The bedside is the quietest shelf in the house — where the prayer book is opened in the dark and closed before sleep. Small things, held close. We have set this bundle for that table.
Each occasion is a small library, not a single shelf. Open the shelves that fit the giving and leave the rest in print for next year.
Morning and evening prayers, the prayers before sleep, and the canon for the day.
Pocket and bedside psalters — set in larger type, gentle on tired eyes.
Small icons sized for the bedside — the patron, the Theotokos, the Cross.
Short patristic readings for the last quarter-hour of the day.
Titles from the shelves above — sized for the bedside and meant to be returned to without ceremony.
.avif&w=3840&q=75)
45 biographies of hidden Orthodox laymen and clergy who pursued holiness in everyday life
%2520(1).avif&w=3840&q=75)
24 more inspirational accounts of pious Orthodox Christians who pursued holiness in daily life

An Orthodox Christian exploration of the person, natures, and saving mission of Jesus Christ

Lives and legacies of the saints and elders who planted Orthodoxy in America

An Orthodox Christian edition of the Gospels read through the mind of the Church

An Orthodox Christian translation and study edition of the apostolic writings

The Book of Psalms translated from the Septuagint for Orthodox prayer and reading

A full color Orthodox booklet on the Jesus Prayer from the fathers of St. Nektarios Monastery
The library is shelved one way; the giving is shelved another. These are the bundles we are asked for, year after year.
Gifts for your nameday or a friend's — saint cards, calendars, and small icons for the patron on the icon corner.
Companions for the Great Fast — Lenten prayer books, psalters, fasting calendars, and Paschal reading for the weeks of preparation and the night itself.
Gifts for the godchild — at chrismation, at baptism, and in the years after. Children's prayer books, small icons, baptism crosses, and the first calendar of saints.