As we get started in the Great Fifty Days of the Easter season, most of us are still basking in the glow of Lent Madness 2015, with its epic final battle between two worthies, Francis of Assisi vs. Brigid of Kildare. Francis earned his golden halo, and in today's episode of Monday Madness, Tim and Scott talk about the first-ever silver halo awarded to Brigid. That's not all. They talk about some exciting new items for the Lentorium, especially Francis of Assisi mugs and Brigid of Kildare pint glasses. (Order your Brigid pint glass now at the special pre-order price of just eleven bucks and enjoy 16 ounces of beer, root beer, or your beverage of choice.)

Last but not least, tune in for details of how you'll be able to nominate saints for the 2016 edition of Lent Madness, which starts in only 310 days. Oh, and you'll notice Scott and Tim tout their favorite baseball teams, both of which won today on Major League Baseball's opening day.

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This week, Tim and Scott talk about essential preparations for Lent Madness as we continue to bask in the glow of Celebrity Blogger week. To get ready for Lent Madness, everyone should research the saints, perhaps using their own copy of the Saintly Scorecard (book or ebook). Everyone should also complete their bracket, available for free download or purchase as a giant poster. It's also a good idea to invite all your friends to like Lent Madness on Facebook and follow @LentMadness on Twitter. No, really. Use your Facebook and Twitter feeds to shamelessly promote the saintly smackdown. For Jesus, of course.

There's also very exciting news this week from the Lentorium. We have a product ready to ship, the Flying Golden Halo! Yep, you can buy your own Golden Halo, perfect for tossing and catching. It's just $3, so why not buy 50? Your church service will be immeasurably enriched when you "pass the peace" next Sunday by tossing a halo to everyone around. Buy now!

With this post, we move officially from the off season to the high season of Lent Madness. From now on through Easter Monday, you can expect a weekly-ish video from the Supreme Executive Committee. Speaking of high season, one of our hard-working staff was updating some behind-the-scenes action today and inadvertently hit "publish" on a post too soon. As a result, you may have received a spurious email from Lent Madness HQ. Sorry about that, and pay no attention to the staff member behind the curtain.

In any case, Tim and Scott discuss Snowmageddon and how to prepare for Lent Madness 2015 in this week's action-packed video.

Right after you watch the video, you'll want to visit the Lentorium or head right over to Forward Movement's website to order your 2015 bracket poster. You get a massive suitable-for-framing or attachment-to-your-altar poster for just $10, or $9 for two or more. Your Saintly Scorecards are only $1 when you buy 25 or more. If you want only one, it's still a bargain at $3. There's an ebook version available, but you'll have to do without the full-color fold-out bracket, unless you tape one to your Kindle.

New this year, we'll have a t-shirt. It's going to be a high-quality purple shirt (obviously) with a design in two colors featuring "Who will win the Golden Halo?" and the Lent Madness logo, all on the front left of the shirt. They will be priced at around $12, we think. It's important that you tell us what size you'd buy, if you think you'll buy one, so we can plan our order accordingly. So please fill out the poll at the end of this post.

Last, but not least, check out Tim's newest book from Forward Movement, Dust Bunnies in the Basket: Finding God in Lent & Easter. It's like Lent Madness but in a book (or an ebook).

Remember to fill in your sizes below! The totals of this poll will help us with our t-shirt order. If you're planning to order, say, 50 mediums, go ahead and tell us that in the comments. Thanks!

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