This year Christmas is on a Sunday. What a great opportunity this is for us to create a holy season for our children, friends, and family. We all suspect Christ may, or may not, have been born on December 25th. In fact, this date was actually a pagan holiday, originally. Not much has changed over the years.
Sunday is the true Holy-Day, a day we can rightfully celebrate our Savior’s birth, life, sacrifice, and resurrection. Being able to combine it with the much anticipated season of Christmas makes it a more exciting holiday.
I have nothing against Santa. He conveys gift giving and many happy thoughts. But you have to agree, he has gone way overboard. It makes me wary, to keep my guard up, preventing him from completely taking over the way my family celebrates. In fact, I proudly declare he has had little influence in our home. That doesn’t mean we don’t decorate, give gifts, or even glut ourselves on the many Christmas movies available. But it does mean that my family holds on to our allegiance, placing our faith—where it rightly belongs—in Christ, the Savior of the World.
Have you ever noticed that Santa is an Anagram for Satan? Just a little outrageous thought.
There is so much effort in preparations for Christmas, oftentimes Christmas Day becomes a letdown. We’ve been so busy “getting ready” for the holiday that when it gets here all of our efforts are over in a flash. And then we wonder where the season went.
I’ve decided one way I can combat this is to create an advent calendar that can be enjoyed by my grandchildren. Everything on the calendar is spiritual in nature. Each day will keep the family focused on the rightful feelings that Christmas brings.
Here’s this year’s list:
- Read Luke Chp. 2, The Christmas Story, together and discuss why we celebrate this most glorious birth
- Do a Secret Santa Service for one another tonight
- Sing three Christmas songs together
- Go around to each member of the family and say what you like best about him/her
- List as many different names of Jesus Christ as you can
- What are the signs of Jesus Christ’s birth in both the old world and in the new
- Review some of the stories and quotes from the Christmas Devotional given by our prophets this Christmas season
- Read some favorite Christmas stories and discuss why they pull at our heartstrings
- Bear testimony to one another
- Discuss all of the temples across the world. What is your favorite? Why are temples important?
- Discuss what the Bread and Water represent in the Sacrament
- What do you like about Jesus Christ?
- What is special about December 23rd?
- Do a Secret Santa Service for a neighbor or a friend
- Read Isaiah 53 in the Old Testament where Jesus Christ’s coming is foretold
- Read Helaman 14:1-17 in the Book of Mormon where Jesus Christ’s coming is foretold
- Using the Big Dipper as your guide, look in the sky for the North Star. Why is the North Star important? (On ldswomenofgod.com/blog look for the post—Why the Big Dipper on the Salt Lake Temple?—for the answer)
- Have everyone pick a favorite Christmas song and tell why he/she likes it. Then sing them all together
- Review the Christmas symbols, pick one, and share how it symbolizes Christ and Christmas
- Make a Christmas treat together and share it with a neighbor
- Call grandparents and wish them a Merry Christmas
- Read about the Tree of Life—the true Christmas tree (1 Ne 8:9-12,1 Ne 11:8-23)
(I don’t always think far enough ahead to prepare my advents in an inviting setting, but the Internet has lots of really fun ways to display your advent calendar. Or you could print them out, stick them in a can, and pull them out randomly.)
When you wake up Christmas morning, make sure your children know how you really feel about Christmas. Going to Church is the best present to GIVE and RECEIVE on Christmas Day. Worshipping Jesus Christ in song makes everyone happy. Feeling the Spirit on this Holy day leaves no room for post-holiday depression.
Doctrine & Covenants 128:22-23:
[Sisters], shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, [sisters]; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.
Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, and let all the [daughters] of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!
There is so much more in celebrating His birth than a mere Christmas Day, Santa, Reindeer, and getting the perfect gift.
This painting, called Every Knee Shall Bow, is by Gaye Frances Willard
I’m thrilled that we will be able to partake of the sacrament on Christmas Day! What a gift to all of us.
Tonight I went to our Relief Society Holiday Dinner. (Yes, they called it a “Holiday” rather than a “Christmas” dinner.) It was nice but Christ-less. The entertainment was Scottish dancing, which was nice but Christ-less. To allow the dancers to catch their breath we sang Christmas carols like “It’s beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas” and “Pine Cones and Holly Berries” between numbers. Nice, but Christ-less. I didn’t stay for the full program because it seemed so hollow. If I’m going to take time away from my family it needs to be meaningful. Perhaps it got better after I left.
Our ward party is “Breakfast with Santa.” Nothing is planned to celebrate the Christ child.
How did this happen? In Christ’s restored church there is no mention of him at Christmas. We MUST create it in our homes for we certainly can’t expect it to come from anywhere else – even the church.
Thanks for sharing your list. It’s lovely.
To answer Amy’s question of How did this happen, I think that people planning things begin to believe one of two things, 1) they want to invite inactives and nonmembers to activities so they want something that won’t “shove religion down their throats” and/or 2) they think that nothing new and exciting can be said about the birth of Jesus and they’re tired of the same old thing (I know because I’ve sat in on planning sessions and heard these sentiments.) I’m sure there are other reasons that I haven’t even thought of too.
Our area has a twenty some odd year tradition of a Gingerbread Houses display. My adult daughter was called to the be specialist in our branch last year and after that experience I don’t even want to attend this year. It took hours of effort to make and decorate the houses; and for ours alone, over $100. (Money that we didn’t have!) We went to the display and although it was nice and interesting, it left me with that same hollow feeling that Amy describes. Where was Jesus Christ? How did this display of the secular symbols of the winter season show and tell visitors that we believe in and are followers of Jesus Christ? Baffling to me. And in this pre-election season where our very beliefs are called into question I wondered why the leaders of this region don’t change the display to one of Nativities so we can call attention to our core belief in the Savior.
My husband was raised Catholic and wondered, when he married me, why we, the LDS, don’t have a special program or meeting on Christmas Eve or Christmas day unless it happens to fall on a Sunday. He remembers the special spiritual feelings of attending Mass with his family on Christmas Eve. One year in WA our ward had a Christmas Eve program in the middle of the week. It lasted just an hour and was absolutely one of the best, most spiritual meetings I’ve attended. We’re told that wards don’t have these because Christmas is a time for families. But what about those with no families, or what about the feeling of being a ward family? Our branch leaders have determined that we will only have Sacrament Meeting on Dec. 25th this year, and our Christmas program will be on Dec. 18th. How weird is that? They reasoned that many people will be gone and many will not attend church on Christmas! How is that possible, that someone won’t attend church on what could be a really special and sacred day of remembrance and thanksgiving? It boggles the mind.
Now I’ll get off my soap-box and say thank you for the ideas and reminders to focus on the Savior this season. Thanks too for letting me spout off.
Thank you for your comments. It is baffling that this would be such a problem.
Interestingly enough, if we look at the Book of Mormon, it is the strength of families that bless communities and nations. We need stronger families and individuals. We cannot rely on our wards, and programs, to save us.
Thank you for the post! I will be using your ideas all month long:) As a single Mom and student it is really helpful to have all these ideas in one place.
I’m the choir director for our ward and I am really looking forward to Christmas on Sunday this year. Our ward congregation is singing practically every Christmas hymn in the book. I think it will be like a very big FHE. We will have two short talks and lots of music and I think the simplicity of it will make Christmas Sunday lovely.
We are singing the week before as a choir, just to clarify.
Merry Christmas everyone:)
Victoria
Yikes Amy, that is so sad! I just wrote some related thoughts: http://latg.blogspot.com/2011/12/reason-for-season.html.
Thanks for your post.
The picture that is at the top of the page…..My sister really really wants this for Christmas. I cannot find it anywhere!!!! Can anyone please help me!!!
Google Gaye Frances Willard to find her website. She is a wonderful artist!
Thank you!!!!
There is no suspect about it, Jesus was born on April 6. Joseph Smith makes that clear. But it doesn’t matter when the World celebrate the birth of our Lord, just that they do. Even more important is that we keep doing it all year round by living as the Lord would want us to.
As for Santa, I have nothing against him. The real man the legend is based on was a good man, and the spirit of Santa is very much in tune with the Gospel. Where it kind of gets hijacked is that retail shops take a good thing in Santa Claus and tarnish his good name in the name of a prosperous fourth quarter.
I think this picture by Gaye Frances Willard really set things back to their proper perspective. We can have Santa in our Christmas lives, but we need to remember he works for a Higher Power, not the other way around!