O God, come to my aid and help me. Here is my list of all the people I care about. Some of them have given me personal wish lists. Others have a blank space beside their names, and I don't know what they want. Help me see each one with your eyes.
O God, be with me. Show me some small item that will reflect your love and mine. Show me how to choose a gift for each one, since you know each one better than I do.
O God, I need a few sales. Bless and multiply what I spend and help me let go of what I can't buy. Use my money and my gifts to bring your joy -the kind of joy that lasts and never runs out.
O God, I give you my time, my harried wish for a parking space, my frustration with the lines at the registers. Help me take the time to pray for the other shoppers around me, other drivers and the store clerks.
O God, your son, Jesus, was once a little child, but he became so much more. I ask all these things in his name as I try to make Christmas a real celebration of his birth and of his redeeming love for us all. Amen.
