Remembering Christ at Christmas

Last night I attended a Relief Society Christmas social. We had a delicious dinner, I enjoyed getting to know the women at my table better, and we had a lovely program. My nephew D.J. played a piano solo to conclude the evening. Can I say, "He's awesome!" D.J. truly is a gifted pianist.

Interspersed between the musical numbers, we watched three video selections that helped us focus on the true meaning of Christmas. It's a message I very much appreciated.

So many times, I get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Christmas shopping. Christmas baking. Christmas parties. The list goes on and on. By the time Christmas Day arrives, I am exhausted. I remember too many Christmas mornings where I went back to bed after opening gifts and breakfast. I was too tired to enjoy the rest of the day.

One of my favorite Christmases was when our little family moved to Twenty-nine Palms for a couple of months while Ron had a work assignment down there. We knew it would be a temporary move, so we only brought the bare necessities. If it didn't fit in our van, we left it behind. This included all our Christmas decorations.

Jennifer was turning one, Heather was barely four, and Christie was in 1st grade. We knew we needed to make Christmas special for them, so we grew creative.

We bought an inexpensive live tree, a box of Christmas lights, a package of popcorn, some thread, needles, candy canes, wrapped chocolates on a string, and some red and green construction paper. We strung popcorn, made Christmas chains, and decorated our tree with love. Because we knew no one, we weren't invited to any parties. Because Christie was being temporarily "home-schooled" we didn't have any school Christmas programs to attend. Each evening, we gathered together in the living room and Ron or I would read a short Christmas story. We sang Christmas Carols. We spent time together as a family.

There in the high desert of southern California, the stars seemed especially bright and close. It wasn't hard to imagine the Magi following the star in their search to worship the Savior. It wasn't hard to imagine angels appearing to shepherds as they shouted, "Glory to God in the Highest" and "Peace on Earth Good Will to Men." And it wasn't hard to imagine a young tired pregnant woman with a concerned husband as they traveled through their own desert in a far off land looking for room in an inn.

I hope you enjoy this video presentation. I know it helped me resolve to make room for my Savior during this busy time of the year.