Finding the Magic and Spirit of Christ at Christmastime

The Christmas season is here again, and I have been stressing out about decorating the house, finding gifts and keeping it all within our budget. Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. When my children were younger, I loved seeing the magic and wonder through their little eyes. They were so excited to see the lights and the trees—and especially the gifts on Christmas morning. The excitement all December long was almost palpable. As they get older, I hope that their love of Christmas never fades. The answer, I believe, is found in what we are focusing on. President Thomas S. Monson said:

I … have witnessed … what has become over the years the annual commercialization of Christmas. I am saddened to see Christmas becoming less and less about Christ and more and more about marketing and sales, parties and presents.

And yet, Christmas is what we make of it. Despite all the distractions, we can see to it that Christ is at the center of our celebration.

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, my husband and I strive to follow the Savior and teach our children of Him. But it is too easy for the true meaning of Christmas to get lost in all of the tinsel and wrapping paper. President Boyd K. Packer said:

I love Christmas. There is a spirit at Christmastime. It descends upon the world—not just to members of the Church but across the world—a testimony and a witness that Jesus is the Christ.

Christmas is all about Christ. When we lose the true meaning of Christmas, we also lose the spirit of the season. President Monson said:

Giving, not getting, brings to full bloom the Christmas spirit. Enemies are forgiven, friends remembered, and God obeyed. The spirit of Christmas illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than things. To catch the real meaning of the “spirit of Christmas,” we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the “Spirit of Christ.”

The magic and wonder of Christmas are not found in the lights, trees, ornaments, decorations or brightly wrapped gifts, they are found in the birth of the babe of Bethlehem and in the spirit that He brings to the world. Little children easily find the magic of the season because they exhibit the attributes of Christ. When we see things through their eyes, we can “become as little children” and find the magic and wonder of the season, too.

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