1.St. John the Merciful had a unique style of philanthropy and joyful giving. In this story, he creatively involved a nobleman in helping the poor of Alexandria.

10. Today, children in many countries eagerly await St. Nicholas's gifts. But in this memorable story, the saint's humble, secret charity surprised three sisters and saved them from a terrible fate.

11. Regretting a terrible decision that he made for profit, Saint Elias left his comfortable life and lived as a monk. He later returned to his hometown to ask forgiveness and to tell the truth of Christ.

12. The author's rich, engaging iconographic illustrations add to the beauty of the Christmas story, from the journey to Bethlehem to the flight to Egypt.

The life of Saint Moses and the rubbers teaches us that no matter how far away from Christ we have spent our lives, He always waits for us, as He loves us immensely.

Holy New Martyr Christos the Gardener was martyred on February 12, 1748, in Constantinople. May he always intercede for us.

2.With selfless love, a peasant and monks share the bounty of God's creation and demonstrate consideration of other's needs and gratitude for one another's work.

3.Especially in times of fear and disaster, it is hard to remember to turn to God and praise Him. The creative, inspired illustrations of this story show how a young boy returned safely from danger to share a beautiful hymn with the people of Constantinop