Christmas prayer for the holiday

Dear Readers: Merry Christmas. We hope those who are celebrating this holiday are fortunate enough to enjoy it with family and friends. A few years ago, we printed a prayer that a reader sent in, author unknown. Since then, we’ve received several requests to reprint it, so here it is once again:

A Christmas Prayer

Let us pray… That strength and courage abundant be given to all who work for a world of reason and understanding. That the good that lies in each of our hearts may day by day be magnified. That we will come to see more clearly not that which divides us, but that which unites us. That each hour may bring us closer to a final victory, not of nation over nation, but of ourselves over our own evils and weaknesses. That the true spirit of this Christmas Season, its joy, its beauty, its hope, and above all, its abiding faith, may be among us. That the blessings of peace be ours, the peace to build and grow, to live in harmony and sympathy with others, and to plan for the future with confidence.

Dear Readers: Last year, we printed the PNC Christmas Price Index figures for the cost of purchasing all the items listed in the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

According to the PNC, this year, True Loves must pay more than $107,300.24 for all 364 gifts, an increase of 6.1 percent. And while the price of the partridge, two turtle doves, four calling birds, eight maids-a-milking, nine ladies dancing and 10 lords-a-leaping remained the same, those pesky swans jumped 11.1 percent to $7,000. The pear tree is 11.8 percent higher at $189.99. Also costing more this year are 11 pipers piping, 12 drummers drumming, three French hens and five gold rings, which rose 16.3 percent due to the dramatic rise in gold prices.

Annie’s Snippet for Christmas Day (credit Oren Arnold): Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.