A Swedish American living in Chicago, my mother celebrated St. Lucia Day every December 13, and it was a tradition that I wanted to pass on to my children. I began by making a felt crown for my baby daughter. A couple years later, I made a star boy hat for my son. Then, I added Lussekatter (Lucia saffron buns) and Pepparkakor (gingerbread cookies) to their play tea set. When my daughter was in preschool, I made a set of crowns and hats for show and tell. After that, I made a few more for other families, and that's how I started this Etsy Shop.
St. Lucia for Preschoolers
This is the version of the Lucia story that I tell to younger kids (2-5yos). Best to save gouged out eyes for later, right?
A long, long time ago, there was a girl named Lucia. She was very kind. Lucia learned that there were people living outside her village who were hungry and cold. They did not have enough to eat. She wanted to help them, but she would be in trouble if she did. Fortunately, Lucia was not only very kind, but also very brave. On a dark night, and all alone, Lucia filled her arms with food to share with the people who needed help. But it was so dark outside that she couldn't see, and she her arms were too full to hold a candle. Fortunately, Lucia was not only very kind and not only very brave, but she was also very clever. She put a candle on her head to see the path on that dark night. Once again she gathered up all of the food she had and went out into the night to feed the hungry people. Today, we celebrate Lucia’s kindness, her bravery and her cleverness. Swedish girls wear a white dress with a red sash and a crown of candles on their heads. Boys wear a hat with stars on it. They hand out cookies, and sing songs to remember St. Lucia.
p.s. Growing up, we “cheated” with store-bought cinnamon rolls instead of saffron bread!
Completing the Costume:
For the sash, a wide red ribbon for Lucia is customary. Use silver tinsel garland for her attendants (boys and girls).
For the gown, there are many options:
~ white nightgown (sold by several Etsy vendors and some specialty catalogs)
~ angel costume
~ white choir robe or graduation gown
~ a large white dress shirt with a mandarin collar or the collar tucked under
~ a large white t-shirt
If you are dressing up as Lucy for Halloween, and need a plate of eyeballs, Joanns, Micheals or Dollar Tree usually sell Halloween eyeballs as decorations. Or color two ping pong balls with a sharpie. There are usually ping pong balls in the liquor section of the grocery store. Carry the eyeballs in your hand (super gross!) or glue to a colored paper plate.
Here is a list of related items by other Etsy shops: https://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTA4NDMzMDB8MjcyNjkwNDk1Ng/celebrating-st-lucia-day-december-13?ref=pr_treasury