Christmas Devotional and LA Temple Lights

I absolutely LOVE the first Sunday in December. Every first Sunday, the prophet (Thomas S. Monson) and his 2 counselors (Henry B. Eyring and Dieter H. Uchtdorf) give a Christmas devotional. They each share Christmas messages focused on the true meaning of the holiday - Christ. Although by this time my house is decorated, my tree up, and even some of my gifts purchased - it is the focus on my Savior that inspires the real Christmas spirit. Today's devotional was among the best I have watched. In addition to counsel to focus on Christ, they introduced new Bible videos depicting the events leading up to Jesus' birth, the visit of the shepherds and later the wise men; they are beautiful! 


President Uchtdorf spoke about how all too often we focus on having the "perfect" Christmas, but inevitably something will go wrong and disrupt even our best plans. "And as a result, the Christmas season is often a time of stress, anxiety, frustration and perhaps even disappointment.” He went on to say that "if we will open our hearts, the Spirit will touch us and we will see that Christmas is much more than the minor things of life we use to adorn it." How true. "This is a wonderful time of the year,” he said. “It may not be perfect, but if Christmas can point our hearts toward our Savior, we can rejoice even in the imperfections of the season.”


President Eyring spoke about light as a symbol of Christ's birth. He talked about the angelic visitations and reminded us that the greatest gift EVER given was that by the Father - giving us His only Begotten Son. He encouraged us to ponder the gifts that we can give. “You can give a great and wonderful Christmas if you remember the gifts God has given you, and as best you can, offer them to others as he would,” he said.


President Monson shared his Christmas reading list: the Christmas story as found in the book of Luke, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, and the Mansion by Henry Van Dyke. “These readings never fail to bring to me the spirit of Christmas,” he said. “The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of love and of generosity and of goodness. It illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than in things.” In closing - this was his promise and blessing: “As we strive to become more like him, we will have joy and happiness in our lives and peace each day of the year,” he said. “It is his example which, if followed, stirs within us more kindness and love, more respect and concern for others. … May his precious spirit be with us, and may he ever be the center of our celebrations and indeed of our very lives.”


After the devotional, we drove to the Los Angeles Temple to see the Christmas lights. President Eyring made mention that Christmas lights are a symbol to remind us of the birth of Jesus Christ. How true that is. We felt such a peace as we walked around the temple grounds. It was also quite magical to watch Olivia's eyes just light up in awe of the many lights. Although this is officially her second Christmas - it seems like her first - she is now able to engage, interact, and experience the season.  


(We only had Aaron's phone to take photos...)

I hope and pray that this year I will stay focused on the Christ in Christmas. 


Bible Videos (the Christmas Story)
First Presidency Christmas Messages (If using the LDS Media Player, skip forward in the video to 57'00 for the start of the devotional. The hour before has music and a countdown to the actual broadcast.