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.


"Sharing What We Have" Prayer Celebration Notes

Focus		Learning to share what we have with others
Materials		Prayer table with Bible and candle, music.
Reading		1 Peter 4:8–10
Music		"We Are One," Blest Are We Music CD 3; "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," (Traditional), "Children, Run Joyfully," Bob Dufford, SJ (OCP Publications)
Preparation		Discuss with the children what it means to share our gifts with others. Invite the children to give concrete examples of what they can do. Print out and photocopy the liturgy, "Sharing What We Have." Assign groups for the antiphonal reading of Psalm 100, and select a Scripture reader. Practice your role as leader.
Adaptation		Invite another religious education group to join in the prayer celebration and participate in the group reading of the psalm.
Additional Materials		"We Are One" Blest Are We Music CD 3 Call RCL Benziger at 1-877-ASK-4-RCL (1-877-275-4725). ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36654-9 Blest Are We Song Book Words and melody for children; contains music for levels 1-8 ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36617-4 Blest Are We Accompaniment Book Contains accompaniment music for levels 1-8 ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36618-2