Living the Seasons: Simple Ways to Celebrate the Beauty of Your Faith throughout the Year

by Erica Tighe Campbell

Erica Tighe Campbell, owner and designer of Be A Heart, created this stunning, full-color guide to creatively celebrating the faith throughout the year. Living the Seasons is brimming with clever, doable, and beautiful crafts and activities; vivid photographs; brief introductions to the seasons and the lives of the saints; heartfelt notes of encouragement from Campbell; and original Be A Heart illustrations. This gorgeous companion will become your favorite resource for living your faith at home for years to come. In Living the Seasons , Campbell offers imaginative ideas, effortless directions, and gorgeous photos of crafts, activities, meals, and snacks for a diverse variety of Catholic feast days, holy days, and seasons in the Church. She uses supplies that can easily be found at your local craft stores, party shops, or online retailers. You’ll find ways to celebrate all of the Church seasons—Advent, Christmas, Lent, the Triduum, Easter, Ordinary Time—and Holy Days of Obligation in the United States, and feast days for saints from Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. And you’ll discover fun ideas and new traditions such   Campbell will help you discover that the liturgical calendar, which follows the seasons of a year in the life of the Church, is a tool that can draw you—individually, as a family, or as a community—closer to God in the midst of a fast-paced and ever-changing world. Along the way, the saints we celebrate teach us that the path to holiness is worthy of pursuing in our own unique way. Their lives can inspire you to listen to how God calls you to follow him as well. This book is designed to inspire you to celebrate the feast days that speak to you personally. You don’t have to start living liturgically on the first Sunday of Advent—you can begin your journey anytime during the year. You also don’t have to celebrate every feast on a grand scale. There are projects for all ages and levels of skill—from simple ways to honor a saint’s feast day with your kids to more elaborate celebrations with family and friends.

Genres: Faith, Catholic, Christian, Nonfiction, Religion

256 pages, Hardcover

Published October 6, 2023

Reviews

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 3 out of 5]

Living the Seasons is a book to refer to throughout the liturgical year, to observe saints' days and other holy days in ways accessible to young families. I liked the variety of activities (crafts, food, ways to serve, donate, and pray). I didn't like that templates for the activities were not included in the book but instead involved visiting Campbell's website. Too often, in my opinion, links break and sites aren't kept up, which makes books like these harder to use for decades to come.

Of course, I could nitpick (no, Sts Perpetua and Felicitas weren't "best friends," and friendship bracelets is a much less exciting way to observe their commemoration than making/eating soft cheese) but that's not really fruitful. I liked a lot of the ideas here (May Day crowning, All Saints' faces) but some were wanting ("look up a video on how to do this," "make this food [no recipe provided]," ma'am, that's exactly what this book SHOULD do). Campbell's style is just not mine and already looks dated.

Overall, a nice book, but not the first one of this genre I'd reach for.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a devout Catholic, and festive host, I had been wanting to own this book for a while as it seemed like a perfect blend of things I value. I finally decided to purchase as it could not only be something I enjoy, but also a helpful tool as I prepare to get married soon and start my own Catholic family. I had intended to read on my own time to my self, by my fiancé suggested we read together. I am so so happy we did! We sat through and read every liturgical season, Saint and holy day. It has such great practices we have already begun to incorporate in our life together and has us excited for creative, fun things we can do as a family in the years to come!

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, Living the Seasons, by Erica Tighe Campbell, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I really like this book, it has great activities for the whole family to do. It had information on saints and holy days, things to make, pray about, eat etc.

[Alicia McCallum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! First of all, it’s beautiful. It’s a coffee table style book that is perfect to flip through, or to look at upcoming feast days/liturgical seasons in, or to read cover to cover (like I did).

It goes through the whole Catholic liturgical year with a couple saint feast days for each month, along with all the important dates and seasons.

It’s all very simple, beautifully laid out, and has a ton of stunning photography and cute little illustrations.

For each season or day she has different ideas to celebrate or observe it. She gives a super brief explanation of the day, traditions to start, prayers to say, ways to decorate, a LOT of really cool craft ideas, some baking ideas, and a bunch of inspiration for various activities. She makes sure to include traditions and foods from all over the world which was really cool. It’s all super simple and not lengthy, and the visuals are beautiful.

[Mechelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve loved looking to Be a Heart for activities and ideas for our Sunday School curriculum, so when I saw she had written a book, I jumped at the chance to review.

Let me tell you, I cannot wait to buy this book for every parent I know. She’s broken down each season to have activities, crafts and togetherness activities to teach kids about Jesus, saints, and sacred traditions. Not only are the activities exciting (who doesn’t love the idea of hosting a baby shower for Mary?) but they book itself is gorgeous with beautiful illustrations and photographs.

This is the sort of resource parents have been asking for to help with Christian formation at home. I’m so excited to share this.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to celebrate your faith throughout the year with your family, Erica Tighe Campbell's new book, Living the Seasons: Simple Ways to Celebrate the Beauty of Your Faith Throughout the Year, is definitely the resource for you. Instagram users probably know Erica from her work at Be A Heart Design (@BeAHeartDesign). In this book, Erica applies the same principles as she does in her creations: finding simple and fun, yet beautiful, ways to mark the events of the liturgical year. Although the title is "Living the Seasons," there's a lot of information in the book about particular feast days as well, which truly makes it a resource you can use all year long.

You don't have to be an artist or experienced crafter to use this book—and you certainly don't need to do every project, make every food, or try every spiritual practice mentioned here. Some things are better for certain seasons of your family life than others. For example, the pre-Lenten practice of going to Confession is always appropriate for parents and older children, but if your children are still preschoolers, you may wish to find another way to lead into that season.
Some of the crafts in the book are fairly complicated, so I recommend reading ahead if you're able, so that you can decide what's doable for you and stock up on the materials you'll need to have on hand to complete the projects. Other projects are simpler and are made from templates you can download free from BeAHeart.com.

While the Church year begins during Advent, you can jump into this book at any point. Lent comes fairly early this year, so the activities leading up to Lent and the ones for that season would be an excellent starting place. Living the Seasons is organized chronologically beginning with Advent and ending with the feast of Christ the King; feast days of saints are interspersed with seasonal content, in order of appearance. The book is well-organized this way, and there's an index at the back in case you're looking for a particular occasion to celebrate.

My go-to way of celebrating is by cooking rather than crafting. There's plenty of content in Living the Seasons to inspire beginning cooks or full-fledged foodies. (That said, this is not a cookbook, so you'll need to look elsewhere for recipes for the foods mentioned in this book.) And Erika makes sure to focus on the spiritual aspect of each season by sharing hymns, prayers, and practices appropriate to that time of year. (Netgalley review)

[Dani White · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful resource for families, teachers, and parish (child) catechists.

I don't have children myself, but I have friends who do (including moms who home school). I also work at a Catholic Archdiocese. Through that lens, I see immense value in a resource like this, especially for families.

The book was well-designed, with a clear font, great lay-out, lack of "word clutter", and plenty of sample pictures to "paint the story." For each liturgical day/seasons, there was a great basic explanation of the day, and then some ideas of what you could do to incorporate the rhythm of the liturgical season into your life.

I thought the ideas were clever and easily adaptable. Some of the ideas might not work given ones financial limitations and/or time limitations. But there were enough suggestions of varying price-ranges that I think this could be easily done in your own small way that best fits your family.

I received an advance copy from Ave Maria Press (via NetGalley) for my honest opinion. (Note that because of the size of the book, the e-arc is not the full book, but a sample of the book. That said, I gleaned more than enough to form an opinion).

[shestolemyhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ - Another wonderful book on ways to celebrate throughout the year with activities (crafts, recipes, writing prompts, ways to pray, serve, or donate) for each. Note that the templates for activities are found on her blog & the book suggests food to make or enjoy (e.g. king cake, guacamole, st Lucy buns), but it doesn’t provide recipes.

While this book is primarily for a Catholic audience, I think anyone could benefit from it if you’re willing to have an open mind (and willingness to read/learn about Saints) as you read! There’s plenty of activities that a Protestant family could reference & make your own! It may spark an idea for you or even help you consider/better determine what it is that you believe — who knows! This book is great for families & teachers!

It was hard to not compare reading right after Sacred Seasons; I will use the two together throughout the year!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of fun ideas to be found in this book and I think a lot of Catholic families would be able to find things to incorporate through out the liturgical year. There were several ideas that did not appeal to me, but they might work well for other families. I wish that the templates had been included in the actual book instead of having to visit the author's blog to download things. It was inconsistent as to whether the author included a recipe of not. Sometimes, she just said to "make pancakes" or "make tamales" without including an actual recipe. Other times, like with the almond cookies, she included a recipe. All in all, I am pretty happy with this book and it was a great Christmas gift from my sister.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for a very specific demographic, but I really enjoyed it and I am glad I own a copy. We are trying to incorporate traditions of the faith in our family life, and Living the Seasons breaks the liturgical year down by feast day and gives some fun activity and craft ideas, along with prayers and sometimes menu suggestions. I still think Kendra Tierney's books are the most thorough view of liturgical living, but Erica Tighe Campbell makes it easy for those who are just learning how to celebrate in this way. I also loved all of the diversity! We are a universal church and I truly feel like this gives a wide view of feast days from many different cultures.

[Michelle Castaneda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Living the Seasons by Erica Tighe Campbell is a unique book that looks at celebrations of different faiths throughout the year. This book is organized seasonally and looks at one celebration at a time. With that, it offers a short description of the faith celebration along with a craft or activity. At times, the focus is on a saint or other person of the faith. This book is interesting and will likely appeal more to some families than to others. I received a digital sample of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a treasure! Sometimes all of the Catholic holy days and feast days can (while beautiful) feel overwhelming with young children. In this book Erica gives simple explanations of the origins of each day, along with fun and unique ways to celebrate them. There are so many creative activities that both kids and adults alike will enjoy. And as always, Erica's illustrations are beautiful. One unexpected surprise was how stunning the photography was in this book as well, and so helpful to see examples the liturgical activities. All of it together is truly a work of art!

[Alicja · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a mom to 2 little kids and a JK/SK teacher, I’m always on the look out on activities and crafts that I can do with my kiddos at home or at school. I’m so happy to have read this book, it has so many good ideas for hands on living the liturgical year. I enjoyed the photographs and the ideas that the author gave for each feast day. This has been a great help as I come up with my own ideas as well. I will most definitely be buying this book as a hard copy. Catholic parents- this one’s for you!

Thank you to Net Galley, the author and the publisher for the eARC.

[Pip · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a sample of this book through NetGalley for advanced review - I wish I could have read the whole thing, because I loved what I saw so far. A straightforward and beautiful book (I expected nothing less from Campbell, the owner of Be A Heart) that is a very accessible guide to liturgical living. With fun ideas and projects, this book is a must for anyone who wants to bring the rhythm of the faith and Church more into their daily lives.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book with ideas for celebrating major and minor holidays (including many Saints Days)--including decorations, games, refreshments, and background of the holiday. This could be just the thing to get me through my winter doldrums. #LivingtheSeasons #NetGalley

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nicely arranged book, with simple explanations and relatively easy/approachable activities.

[Beth Anne K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to live liturgically throughout the year. What I like is that you can do a lot of these activities very simple and they aren’t all just kid crafts.

[Sophia Marcum · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to use throughout the liturgical year with many craft & recipe ideas... especially great for families. Lovely ways to bring liturgical living into the home.