Religious items make great gifts for those on your list

It’s the time of year when we start looking for Christmas gifts for loved ones. Chicago Catholic staff put together this list of unique gift ideas for this year’s shopping season.

Catholic Relief Services Gift Catalog

If you’re looking to make a difference this Christmas, you can give the gift of medical supplies, food, clean water and more through Catholic Relief Services’ gift catalogue. It’s an inspirational way for you to make a life-changing difference for families and communities around the world. Simply choose a gift that will help save, protect and transform the lives of our most vulnerable brothers and sisters — and then choose a special card to personalize and let your loved one know you’ve given a gift of hope in their name. All items in the gift catalog are actual goods and services provided to the people CRS serves overseas. The gifts described in the catalog are symbolic of the good your donation will do for children, women and men in more than 100 countries.

gifts.crs.org

Nativity set, $99.99

Designed by a Catholic mother in Chicago, this Nativity set is made of high quality vinyl, which means nothing moves, breaks or falls off. The dolls have been safety tested and approved for children of all ages, according to the company. Dolls measure at slightly over 3.5 inches. Stable measures 6 inches tall, and has a 4-by-6-inch base. The stable comes apart for easy storage. Assembly required.

Shining Light dolls offer other figures such as Sts. Therese of Lisieux, Clare, Joseph and Lucy.

ShiningLightDolls.com

Pope Francis socks, $14

Sock Religious is a mom-and-pop online store launched by a team of young Catholics during the National Catholic Youth Conference in 2017. They offer socks for both adults and children featuring the likes of Mother Teresa, St. Joseph, Archbishop Fulton Sheen, Our Lady of Guadalupe and Pope Francis. Adult socks, $14; children’s socks, $10.

sockreligious.com

Catholic Family Crate Subscription, $39.99

Founded by a mother, this subscription box service is geared toward families with children ages 3-12, with unique materials developed each month. Subscriptions are available for $39.99 for physical items mailed to the home. The crates feature items that can be used to celebrate liturgical feast days.

catholicfamilycrate.com

Women’s liturgical calendar year planner 2021, $58

The mini Liturgical Calendar Year Planner from Blessed Is She runs January-December 2021. Designed for Catholic women, this planner includes monthly and weekly planning layouts, an hourly layout for each day, reminders to start specific novenas and saints of the day and month based off of the liturgical calendar.

blessedisshe.net

Sister Mary Jo and Sister Jean Schmidt bobbleheads, $25 each

Both of these local and national legends have their own bobbleheads available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame. They are a must-have for Chicago sports fans. A portion of the sale of both bobbleheads goes to charities picked by the religious women.

store.bobbleheadhall.com

Noah’s Ark Foam Tub Toys, $11.99

Noah and his aquatic friends transform bath time into an enchanting undersea adventure for kids. The 16-piece set can be stored in the included mesh storage bag. Ages 3 and up.

weebelievers.com

Original Catholic Prayer Cube by Creator Mundi, $12.95

Original Catholic Prayer Cube is 2.25 inches and made from birchwood. It is designed for children as a simple and fun way for families to pray together as the children learn basic Catholic prayers. Parish communities can welcome new children with a Catholic prayer cube. Grandparents can comfort grandchildren spending the night by giving them a prayer cube. This makes a wonderful gift for helping teach kids the importance of gratitude and prayer as well as the richness of the Catholic faith.

Creator Mundi also offers “Bedtime” and “Mealtime” prayer cubes. The “Mealtime” cube is also available in Spanish.

creatormundi.com