So, today and for the next seven evenings, I get to wish both a Merry Christmas to my friends that celebrate the Nativity of Jesus and a Happy Hanukkah to my friends who celebrate the miracle of the oil in the menorah during the purifaction and rededication of the Temple about 160 years prior.

Amen.

Grant, we pray, that your Church may never cease to work for the happiness of children, the safety of sailors, the relief of the poor, & the help of those tossed by tempests of doubt or grief; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever & ever.

Almighty God, in your love you gave your servant Nicholas of Myra a perpetual name for deeds of kindness both on land and sea:

St Nicholas is known to have been a wonderworker, a defender of orthodoxy, a protector of the innocent, an advocate for and helper of those in poverty, and a friend to and guardian of sailors. But he is best known as one who was filled with compassion and generosity for children.