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Christmas Prayers and Christmas Poems for Christmas 2009

Lin — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 02:30:34 +0000

I would like to wish all of my readers and visitors a very Merry Christmas! As you celebrate Christmas with your family and close friends, please remember to say a prayer for those who are less fortunate than yourselves, for our military and their families, and those who have lost a loved one in death.

Please keep in mind the less fortunate with your Christmas donations of toys, food and cash donations for the needy. Have you remembered Christmas Tipping Etiquette?

Here are a few Christmas Prayers and Poems I’ve collected from the net for your consideration. Don’t miss out on listening to the video song below of Nicholas Jonas singing “Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)”, which is available for download HERE if you love this Christmas song by Nicholas Jonas as much as I do.

By the way, the image above is the Thomas Kinkade Tabletop Christmas Snowman Figurine, from one of my all-time favorite Thomas Kinkade Collections – available on Amazon.com. (I love love love Thomas Kinkade!)

A Christmas Prayer for those who have suffered the recent death 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.

3 Christmas Dinner Prayer

1. 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.

2. Eternal God, this joyful day is radiant with the brilliance of your one true light.
May that light illuminate our hearts and shine in our words and deeds.
May the hope, the peace, the joy, and the love represented by the birth in Bethlehem fill our lives and become part of all that we say and do.
May we share the divine life of your son Jesus Christ, even as he humbled himself to share our humanity.
Bless us and the feast that You have provided for us, let us be thankful for the true gift of Christmas, your Son. Amen.

3. God of all gifts, we thank you for the many ways you have blessed us this day. We are grateful each of those who are gathered around this table. We ask you to bless us and our food and to bless those we love who are not with us today. In our gratitude and love, we remember your humble birth into our lives and pray for those who are without enough to eat. We remember the stable in which you were born and pray for those who have no place to live. We remember your challenging message of caring and giving and we pray for peace in families and nations throughout the world. We bless you and give you thanks in your Spirit who brings our hearts to life the Christmas Day and forever. Amen.

Nicholas Jonas “Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)” with Lyrics

Joy to the World A Christmas Prayer Lyrics

Every year at Christmas
All I can see
Are pictures of the things I want
Around the tree
But this year’s a little different
I’m not thinking of myself
So my prayer for this Christmas
Is for somebody else

(Chorus)
So I pray…
Joy To the World
Peace for every boy and girl
Hope when life is hard
Light when everything seems dark

God I know you’re listening
And you can hear
The need of every broken heart
And all their tears
I don’t have a lot to offer
Just this one simple prayer
That this Christmas everyone would know
Somebody cares…

(Chorus)
So I pray…
Joy To the World
Peace for every boy and girl
Hope when life is hard
Light when everything seems dark

I pray that every hungry soul
Will be filled and will be warm
That not a single, solitary child
Would suffer harm

And Lord we find their ending
As we take another view
My hope is that this Christmas prayer
Would somehow come true

I pray…
Humanity would rise
And join with me
And together we’ll sing

Joy To the World (To all the world)
Peace (Peace) for every boy and girl (for every boy and girl)
(Talking bout hope) Hope when life is hard (when life is hard)
Light when everything seems dark

I pray that (I pray) every hungry soul
Will be filled and will be warm
(Not a single child) That not a single, solitary child
Would suffer harm

And Lord we find their ending
As we take another view
My hope is that this Christmas prayer
Would somehow come true…

Joy To the World
Peace for every boy and girl

Christmas Prayer
by Robert Louis Stevenson
“Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.

Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clean hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children, and the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake, Amen!”

Prayer for Christmas Morning
The day of joy returns, Father in Heaven, and crowns another year with peace and good will. Help us rightly to remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wise men. Close the doors of hate and open the doors of love all over the world…

Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil, by the blessing that Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clean
hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, And the Christmas evening bring us to our bed with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen
Henry Van Dyke

If you have a Christmas prayer, poem or thoughts you wish to share, please leave a comment below.

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Recession Christmas – 12 Frugal Christmas Present Gift Ideas

Lin — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:03:31 +0000

Ready or not, the Christmas season is upon us. Stores are stocking up on anything and everything related to Christmas gift-giving, while many families are trying to find ways to survive Christmas during a recession. Christmas may not seem so “Merry” for those affected by job layoffs, home foreclosures and in some cases, outright poverty. Many families are in need of life’s basic necessities, due in part to the economic downturn, and will be in need of Christmas donations from those more fortunate.

According to a survey by Ing Direct, only about half of American adults (54%) plan to spend $300.00 or more on holiday Christmas gifts this year, a 10% decrease from what Americans spent last year during the 2008 Christmas holiday season. The survey results show that only 11% plan to spend between $1 and $100 in 2009 on Xmas gifts, and 23% plan to spend $100-$299, compared to 21 percent last year.

11% of those surveyed don’t plan to spend any money at all on Christmas toys or gifts in 2009, compared to 7 percent in 2008, a 57 percent increase. 14% of parents are giving children smaller Christmas stockings this year, while others are choosing to not fill Xmas stockings at all, and some will just hang the stockings as a Christmas decoration. Older Americans (55 years old and up) show the most dramatic change, with 61% planning to spend $300 or more dollars on gifts this year, compared to 71% from last year.

41% of Americans say saving more and spending less is a top priority for the remainder of the year and beyond. According to Forbes.com, 67% of Americans say they will continue their frugal ways by saving more money and spending less even after the economy recovers. The recession creates a great opportunity to rethink priorities in life, with less focus on luxuries and frivolous spending, and greater importance being placed on real “needs” vs. “wants”.

If you are being frugal by choice or by sheer necessity, Christmas presents a financial challenge for those who are needing a less expensive, affordable Christmas holiday. Here are twelve inexpensive, frugal Christmas gift ideas that won’t break the bank.

Frugal Christmas Present Gift Ideas

1). Candles – Scented candles are one of the best Christmas gifts candle lovers can receive. You can buy candles and wrap them in cheap wrapping paper and/or ribbon, or make homemade candles yourself in your kitchen (if you enjoy doing do-it-yourself craft projects) and wrap the candles with inexpensive, decorative tissue paper and ribbon as a gift.

2). Stationery or journal, with or without a fancy pen, makes a great gift for someone on your gift list who enjoys keeping a writing journal or writing letters to family and friends. Older folks especially, who don’t use a computer to send and receive email, still enjoy writing to friends and family the “old fashioned” way, and being gifted with beautiful stationery just might be their favorite Christmas gift of all.

3). Jewelry – Jewelry gifts for Christmas don’t have to be fine jewelry made of expensive diamonds or pearls, but can be inexpensive costume jewelry and accessories like: cufflinks, bracelets, necklaces, lockets, charms, earrings, sterling silver rings, birthstones, wrist watch, pendants and chains. Jewelry tops the list of the most romantic Christmas gifts to show your love for the special him or her in your life.

4). Books and/or Magazine Subscriptions – Researching the most popular, best-selling books and ebooks for adults or children is a great place to start, with many adults preferring to read books on a Kindle eBook reader. Books by a favorite author, and/or magazines for kids or adults makes a great Christmas gift that avid readers will enjoy. Children’s classic books are always a good choice, as are newly released books or kid magazines that are fun and educational at the same time.

5). Music and DVD Christmas gifts can sometimes be tricky, especially if you aren’t quite sure what kind of music or movies the gift recipient likes. iTunes gift certificates or gift cards from Amazon.com, in whatever amount you can afford, will satisfy the music-lover and movie-lover in your life without a doubt.

6). Homemade Christmas gifts from your kitchen. Homemade food gifts may include such tasty treats as chocolate spoons for the coffee lover; chocolate-dipped pretzels or marshmallows; homemade caramel popcorn or Kettle corn; cappuccino mixes; homemade breads or muffins; peanut brittle or fudge just to name a few.

7). Christmas gifts in a jar are an inexpensive, frugal gift for anytime of year. Gifts in a jar may be cookie or brownie mixes, holiday beverage mixes, baking mixes, gourmet coffee mixes, tea mixes, soup mixes and even bath salts layered in a glass canning jar, or Mason jar.

8). Homemade gifts of quilts, embroidered handkerchiefs, scarves, hats, gloves, socks, shawls, sweaters, hair ribbons and other things sewn and made by hand are meaningful gifts to be treasured and passed down through the generations as family heirlooms.

9). Photo albums, scrapbooks and picture frames with photo(s) of special occasions and loved ones create long-lasting memories that can be personalized for each gift recipient. Try your hand at scrapbooking with some inexpensive scrapbook supplies and start making homemade crafts and gifts now, and see for yourself if your handmade gifts aren’t the most treasured Xmas gifts of all.

10). Board games and card games are cheap Christmas gifts that can get the whole family (and friends) involved in having fun together on Christmas day and after the holiday season is over. Researching classic board games and checking out the list of the most popular board games and card games is a great place to start, and many of the old board games have been updated and re-released as new and improved.

11). Inexpensive Christmas gifts for him may be travel toiletries, favorite specialty beer or wine, hand tools, car wash kit, shoe polish kit, personalized golf balls, business card case, wallet, money clip, coffee mug, One For All Universal Remote control, men’s cologne or aftershave, gift certificates for guy gadgets. There are also many personalized Christmas gifts for men that are not expensive and will fit in just about anyone’s Christmas budget.

12). Christmas gifts for her under $50, $25 or even under $10 may be bath and body products, her favorite perfume, slippers, scented jar candles (see #1), digital photo frame, affordable jewelry, cashmere sweater or socks, jewelry box, small purse or handbag, iPod, mobile phone accessories, tickets to a play or concert, lingerie, or even engraved/personalized Christmas gifts for women within your Christmas budget.

Are you planning or having to cut back on your Christmas spending this year? What are some of the ways you are going about enjoying the upcoming Christmas holiday season during these tough economic times? Are there any Christmas traditions or expenditures that you and your family have decided to eliminate this Xmas season, perhaps not sending Christmas cards or trimming back on the list of gift recipients? Share your ideas for a frugal Christmas in the comments below.

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The One Dollar Give: One Dollar Can Make A Lot of Difference

Lin — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:00:05 +0000

Have you heard about the One Dollar Give project? Today is December 4th, and the Christmas season is upon us in full force, with shoppers going about their business in search of Christmas gifts for loved ones.

I love Christmastime and it’s my favorite time of year. I’m not immune to getting caught up in the hustle and bustle (commercialism) of the holiday season and you can bet the stores love me for it. The holiday season is also a time of year where I look for a variety of ways to give back by making donations to good causes and charities.

When I published the article about Christmas toy donations for needy children, I had no idea there would be more people in need of donations reading that article vs. the number of people who have read the article with the desire to donate to those less fortunate than themselves. People and charities and hurting and there’s something we can do about it.

Thanks to Mandi from Doodle’s Place and Tara from Deal Seeking Mom, who came up with the One Dollar Give idea, I’ve found another good cause and it’s my hope you will do what you can to help as well.

The One Dollar Give, found at www.onedollargive.com, was launched on December 1st and it’s mission is to shine a bright light on a blogger’s favorite charity each and every day during the month of December. Readers are encouraged to donate just one dollar a day for each featured charity for a total donation of just $31.00.

Just think of all the good that can be accomplished if we each donate just one dollar a day during the month of December to the One Dollar Give project. How much difference can $1.00 make? A huge difference in the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.

The economy is bad and charities are in serious need of support, so I’m asking you to join me in supporting the One Dollar Give project by donating a dollar a day to the project to help those in need during the month of December.

If you are unable to help financially and you have a blog, you can still show your support by grabbing the button on the One Dollar Give sidebar and placing it on your own blog, or talk about the project on Twitter along with a link for others to get involved.

Even though it’s already the 4th of December, I’ve pledged the full $31.00 and I hope you will find a way of supporting this great cause as well. Remember, there is greater joy in giving than there is in receiving.

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Donate Christmas Toys For Tots – Christmas Donations for Needy Children

Lin — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:00:03 +0000

When you donate Christmas toys to needy children, or abused, sick and neglected children, you provide a glimmer of hope and inspiration for kids in the U.S. and around the world. Holiday donations are desperately needed, such as: donated Christmas toys, clothes, children’s books, stuffed animals and other gifts that provide for children’s basic needs, with a large number of charity organizations gearing up for what is expected to be a greater number of donation requests and applications for Christmas assistance than previous years.

When you consider the large number of evacuees affected by Hurricane Gustav, followed by Hurricane Ike along the U.S. Gulf, along with the nearly 13 million U.S. children and low-income families living below the federal poverty level, the need for help from charity donations, toy drives and Christmas donations for needy children and families is very high.

Not only do toy donations and gifts for Christmas bring a smile to children in need, but generously giving from the heart is an excellent way of teaching children compassion and empathy for others less fortunate then themselves by directly involving children in toy drives and toy donations, but charitable giving helps kids have a better understanding and appreciation for what they already have.

How and Where to Donate:

When choosing the how, what, when and where to donate toys and gifts, get your children involved. Discuss re-gifting and donating outgrown, unwanted, rarely used toys, clothes, games and stuffed animals in excellent condition to charity organizations, hospitals and clinics that need them.

Needy children stuck in hospitals for long periods of time with chronic health conditions would greatly appreciate your donation of art supplies, board games, toys and stuffed animals as Christmas gifts, providing needed entertainment and distraction from sometimes painful tests and treatments.

Donate unwrapped, new or gently used toys, games, clothes, children’s books and stuffed animals to needy children to trustworthy charity organizations, making sure gently used items, toys or board games have all the needed game pieces. Before donating used gift items, ask yourself if you or your child would want to be given such a gift for Christmas, based on the condition of each item.

Angel Tree-The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program provides new clothing or toys for children of needy families, with angel tree’s often found in high-traffic areas such as malls, churches and corporations. Each tree is decorated with numbered paper angel tags with the first name, age and gender of a child who will receive the gift. To sponsor a child from the Angel Tree, simply remove one or more tags from the tree and purchase appropriate gifts for the child or children described on the tags. The organization displaying the Angel Tree is also the collection point or drop-off location for all gifts.

Toys for Tots- The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program helps needy children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; playing an active role in collecting and delivering a shiny new toy at Christmas. Local toy collection campaigns begin in October and last until December 22, with toy deliveries normally taking place on December 23 and 24. Community members drop new, unwrapped toys at toys for tots locations, which are collection boxes positioned in local businesses. These toys are stored in warehouses, sorted by age and gender, and then delivered to needy children at Christmastime.

Operation Christmas Child- Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to needy children around the world through shoe boxes or small plastic containers filled with unwrapped toys, school supplies, candy and other gifts, then shipped to needy children overseas with a personal note included. Suggested gift ideas include toys like small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, jump ropes, and toys that light up and/or make noise. Christmas gifts of pencils, pens, crayons, markers, coloring books and other art supplies are encouraged, as are gifts of toothbrushes, ~~toothpaste~~, bar soap, and other personal care, hygiene items.

Make a Wish Foundation- You can make this holiday season special for children dealing with life-threatening medical conditions and illnesses by your generous donations to the Make a Wish Foundation of America Adopt-A-Wish program, thus helping a child’s dream come true. Make a Wish’s unique holiday donation options help grant the wishes of children, creating special memories for the wish child and family. Those who adopt a wish by making a donation are provided a unique and special story of how your donation bought joy to a wish child.

My Two Front Teeth- My Two Front Teeth is a non-profit, charity organization that provides donated toys to underprivileged children in daycare, preschools and community agencies. You can donate toys online; just sign up to receive an email notification prior to the holiday season, choose a child to sponsor and purchase and donate toys to children in need via My Two Front Teeth. My Two Front Teeth offers a personalized, online gift-giving experience to aid underprivileged children. Children are selected through community organizations and allowed to individually pick their one holiday wish.

The Christmas holiday season is fast approaching, so start an annual tradition of charitable giving, donating toys and other items to needy children and families. Setting the right example and role-modeling heartfelt giving, volunteering to help serve holiday meals in shelters or soup kitchens for the homeless, children are less likely to grow up with a serious case of entitlement and will have better appreciation and gratitude for what parents have done for them throughout the years.

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