As with Neil, I wish all our readers a most peaceable and blessed new year. The Roman Rite’s alternative opening prayer* for today’s feast expresses so well the nature of the season and observance today:
Father, source of light in every age, the Virgin conceived and bore your Son who is called Wonderful God, Prince of Peace.
May her prayer, the gift of a mother’s love, be your people’s joy through all ages.
May her response, born of a humble heart, draw your Spirit to rest on your people.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
* all of which are omitted in the soon-to-be-issued Roman Missal III
Catholic Sensibility 
I have to confess that I have not followed the story on the next edition of the Sacramentary very closely, at least not closely enough to realize that the proposed edition omits all of alternate opening prayers. That will be a real loss. I’d say that about 90% of the time I choose the alternate prayer after comparing the two options in the Sacramentary. Seasonally, I sometimes choose from the scripture-related opening prayers in the ICEL Collects (Canterbury Press 1997).