards decorated with cool Catholic designs, a St. Joseph tie, ornaments made by monastic sisters, Catholic books for all ages, and more.

Lori Hadacek Chaplin writes from Idaho.

GIFTS FOR WOMEN

Art Nouveau “Madonna and Child” Print

print“Madonna and Child” by London artist Jeanne Antoinette Labrousse, circa 1918, features an image of Mother Mary and baby Jesus in lovely shades of gold, teal and red. The intricate design of grapes and lilies and the arch framing the holy figures are hallmarks of Art Nouveau.

Price: $12 (unframed); $49.95 (gold frame); $69.95 (wood frame)

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Vintage Sacred Heart Medallion

heart medallionFrom House of Joppa is their best-selling Vintage Sacred Heart Medallion. Perfect for a home altar, the medallion may be hung on the wall or placed on the altar. The piece features a Marian cross and opens to place prayer intentions or names inside the heart (5″ x 4.25″).

Website: houseofjoppa.com
Price: $27

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Monastery of Bethlehem Handmade Ornaments

ornamentsBeautiful, hand-painted Christmas ornaments by the Sisters of the Monastery of Bethlehem offer a memorable present for women who appreciate an artisanal gift. Located in rural Livingston Manor, New York, the Monastery of Bethlehem provides the peace that the nuns need to create intricate patterns and artwork with the Wise Men and angels. “All chinaware is done in solitude and in prayer, anonymously, and with love,” says the monastery’s website.

Price: $49 (set of five); $98 (set of 10)

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Full of Grace Journal

full of grace journalThe lined journals from Full of Grace USA offer a delightful gift for moms who like to write or keep organized. Each journal cover comes decorated with traditional Catholic imagery such as the Sacred Heart of Jesus and lovely depictions of Mother Mary.

Price: $15

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“The Vatican Christmas Cookbook”

Vatican cook bookGorgeously photographed, “The Vatican Christmas Cookbook” by David Geisser and Thomas Kelly is a sequel to the bestseller, “The Vatican Cookbook.” Geisser — dubbed the “Swiss Guard Chef” — offers more than 70 recipes, expanding on Christmas classics. Throughout the book, Thomas Kelly recounts the history and lore of Christmas at the Vatican and more.

Price: $34.94

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GIFTS FOR TEENS

Catholic Skateboard

skateboardAn “ooh and aah” gift for a young man or woman is the Motherboard Catholic-themed skateboard. The ready-to-use skateboard features eye-catching Catholic artwork. Choose from traditional images of Our Lady and St. Michael to modern designs of the Sacred Heart to uplifting Biblical quotes written in Latin.

Price: $199

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Gemstone Rosary Bracelets

rosary braceletsMore than a fashion statement, Chews Life Gemstone Rosary Bracelets allow a daughter or son to always have a rosary on them. The wrap bracelet comprises the entire Rosary made with gemstone beads. The Rosary bracelet comes in several designs pleasing to both men and women.

Website: chewslife.com
Price: $34

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Full of Grace Stickers

stickersFull of Grace USA offers vibrant-looking stickers to decorate laptops and more. The 4-inch pierced Sacred Heart of Jesus image features the Surrender Novena: “Oh Jesus, I surrender myself to you.” Other Catholic stickers available include the St. Benedict Sword, Marian images, and more.

Price: $3-$6

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“I Am Catholic!” Keychain

keychainExclusively from OSV is the “I Am Catholic!” keychain. Handmade, the keychain has two white lava beads and three wooden beads to represent the three Hail Mary chaplet. Attached to the beads are an antique silver finish crucifix and a holy medal with the words, “I am Catholic, in case of serious accident please call a priest.”

Price: $14.95

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The Catholic Card Game

card gameThe Catholic Card Game — 2nd edition revised and updated 2021 — is a Catholic-themed question-and-answer party game for teens and adults. The Catholic Card Game includes cards with questions pertaining to the Catholic faith, tradition and culture. For each round of the game, the judge reads aloud a prompt, and then the players lay down their best answer from the seven white cards from their hand. The judge gives the yellow card to the player with the best answer, and the next round begins with a new prompt. The person with the most yellow cards wins the game.

Price: $35

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GIFTS FOR CHILDREN

chew rosaryChews Life Silicone Rosary

Perfect for babies and toddlers, a Chews Life Silicone Rosary is a toy that will grow with your child. It’s big, tough and baby-safe for teethers, and it comes in a variety of attractive colors.

Website: chewslife.com
Price: $38

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“Portrait of the Son: A Tale of Love”

Portrait of the Son book“Portrait of the Son: A Tale of Love” by Josephine Nobisso has all of the ingredients — splendid art by Ted Schluenderfritz, a captivating story, and a lingering moral — to catch the imaginations of both children and adults. In the story, a wealthy but generous man has a house filled with original art, which he curated for his son. The only thing the man loves more than his art collection is his son. Sadly, the son dies in war. Then one day, a soldier appears on his doorstep and gifts him with a portrait he’d painted of the man who saved him in battle. Though an amateurishly done portrait, the mourning father saw that it depicted his son. An allegory, “Portrait Of The Son” ends with a thought-provoking twist.

Website: amazon.com
Price: $18.95 (hardcover)

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“The Night the Saints Saved Christmas” and Sticker Sheet

sticker sheetPoor Saint Nick wakes up with a cold, so the saints come together to deliver presents to children. “The Night the Saints Saved Christmas,” told in rhyme, shows children the real meaning of Christmas and how the saints play a role in our lives. Accompanying the book are stickers featuring the eight saints from the story, including St. Padre Pio, St. Francis, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and more.

Price: $7.95 (stickers); $16.95 (hardcover book)

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Marian Notepad

notepadPerfect stocking stuffer for your daughter or granddaughter, the Marian Notepad, created by artist Stephanie Roberts, includes artwork of the Virgin Mary embracing a young Jesus. The pad measures 3.5″ x 8.5″ and has 50 tear-off pages.

Price: $10

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Mary Garden Puzzle

puzzleNew from Shining Light Dolls, is their Counting Mary Garden puzzle (24″ x 36″). Children will enjoy putting together this brightly colored 48-piece Marian puzzle together while learning to count.

Price: $19.99

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GIFTS FOR MEN

Combat Rosary

combat rosaryPatterned after the 1916 WWI US Government military service rosary, the Combat Rosary from Roman Catholic Gear improved on the original rosary by adding a Miraculous Medal, Benedict Medal and Pardon Crucifix. The rosary comes in gunmetal, silver plated or antique bronze along with a pocket-sized, lambskin leather pouch.

Website: romancatholicgear.com
Price: $26.95

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“Pray: The Story of Patrick Peyton”

Pray bookEven big movie stars like Maureen O’Hara couldn’t resist Father Patrick Peyton when he asked them to come on his television show to recite the Rosary. “Pray: The Story of Patrick Peyton” tells the compelling story of a young Irish lad who immigrated to America in 1928, became a priest and evolved into an influential propagator of family prayer. Father Peyton coined the adage: “The family that prays together stays together.” Through radio, television and worldwide public speaking, he taught people of all faiths about the power of prayer. Every believer should see this award-winning documentary enjoyable for the whole family.

Website: praythefilm.com
Price: $4.99 (digital download); $14.99 (DVD)

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Confession Mug

confession mugDads and grandpas with a fun sense of humor will appreciate the ceramic Confession Mug sporting the words, “don’t make me have to go to confession.” The 11oz mug comes in black or white.

Website: etsy.com
Price: $18.99

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“Gates of Dannemora”

book“Gates of Dannemora” by Vincent Michaels is the story of how Father Ambrose Hyland (1900-1954) possessed enough faith and moxie to buck the system and get a freestanding church built within the wall of a New York state prison. Told in six parts, the book details the fascinating story of how Father Hyland, a prison chaplain, and the inmates built Saint Dismas inside Clinton Prison, in Dannemora, New York. Named after the Good Thief, the Gothic-style church comprises 8,000 square feet and was the first freestanding church built within a state prison. Michaels, currently an inmate of Clinton, offers a riveting recounting of the history first featured in the out-of-print “Gates of Dannemora” by John L Bonn (1953).

Website: outskirtspress.com
Price: $22.46 (softcover)

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“Hermitage of the Heart”

book“Hermitage of the Heart: 40 Days to Peace, Prayer, and the Presence of God” by John Michael Talbot offers a way to pull our hearts and minds away from the distractions of modern life. The book comprises a 40-day retreat for Christians to create an interior hermitage. Each daily chapter refers to St. Romuald’s rule and stories from the monk’s life. Talbot also draws from his own experiences living in the Little Portion Hermitage and Monastery. The meditations — meant for morning and night contemplation — are brief but substantive.

Website: troubadourforthelord.net
Price: $20 (softcover)

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GIFT FOR HOSTESSES

wafersOplatki Christmas Wafers

From Poland comes the decorative Oplatki Christmas Wafers. Traditionally served at the Christmas Eve meal, pieces of the embossed wafer are broken off by the eldest family member and passed around with a blessing. “The significance of the Oplatki Christmas wafer is in that it shadows the Eucharistic meal Catholics participate in at each Mass,” explains Zieglers.com. Each four-pack includes three white wafers and one pink.

Website: zieglers.com
Price: $1.75 (four wafers)

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OSV EDITORS’ PICKS

All Occasion Cards from Cards by Anne

occasion cardsArtist Anne Kertz Kernion designed this set of 10 “Encouragement” cards featuring original contemporary artwork along with quotes from saints such as Julian of Norwich, St. Hildegard, an Irish blessing, and more.

Website: cardsbyanne.com
Price: $17

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Deacon Cross Baseball Cap

baseball capLooking for a special gift for your parishes’ deacon? The Deacon Cross Baseball Cap (100% cotton) comes in black, charcoal gray, navy blue, maroon, hunter green and features an embroidered cross and the word “deacon.”

Website: deaconstore.com
Price: $19.95

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“The Finest Gifts: A Christmas Story”

Christmas story book“The Finest Gifts: A Christmas Story” by Sandra L. Cole and illustrated by Erika Bentsen Norris retells the Christmas story in verse but includes a subplot about an old woman who gives her only possessions — a cane and tattered shawl — to the baby Jesus.

Website: thefinestgiftsbook.com
Price: $15 (softcover)

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Gifts showcasing the art of Abigail Halpin

Abigail Halpin is a Catholic artist from Maine who finds design inspiration from vintage textiles, folk art, mystery novels and the New England landscape. Check out her exclusive designs for OSV:

Saint Joseph Tie

TIEThe Saint Joseph Tie features two symbols associated with St. Joseph: the lily for purity and the carpenter’s ruler. The ideal gift for dads who like conversation-starter ties.

Website: osvcatholicbookstore.com
Price: $32

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Alleluia Enamel Pin & Sticker

pin and stickerJust right for stocking stuffers are Halpin’s snazzy enamel “Alleluia” (1.25″) pin and “Alleluia” vinyl sticker (3.25″ x 2.75″).

Website: osvcatholicbookstore.com
Price: $12.95 (pin); $4.95 (sticker)

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“Simply Faithful: My Catholic Prayer Journal”

journals“Simply Faithful” features cover art by Halpin with intro and writing prompts by Barb Szyszkiewicz. Choose from a Sacred Heart floral pattern in blue and red hues or Our Lady of Lourdes floral in shades of blue.

Website: osvcatholicbookstore.com
Price: $9.95

Lori Hadacek Chaplin

Lori Hadacek Chaplin writes from Idaho.