Cherishing the Spirit of Christmas by Susannah MacKay

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

D&C 6:32

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 ~