It’s hard to believe but Christmas is only 1 day away. Where
does the time go? If you’re anything like me, it goes so quickly, with so very
much to do.
As I reflect on Christmases past, there are many that stand
out with sweet memories and special moments. But there are also many that were
notable only for the exhaustion and depletion I felt. We’ve all had that
Christmas night where we collapse and wonder to ourselves, “Was it really all
worth it?”
If you’re like me, the answer is probably not! We need to
decide what IS actually worth it and focus on those things. In short, we must
“lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better”
(D&C 25:10). That doesn’t mean you can’t watch your favorite Christmas
movie or go shopping with the masses, but it does mean we should be doing things
for the right reasons: because they fill our lamps and bring us closer to Him
whose birth we celebrate. To quote Elder Dallin H. Oaks:
“As we consider various choices, we should
remember that it is not enough that something is good. Other choices are
better, and still others are best. Even though a particular choice is more
costly, its far greater value may make it the best choice of all.”
-Elder Oak, General Conference, 2007
How can we make sure that this year, for this Christmas, our experience is fulfilling, uplifting,
and meaningful? If we want our Christmas to be
different, we have to actually do
something different. That does not mean doing more, rather it means choosing to
do what we already know invites the Spirit. We can better incorporate things
like prayer, scripture, music, and service into our celebration on Christmas
Eve and Christmas Day.
Think about your family traditions and be creative. Some
ideas:
n
Say a prayer on Christmas morning before you
dive into the presents.
n
Read Luke 2 on Christmas Eve.
n
Even if you think you can’t sing or play, SING
and PLAY! Bring the songs of Christmas into your celebrations as well.
n
Find a way to serve someone else – invite them
to Christmas Eve or Christmas dinner. Make a secret Santa drop. Call someone
you haven’t spoken to in a long while that might appreciate your love.
I know how much these things can help keep the focus on our
Savior. You don’t have to do it all, but choose just ONE WAY you can make a
change for the better… then try it out! Actually do it! You’ll be surprised
what a difference it makes.
On top of the busyness and frenzy of the Christmas season,
many also struggle with loneliness, disappointment, or depression. I know this
personally and deeply – both from observation and my own experience. And it is
all the more challenging when you sense that this should be the season of joy and hope, but it’s just not happening
for you. In these moments (or hours!), I know that the Savior is near to us in
this, His season:
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my
voice, and open the door, I
will come in to him,
and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)
Our Savior loves us, He wants to bless us. Let’s open the door
to Him and invite Him in. As we run the marathon of the Christmas season, let’s
move the finish line a few days earlier. And when Christmas Eve comes… even if
we don’t get all the cookies baked or all the Christmas cards mailed…. may we
set those things aside for things that are better. Time with family, for
sharing love with one another, for celebrating and coming to know the life of
our Lord. He stands ready to enter, we need only invite Him in. I pray that we
will be inspired this Christmas to find some small way to make that happen, and
I know we will all be blessed for our efforts. Merry Christmas!
Prayer
D&C 88:63
Draw near unto me and I will
draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall
receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Scripture
“Many have told… of when the
Christ child is born to rescue and lead us home. Of the inspired accounts, the
ones we treasure most help us feel again the tender love and care of the
Father, and of His Beloved Son, for all of us, and especially for the least of
us. That is one of the reasons we love Luke’s story of the birth of Jesus. Each
time we hear it we can feel again the love of our Father for us and for all His
children. Each detail of the story makes real for us the message of love.”
-
President Henry
B. Eyring
Music
“We get nearer to the Lord
through music than perhaps through any other thing except prayer.”
-
President J.
Reuben Clark, 1936
Meeting
Together
Verily, verily, I say unto you, as I said unto my disciples,
where two or three are gathered together in my name, as atouching
bone
thing, behold, there will I be in the cmidst
of them—even so am I in the dmidst
of you.
Serving Others
“True happiness comes only by making others happy. The [spirit
of] Christmas makes our hearts glow in brotherly love and friendship and
prompts us to kind deeds of service. It is the spirit of the gospel of Jesus
Christ.”
-
President David O. McKay
Sometimes it seems
that our efforts to have a perfect Christmas season are like a game of
Jenga—you know, the one played with small wooden blocks that are precariously
stacked up to a tower. As we try to increase the height of the tower, we pull out
one wooden block before we can place it on top of the delicate structure.
Each of those little
wooden blocks is a symbol of the perfect Christmas events we so desperately
want to have. We have in our minds a picture of how everything should be—the
perfect tree, the perfect lights, the perfect gifts, and the perfect family
events. We might even want to re-create some magical moment we remember from
Christmases past, and nothing short of perfection will do.
Sooner or later,
something unpleasant occurs—the wooden blocks tumble, the drapes catch fire,
the turkey burns, the sweater is the wrong size, the toys are missing
batteries, the children quarrel, the pressure rises—and the picture-perfect
Christmas we had imagined, the magic we had intended to create, shatters around
us. As a result, the Christmas season is often a time of stress, anxiety,
frustration, and perhaps even disappointment.
But then, if we are
only willing to open our hearts and minds to the spirit of Christmas, we will
recognize wonderful things happening around us that will direct or redirect our
attention to the sublime. It is usually something small—we read a verse of
scripture; we hear a sacred carol and really listen, perhaps for the first
time, to its words; or we witness a sincere expression of love. In one way or
another, the Spirit touches our hearts, and we see that Christmas, in its
essence, is much more sturdy and enduring than the many minor things of life we
too often use to adorn it.
~ President Dieter F. Uchtdorf ~
