I love All Saints' Day.  

How amazingly awesome is it that, through the power of Christ's saving work, death has been overcome and has lost its sting?  And we his mystical body can be in union with those who have gone before us??  That we his body are not bound by death??  Very very very awesome.  Today is the day that we the Church celebrate the incredible reality that is the communion of saints.

And so this family celebrates!  Last night we had our annual All Hallow's Eve party.  I promised to share some our game ideas for celebrating the feast so here they are!  I know it's probably a few days late for anyone to use but maybe they'll help someone next year.  Also, I'm pretty sure it's a requirement for moms with blogs to share awesomely adorable pictures of their kiddos in costume this time of year, amiright?

St. Therese's Shower of Roses

The bean bag toss I bought at a garage sale (actually I think it's for golf practice) and I added poster board painted as the world as a tribute to St. Therese's promise before death that upon dying she would intercede for those on earth.  "I will spend my heaven doing good on earth.  I will let fall a shower of roses."  I made the beanbags and hand sewed a rose (bouquet bought at the dollar store) on the top of each.

St. Anthony's Lost and Found Box

I believe I was inspired for this idea from Charlotte who is one of the liturgically craftiest ladies around.  Once the children complete the Saintly Scavenger Hunt they can rummage around in our box for a treat.  I think it's a super cool idea to put holy cards or medals in there.  But I'm cheap.  So I put in candy.

St. Nicholas' Coin Toss

Sometimes we've used pennies to throw into our cardboard box turned chimney.  This year I made a little sack of gold with leftover fabric, beans and a rubber band.  Older children stand further back and small children stand just a few feet away to try and get the gold down the chimney.

Prepare Thy Heavenly Crown

Heavenly crown decorating - pretty self explanatory :)

Paint-a-Saint

Pumpkin painting is always a hit with the younger children!  (If you buy the small gourd size pumpkins the day of or the day before they're super cheap...25 cents a piece!)

My friend Cherie made this Canonize the Saint game last year!  Bottles decorated as saints and the children throw a gold "halo" to try to canonize the saint.  Super cute, right?

And now for my favorite, the one that I'm most proud of and that elicits the most excitement...

St. Michael's Piñata!!!!

We use our trusty wood sword to smack the heck out of our dragon piñata and the kids are pretty much nuts about it.

Super bad picture of St. Clare putting the smack down on the devil.  Every year I've bought the dragon piñata because $20 is so worth it and there is no way in heck I'm going to make one.  This year I got it off of Ebay but you can find the same one at Party City (but that store is incredibly creepy this time of year so I was more than happy to find it on Ebay instead).

And now time for the saintastical hagiocuteness:

St. Constantine

Every year John Paul has chosen a saint that wields a sword.  Shocking, right?

St. Michael

(Third year in a row...no argument from mom there!)

Cutest St. David the Shepherd Boy EVER.

Showing off his slingshot

Aaaaand....(ready for it?)

Our shepherd boy got his own sheep-baby.

How cute is this??

Sorry for the black and white.  I love how generous our parish is with allowing people to use the gym for pretty much anything.  But the lighting in there is fantastically atrocious.  All my pictures look fluorescent.  This is way better to show off the adorableness, I promise.

We had a great group of families join us for a potluck dinner as part of our party.  And we didn't get home too late which was a major plus as it was a very long day  The Lukester only got a twenty minute nap all day long yet was happy throughout because he's made of magical saintly babyness.  Today we'll attempt to get to Mass at the Shrine where there is another party following for all the saint-clad kids.  And I shall be doing so solo.  And my children will be in costume (minus accessories for Mass because I still have a tiny itty bit of sanity left in me).  Pray for me. 

And have a very blessed and happy All Saints' Day!!  

May all the saints, known and unknown, pray for us still fighting the fight.