In keeping with its holiday tradition of offering original Christmas cards featuring the famous World War II Patton Prayer, the 6th Cavalry Museum will change it up in 2016 and offer a Christmas ornament along with the cards. Since 2010, the museum has offered a special holiday card featuring the Patton Prayer, Patton’s Christmas greetings to the Third Army and the history of the prayer. The popularity of the unique Christmas card has grown each year and the 2016 card sets will include all of the five previous covers in each set and the ornament.
The museum has as part of its permanent collection one of the original Patton Prayer cards which has the prayer on one side and a Christmas greeting from Gen. George S. Patton on the back. The museum worked with The Print Shop to create the Christmas ornament. The original Patton Prayer card is about the size of a business card. A couple of different ideas were considered and tried. Each ornament, which is the exact replica of the original Patton Prayer card, was individually laminated then red ribbon was attached at the top to hold the ornament on the tree.
The Christmas card sets will be sold in quantities of 15, 45 and 90 with three of each design in the set of 15 and one ornament, nine of each design in the set of 45 and three ornaments and 18 of each design and six ornaments in the set of 90.
“People have asked if they can get the previous years’ designs so that gave us the idea to offer a combination set for 2016,” explained Museum Executive Director Chris McKeever. “I heard from one of the veterans that we had sent a card to that his wife had cut the prayer out and made it into an ornament for their tree. It was such a great idea we decided to copy it.”
Patton’s family supports the museum’s efforts to raise money by offering the card and ornament for sale. The general’s grandson, George Patton Waters, visited the museum in 2010 and encouraged the museum to take the card to press. “Pat sends the museum a card each year and keeps track of all our events and activities. He knows his grandfather held the 6th Cavalry in high esteem and he’s happy that we keep General Patton and his famous prayer for good weather part of the holiday.”
15 cards and 1 ornament $20 plus $6 s/h
45 cards and 3 ornaments $50 plus $8 s/h
90 cards and 6 ornaments $80 plus $10 s/h
Patton Prayer ornament $10 each plus $1 s/h