Christmas Prayers: 7 Faithful Sayings For Dinner, Bedtime, And Other Holiday Moments
Christmas is about family, friends, giving, receiving, love, hope, presents, lights, trees, cookies, milk, and Santa. While we all do our best to remember the real meaning of the Christmas season, there are times when you spend a little too much time on your Christmas list. However, it happens to all of us, the commercialization of Christmas can be tough to avoid with overabundant feasts, endless toys, and enough cookies to take down Santa himself. But we at Latin Times have you covered, with an easy, and simple way to show your thanks—prayer. Prayer can be a private or public activity, which is why we have collected Christmas prayers for some of the more prominent moments—including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Christmas dinner, opening gifts, Christmas tree decorating—which not only teaches children to give thanks but also reminds us adults of the appreciative and grateful feelings inherent to Christmas.
Christmas Eve Prayer
Give us, O God, the vision, which can see Your love in the world in spite of human failure. Give us the faith to trust Your goodness in spite of our ignorance and weakness. Give us the knowledge that we may continue to pray with understanding hearts. And show us what each one of us can do to set forward the coming of the day of universal peace.
Christmas Prayer
Lord, in this holy season of prayer and song and laughter, we praise you for the great wonders you have sent us: for shining star and angel’s song, for infant’s cry in lowly manger. We praise you for the Word made flesh in a little Child. We behold his glory, and are bathed in its radiance. Be with us as we sing the ironies of Christmas, the incomprehensible comprehended, the poetry made hard fact, the helpless Babe who cracks the world asunder. We kneel before you shepherds, innkeepers, wise men. Help us to rise bigger than we are. Amen.
Before Opening Presents Prayer
Lord and Giver of all good things, the magi travelled for miles to bring the Christ child the first Christmas presents. So may we, too, remember with thankful hearts the love that comes with each present we open. We also thank you for the love you have for each of us, and we thank you for the many gifts that you give us, especially the gift of live itself. Amen
Christmas Tree Blessing
Holy Creator of Trees, bless with your abundant grace this our Christmas tree as a symbol of joy. May its evergreen branches be a sign of your never-fading promises. May its colorful lights and ornaments call us to decorate with love our home and our world. May the gifts that surround this tree be symbols of the gifts we have received from the Tree of Christ’s Cross. Holy Christmas tree within our home, may Joy and Peace come and nest in your branches and in our hearts. Amen.
A Christmas Prayer For The Loss Of A Loved One
God of compassion, there is such a hole in my heart! Today should be a day of joy, but I feel only emptiness and loss. While the world celebrates around me, I remember Christmas celebrations of the past and I long to have my loved one with me. I bring my sorrows to you, Lord, like some odd gift of the magi and dump them at your feet. In my blind tears I wonder if anyone can possibly understand the depth of my sadness.
I know, you can. You sent your son to be with us in our deepest sorrows and I know that even though I might not feel it now, you are here with me, grieving with me, caring for me in my sadness. Dearest lord, help me to turn to the one I miss so much today and speak. Help me heal the loss of our parting and help me not to regret the things I didn’t say. Sorrow tears at my heart, but today I ask that my loss soften my heart and make me more compassionate with everyone I meet, so that my loss may become a gift to others.
Christmas Dinner Prayer
In the peace of this season our spirits are joyful: With the beasts and angels, the shepherds and stars, with Mary and Joseph we sing God’s praise. By your coming may the hungry be filled with good things, and may our table and home be blessed. Bless us O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Christmas Bed Time Prayer
As I lay myself to rest, I pray my loved ones will be blessed. God, watch over me tonight, Bless me with Your love so bright. The angels they will dance and sing, and to me, sweet dreams they bring. When I wake to greet the day, God I know you’ll light the way.
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
CHRISTMAS DAY
1. Lord, we welcome to our church today our many visitors, particularly those who are visiting their families for Christmas and those we have not seen for some time. We assure them that they are always welcome here in your Church and pray that you will bless them in their lives in the year ahead.
A . We pray to the Lord R. Lord hear our prayer
2. We pray for those who through emigration, illness or other personal reasons are separated from family or homeland this Christmas, that God’s comforting and strengthening love will sustain them,
A. We pray to the Lord R. Lord hear our prayer
3. We think of those who are suffering this Christmas through homelessness, violence, illness, bereavement, loneliness, poverty, hunger, war or natural disaster. We pray that through the help, concern and generosity of those of us who are spared such tragedy, they may be helped out of their difficulties and experience less troubled times in the New Year.
A . We pray to the Lord R. Lord hear our prayer
4. At this time of joy and celebration, we think of those in our community who have lost loved ones in the last year. May they find consolation in the goodness of the Father who sent his only Beloved Son onto this earth to show his love for us and to earn us redemption
A . We pray to the Lord R. Lord hear our prayer
5. Today we celebrate the birth of Christ our Saviour. We pray to the Lord that, under the guideance of Pope Francis, we can see a rebirth in our Church and that the Holy Spirit will lead our bishops, clergy and laity in the way of love, truth, generosity, justice and the care of the poor.
A . We pray to the Lord R. Lord hear our prayer
6. Let us pray for the whole world and especially for our own country, that this Christmas we may see more clearly that peace comes not through violence, bitterness
and hatred but through love, forgiveness and reconciliation.
A . We pray to the Lord R. Lord hear our prayer
7. We remember in silence our own particular needs and those of our families, friends and neighbours.
A . We pray to the Lord R. Lord hear our prayer
