Christmas Eve Prayers 2015: 3 Blessings To Help Make The Most Of The Holiday

Christmas is a time to recount and rejoice over Jesus' birth by gathering the family, exchanging gifts and sharing meals. For many, it's also a time to pray. If that's what you're looking for, we’ve got you covered.

Here’s a prayer to offer thankfulness for the special evening:

Most Loving Father, thank you for this night and for all it represents. Thank you for the hope you bestow, the peace you bring, the love you pour out, and the joy you give. We praise you most of all for Jesus, your Word made flesh. May he light our way as the holy star lit the way for the wise men. Amen.

This prayer asks God to help make Christmas a special moment by guiding the world toward peace and happiness:

Loving God, Help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and 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 clear hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

And this prayer recounts the significance of Christmas and expresses thankfulness for God’s grace.

Father God, In a small animal shelter, two young newlyweds came to take refuge. In candlelight, laying upon straw, the promised one stirred within a nervous young mother. How we wonder that your Son, a piece of you sent from heaven could reside in such humble beginnings. And yet we engage with this picture, with the expectancy, with the hardship and with the wonder. This is the eve that held such promise, the eve that would be remembered forever, the eve that changed everything. We remember this moment now and continue to wonder at your amazing plans, at your unfailing love, and at your amazing grace. Amen.

To make the most of Christmas, you can learn more about its history here, find some decoration ideas here or some poems here. If you have last-minute Christmas shopping to do, we've got that covered too.