OUR STORY

Catherine Fowler Sample Shares Her Inspiration for My Advent Angel

 

On the Eve of St. Nicholas Day, as I filled little shoes with treats, I wished I had a tradition to make Advent more meaningful for my family—something that went beyond the Santa-centric hustle and bustle. I hoped to inspire my children to focus not just on what they would get from Santa, but what they could give to Jesus.

 

That’s when the idea of My Advent Angel was born. I put pen to paper and enlisted my talented sister to illustrate. It was a labor of love as we brought the vision to life—writing, story boarding, illustrating, and designing and sewing the first doll at my dining room table.​ Together, we told the tale of Christmas through an angel’s eyes, offering families a way to keep Jesus at the heart of Christmas.

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I thought that even if My Advent Angel were just to inspire my own children to love Jesus more and grow closer to Him, it would be worth doing. My husband felt the same way, and believed in the project from the very beginning. With his incredible support, and my sister's artistic help, My Advent Angel is now a reality, not just for our family, but for yours too.

 

We created the My Advent Angel Gift Set to be a simple, stress-free, and meaningful way to celebrate Advent as a family. Each item in our gift set brings something special to the season: the My Advent Angel Book tells the story of Christmas and God's love for each one of us; the Virtue Cards offer child-friendly explanations of the virtues of the Fruit of the Spirit and inspire children to grow in kindness with over 100 ideas to show love to Jesus and others; the Holy Card offers an opportunity for family prayer time; and last but not least, the My Advent Angel Doll, huggable and hand-stitched, reminds children of the Nativity and its angels, and serves as a gentle reminder that being good shouldn't be about Santa, elves, or presents—but for Jesus.​

 

In our short time since sharing My Advent Angel, we have been humbled by the amount of people who have recognized the beauty of this tradition of faith and have made it their own. You will get much more than what comes in the My Advent Angel Gift Set—as it touches on something timeless and deeply spiritual—a tradition to help instill virtues, values, and beliefs in your children, so they will pass the faith on to their own children someday. 

 

We hope you will cherish My Advent Angel during this Advent season and for many more to come, as you focus on what matters most, keeping Jesus at the heart of Christmas!

 

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MORE ABOUT THE CREATORS ​

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Author

Catherine Fowler Sample is an Emmy award-winning filmmaker (The House that Rob Built, The Dating Project) and author (Gather Together, Ave Maria Press). She has been featured on many media outlets, including EWTN The World Over, CatholicTV, Relevant Radio, National Catholic Register, Fox News, and Entertainment Tonight. Catherine and her husband live in Arizona with their three children.

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Illustrator

Anna-Therese Fowler is an artist storyteller. She received her BFA in Graphic Design and French Language and Literature with a minor in Film Media Studies. Her work has been featured internationally. She is the founder of Honeylight Designs. This is her first children’s book.

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