Many of our modern Christmas traditions — the things we eat, the songs we sing, the rituals we perform — have resulted from the convergence of customs and observances from around the world.  Here is an interesting article about how our christmas traditions evolved through the centuries.

Gracious and good Lord,
we bless you on this feast of St. Nicholas, your servant,
who is an example to us of a life of charity and love.
May we see in his life an invitation to imitate his good deeds.
Make us always mindful of the needs of others
and help us rejoice in the abundance of your goodness around us.
Through Jesus our Lord. Amen.

O most holy Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore You, I loved You, and with a lively sorrow for sins, I offer You this poor heart of mine. Make the humble, patient and pure  wholly obedient to Your will. Grant, good Jesus, that I may live in You and for You. Protect me in the midst of danger; comfort me in my afflictions; give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, Your blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death. Amen

Patron Saint of Ecology

If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.

 - Saint Francis of Assisi

St. Therese as a novice.

“O My God! Most Blessed Trinity, I desire to love You and make you loved, to work for the glory of Holy Church by saving souls .”

- Saint Therese

St. Thérèse Novena Prayer

Glorious St. Thérèse, whom Almighty God has raised up to aid and inspire the human family, I implore your Miraculous Intercession. You are so powerful in obtaining every need of body and spirit from the Heart of God. Holy Mother Church proclaims you ‘Prodigy of Miracles … the Greatest Saint of Modern Times.” Now I fervently beseech you to answer my petition
 (mention here)  and to carry out your promises of spending Heaven doing good upon earth … of letting fall from Heaven a Shower of Roses. Little Flower, give me your childlike faith, to see the Face of God in the people and experiences of’ my life, and to love God with full confidence. St. Thérèse, my Carmelite Sister, I will fulfill your plea ‘to be made known everywhere” and I will continue to lead others to Jesus through you.   Amen.

According to the Delaney Dictionary of Saints, from the sixth century to 1970, September 29 was observed as Michaelmas Day and honored only St. Michael. Since 1970, September 29 has been celebrated as the Feast of all three Archangels. Michael is known as the great protector; Gabriel as the bearer of good news; and Raphael as the divine healer.

A Prayer to Saint Michael

Saint Michael , Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host,
by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the other evil spirits who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

-- Pope Leo XIII

A Prayer to Saint Gabriel

Blessed Saint Gabriel, Archangel
We beseech thee to intercede for us at the throne of divine mercy:
As thou didst announce to Mary the mystery of the Incarnation,
so through thy prayers may we receive strength of faith and
courage of spirit, and thus find favor with God and redemption through Christ Our Lord.
May we sing the praise of God our Savior with the angels and saints in heaven
forever and ever. Amen.

A Prayer to Saint Raphael

I’m a Catholic and happy to die for God.  If I have a thousand lives to offer, I will offer them to Him.

- Saint Lorenzo Ruiz

 First Canonized Filipino Martyr

Chinese father, Filipino mother, both Christians. He learned Chinese and Tagalog from them, Spanish from the Dominicans whom he served as altar boy and sacristan. Professional calligrapher and documents transcriptionist. Member of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary. Married layman , and the father of two sons and a daughter. For unknown reasons, Lorenzo was accused of murder. He sought asylum on board ship with three Dominican priests , a layman  and a leper. Only when they were at sea did he learn that they were going to Japan during a time of intense Christian persecution. Lorenzo could have gone to Formosa (modern Taiwan), but feared the Spaniards there would hang him, and so stayed with the missionaries as they landed at Okinawa. The group was soon exposed as Christian, arrested, and taken to Nagasaki. He underwent inhuman tortures and valiantly confessed his Christian Faith. Refusing to renounce his Faith, he told his executioner that he was ready to die for God and give himself for many thousands of lives if he had them. On September 27, 1637, he was hung from a gallows by his feet, his body falling into a pit. After two days of agony, he died of bleeding and suffocation. His body was cremated and the ashes thrown into the sea. He and fifteen companions, martyred in the same persecution, were beatified by Pope John Paul II in Manila on February 18, 1981 and elevated to full honors of the altar by canonization on October 18, 1987 in Rome.

1580?–1660, French priest renowned for charitable work. He was ordained in 1600. There are conflicting stories about his capture by pirates and enslavement in Tunis and his subsequent escape. In Rome he came to the attention of Pope Paul V, who sent him on a mission to the French court of Henry IV, where Vincent remained as chaplain to the queen. His activism, and the holiness of his life brought about the revival of French Catholicism. He inspired many of the court to an interest in the poor of Paris and was the founder of organized charity in France. In 1625 he founded an order of secular priests to work in rural areas; it became the Congregation of the Mission, called Lazarists or Vincentians. With these priests, St. Vincent conducted retreats, founded seminaries, and achieved widespread reform among the French clergy. For city work he founded the Sisters of Charity. St. Vincent’s influence, through his spirit and through his institutions, is incalculable. He was canonized in 1737. Feast: Sept. 27 

Prayer to Saint Vincent de Paul

Dear Saint, the mere mention of your name suggests a litany of your virtues: humility, zeal, mercy, self-sacrifice. It also recalls your many foundations: Works of Mercy, Congregations, Societies. And the Church gratefully remembers your promotion of the priesthood. Inspire all Charitable Workers, especially those who minister to the poor - both the spiritually and the materially poor. Amen

Matthew was a tax collector in the city of Capernaum, where Jesus was living. He was a Jew but he was working for the Romans, who had conquered the Jews. For this reason, his countrymen disliked him. They would not have anything to do with these “public sinners,” as tax collectors like Matthew were called. But Jesus did not feel that way about Matthew. One day, Jesus saw Matthew sitting in his office and he said, “Follow me.” At once, Matthew left his money and his position to follow Jesus. He seemed so holy and king-like. Matthew gave a big supper for Jesus. He invited other friends like himself to meet Jesus and listen to him teach. Some people found fault with Jesus for sharing a meal with those whom they considered sinners. However, Jesus had a ready answer. “They who are well do not need a doctor; the sick do. I have not come to call the just, but sinners to repentance.” When Jesus went back to heaven, St. Matthew stayed in Palestine. He remained there for some time to preach about the Lord. We are familiar with the Gospel of Matthew, which is the story of Jesus and what he taught. St. Matthew presents Jesus to his own people. The Lord is the Messiah whom the prophets had said would come to save us. After preaching the Gospel to many people, St. Matthew ended his life as a glorious martyr for the faith. 

“You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

- Matthew 5:48

Born, 1809 at Loudin, diocese of Poitiers, France. Priest and member of the Paris Society of Foreign Missions. Missionary to Viet Nam, working in Annam. Accused of theft after weapons were planted on his land to discredit him, he was actually arrested for his faith at Ban-ho. He was kept in chains in a cage for three months, routinely beaten, and when interrogated was expected to sing his answers as he was known for his beautiful voice. The martyred priest was beheaded and his body hacked to pieces on 20 September 1837 at Ban-Ho, Tonkin, Vietnam. Saint John Cornay was beatified in 1900 and canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1988.