The Beauty of Celebrating the Liturgical Year in Your Home

ashleytumlinwallac
May 19
3 min read

If you've ever looked at the Church calendar and thought, This is beautiful, but how do I live this out with my family, you’re not alone.

For many of us, especially those rediscovering the ancient rhythms of the Church after growing up in traditions that didn’t follow the liturgical calendar, the yearning is real. We want more than just Sunday morning. We want our homes to echo the seasons of the Church. We want our children to grow up knowing not just about Advent or Easter, but what it feels like to wait, to long, to rejoice, to fast, to feast.

The good news? You don’t need a theology degree or a Pinterest-perfect home to do this. You just need a heart willing to pay attention, and maybe a candle or two.

The Liturgical Year Is for You

The Church's calendar is a gift. It's not a burden or just "extra credit" for the very pious. It’s a way to let the life of Jesus shape our actual days, not just our beliefs. When we mark time with the Church, we’re invited to step into a deeper, slower rhythm that forms us in love.

And here's the thing: the Church year meets us right where we are. Whether you’re single, raising little ones, homeschooling, working full time, or somewhere in between, there are simple, meaningful ways to live this out in your home.

Start Small: Anchor Your Days

If you're just beginning, start with the big seasons: Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. Light an Advent Wreath in December. Make a Paper Chain Countdown in Lent. During Easter, celebrate for 50 days by reading excellent children’s books all about the resurrection and what it means.

Let these touchstones anchor your year. Don't worry about doing everything. In fact, don’t try to. Instead, ask: How can we mark this season in a way that draws us closer to Christ, in our actual life right now?

Bring the Church into the Kitchen

Feasting and fasting are central to the liturgical year, and they naturally invite us into the kitchen. Even one simple, seasonal dish can help set the tone. Make Saffron Buns on St. Lucy’s Day. Eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. Prepare something decadent for Easter like Tiramisu, or a meatless meal like French Onion Soup for Fridays in Lent.

You don’t have to be a gourmet chef. You're forming memories, not curating a magazine spread.

Use Your Walls (and Your Windowsills)

One of the easiest ways to live the liturgical year is to change out a little space in your home to reflect the season. This could be a kitchen table, a windowsill, or just a shelf. Use colors of the Church calendar, purple, white, red, green. Add a candle, a saint card, a piece of art, a seasonal flower.

It doesn’t need to be elaborate. Just let it speak of the sacred.

Invite the Saints In

One of the great joys of the liturgical year is getting to know the communion of saints, not just the “big names,” but the quiet, faithful ones too. Choose one or two feast days a month to remember. Light a candle. Read their stories aloud. Let their lives shape yours.

Children especially love this. Saints are real-life heroes who remind us that holiness is possible, right in the middle of real life.

Let It Be Simple, Let It Be Joyful

There’s no perfect way to live the liturgical year. Some seasons you may be able to do more; others may feel quieter. That’s okay. The point is not to check all the boxes, it’s to let the rhythm of the Church form your family, gently, year by year.

And I promise: the more you step into this rhythm, the more natural it will feel. It won’t be another thing on your to-do list. It will become the way your home breathes.

Whether you're lighting your first Advent candle this year or preparing for your hundredth St. Lucy’s Day, know this: you are not alone. You are part of a great cloud of witnesses, past and present, learning to keep time with the Church.

And that is a beautiful, holy thing.