Christmas is the celebration of Jesus, God’s greatest gift to us, coming into our lives. At this time, Jesus—the Word of God—tells us again that he is the God we are in search of and that he has come into our midst.

Christmas is also a season of gift giving, a tradition that originally centered on the Feast of the Epiphany, commemorating the visit of the Magi and the revelation of the Lord to the whole world.

See Liturgical Calendar–Seasons–Christmas for additional background information and prayer.


"Giving from the Heart" Prayer Celebration Notes

Focus		Sharing gifts in secret
Materials		Prayer table with Bible, Advent wreath, packet of Christmas gift tags for each child, paper, tape, scissors, copies of "Giving from the Heart" liturgy and stocking page, crayons or markers, toy donations, music. Click here to print the stocking page for the liturgy.
Reading		Matthew 6:1–4
Music		"Gather Your People," Gifts for a Lifetime Music CD; "Lead Me, Lord," John D. Becker and "Advent Song," Francesca Leftley
Preparation		Before the prayer celebration, print out and photocopy the liturgy, "Giving From the Heart," and the stocking page. Prepare your role as the leader for the prayer celebration. Provide each child with a packet of gift tags equal to the number of children in your group. Following liturgy, have children cut a slit at the top of each stocking. Then, staple the paper-stocking page to a blank sheet of paper. Children can decorate the stockings and write their names on them. Hang the stockings where you meet with your group. Children are to use their gift tags gift tags to extend Christmas greetings to one another by signing the tags and placing them in each other's stockings.
Adaptation		Contact your parish social concerns committee or a local organization that collects toys for children to arrange for distribution of the toys. At least one week before the prayer celebration, send a note home with the children, requesting donations of new toys. As the children bring the toys in, place them around the prayer table.
Additional Materials		"Gather Your People" Gifts for a Lifetime Music CD Call RCL Benziger at 1-877-ASK-4-RCL (1-877-275-4725). ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36113-X Gifts for a Lifetime Song Book ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36103-2 Gifts for a Lifetime Accompaniment Book ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36104-0