Our Father, we thank you for this Christmas season which once again calls our attention to the birth of your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for giving us your kind of love for people and especially for those closest to us. We share with them, not only the joys of this festive occasion, but all the struggles and rewards of life.

We are grateful, Lord, for the spirit of Christmas which prevails in our home. We are happy to be able to open presents and see the expressions of joy creeping across the tiny features of faces we love so dear. We thank you for children who, although they cannot understand all the significance of Christmas, can know the thrill of receiving. May we learn anew from them the real joy of receiving. May we grasp from them the goodness of accepting every day their love as well as Your love. Give us the ability to appreciate the gift of their presence as well as Your presence.

May we be able to absorb the beauty of this season as we see it through the eyes of our children. Forgive us, Lord, for being such blind and foolish parents. We confess our inadequacies, but we thank you for giving us these little presents of love, who come to us each morning to bless our hearts throughout each day. Teach us once again, O Lord, that "peace on earth, good will to all men" is not only the hope of our world, it is likewise the hope of our home. We give you back the love we owe that in our home its flow may richer, fuller be. Amen