We've tried pretty hard with our family to make sure our children understand the reason we celebrate Christmas, to commemorate Christ's birth. We've told his birth story over and over. We talk about his birth in Family Home Evenings, we make a special effort to visit nativity's that tell the story, we visit temple square, we've visited creche festivals, we've participated in Christmas concerts where hymns have been sung to tell the story of his birth, etc.
Last week I had the feeling that we had done a good job of teaching about the reason we celebrate Christmas, but I felt like our family lacked the application of it in our lives. I heard lots of "I want....I want....I want....". I heard lots of fighting among siblings. Lots of yelling. I felt like I had failed a little. I wanted to hear more of , "I would like to give....." and I wanted to see more kindness among our children.
For Family Home Evening we talked about this. We talked about what it means to have the Spirit of Christmas. The kids did a great job telling us about what they knew about Christ's birth, but we had to explain to them, that it wasn't enough to know the reason we celebrate Christmas, we must apply that knowledge and ACT!
I shared excerpts of this article from the December 1974 New Era Magazine, entitled "The Spirit of Christmas."
The spirit of Christmas is something I would hope every young person would have in his heart and in his life, not only at this particular season but throughout the year....
...... I wonder if each might profit today by asking himself, what gift would God have me give to Him or to others at this precious season of the year?
May I answer that question and in all solemnity declare to you that our Heavenly Father desires each one of his children to render unto him a gift of obedience so all will actually love the Lord our God with all our hearts, all our minds, and all our strength. Then, I am sure, he will expect us to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Were the Lord here today, I would not be surprised if he would instruct us to give generously of ourselves and not to be selfish, nor greedy, nor contentious, nor quarrelsome, remembering His words recorded in 3 Nephi, when he said:
“And there shall be no disputations among you. …
“For verily, verily I say unto you, … contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who … stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.
“Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, … but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.” (3 Ne. 11 :28–30.)
I plead with you to rid from your lives any spirit of contention, any spirit wherein we might view one another for the spoils of life, but rather that we might work with our brethren and with our sisters for the fruits of thegospel of Jesus Christ.
I trust we will not forget at this Christmas season the gratitude that must be within our hearts and that yearns to be expressed. I hope not one of us will take his birthright for granted. I hope no one will forget his mother or his father, but rather that each will honor father and honor mother. What finer Christmas gift could they receive than to know that a son or a daughter was honoring them by honoring God and living his commandments?
Once in Corpus Christi, Texas, a proud father came forward to me and slipped into my hand a letter from his son serving as a missionary in Australia. May I share this letter with you? It may suggest a format whereby you might express gratitude to your parents as a special and lasting Christmas gift this year. The letter reads:
“Dear Mom and Dad:
“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the many wonderful things you have done for me. I want to thank you for listening to the message the elders presented to you when they knocked at your door and thank you for the way you grasped the gospel and made it the mold by which you shaped your lives and the lives of your children. I love each of you very much.
“Thank you for the way you taught me, for your love which you expressed in many ways. Thank you for directing me in the right pathways, for showing me instead of forcing me. I am thankful for your beautiful testimonies and for the guiding love in which you helped me gain mine. I know the gospel is true. My few experiences here have strengthened my testimony. I pray that I might live up to your expectations, and with God’s help I will.
“Thank you again, Mom and Dad. “Your loving son, David”
What finer expression could a boy give his parents than the gift of gratitude?
I hope that in addition to the gift of gratitude that you bestow upon your parents, you will share this same gift with others of your loved ones—your brothers, your sisters, your relatives, your friends, those with whom you mingle and associate. They can benefit and be profited if you will give of yourselves in helping them to see the truth and to avoid the quicksands of life. Perhaps you may be the one able to light a spark in the lives of others and thus enable them to see their possibilities, rather than the problems that beset them day by day.
I would hope we would become experts in the field of human relations. Mr. Roger Woodruff, a great American industrialist, went from one end of this country to the other telling us how we might better get along with one another. He developed what he called a capsule course in human relations. He taught:
“The five most important words in the English language are these: I am proud of you.
“The four most important words in the English language are these: What is your opinion?
“The three most important words are: If you please.
“The two most important words are: Thank you.
“The least important word of all is: I.”
Isn’t that a part of the spirit of Christmas, really—to forget self and to think of others?
This message was exactly what our family needed to hear. The girls looked at us a little sheepishly, I'm sure because of the guilt they felt from the fighting that had taken place earlier.
I hope that we can think outside ourselves enough to really give in a meaningful way to others. We're helping with a Secret Santa this year, and it's been really good to see the kids get excited about that. I really want the kids to think about others before themselves, but I feel strongly that it needs to start within our family. Sometimes it's easier to do something big for someone that you don't live with or even know very well, but doing the small, simple things every day, to and for those you live with, who know your weaknesses and vulnerabilities, well that can be hard!
Anyway, so what do eggs have to do with it? Well, the morning after we had this Family Home Evening lesson, I came home from working out at the gym to find Brynn cooking eggs. I said, "Oh, are you making your breakfast?" She replied, "No, I'm making them for you." They were the best eggs I've ever eaten. Something is sinking in.
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