It was a Barbie Princess Charm School Christmas for Maren. She got the princess and prince dolls, the horse and carriage, and this Royal Bed and Bath set.
Ashley cruisin' the house on her new scooter.
Ashley's gift to Dad and Mom.
Maren in the hat made by Auntie Laura.
I couldn't resist buying this $4.99 special at the Scout store. Let's see if we can get Craig to wear it.
What a beautiful Christmas Day! We took some family pictures in the church parking lot before services began. That is Catalina Island behind us.
Elders Collier and Clark from our ward, John Kline, a temporary member of our ward whom we'd not met, but the elders asked to include, and Grammy and Grandpa all joined us for Christmas dinner. We had ham and bean soup and bread, with spinach dip, hot artichoke dip, and crackers for appetizers. Chocolate bundt cake and ice cream made up dessert.
It was a fantastic Christmas season. I'm sad to see it end. But that's the best way to end it... wanting more!
And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitide, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
- Revelation 19:6
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
- Revelation 11:15
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
We have a tradition of reading this story every Christmas season.
It is a family favorite.
It is the true story of a poor family in Canada in 1927, who will have no Christmas without help from family members in the states. By Christmas Eve, no packages had yet arrived. But through a Christmas miracle, Christmas does come. My favorite line comes from the letter included with the gifts sent to the family:
"We hope you have a Merry Christmas, and thank you so much for making our Christmas the best one we've ever had!"
I always ask my kids why it is that it would be the best Christmas for those sending the gifts. It is a wonderful reminder of what Christmas is all about.
"The celebration of Christmas helps us keep our promise to always remember Him and His gifts to us. And that remembrance creates a desire in us to give gifts to Him.
He has told us what we could give Him to bring Him joy. First, we can, out of faith in Him, give a broken heart and a contrite spirit. We can repent and make sacred covenants with Him. Within the sound of my voice are some who have felt His invitation to the peace His gospel brings but have not yet accepted it. You would give Him joy if you would act now to come unto Him while you can.
Second, you can give Him the gift of doing for others what He would do for them. Many of you have already done that and felt His appreciation. It may have been visiting a lonely widower. It may have been joining with others in a project to help those in need.
There is a long list of possibilities in the book of Matthew. There we read words from our Redeemer, which we all hope to hear and to speak when we see Him after this life:
“Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
“When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
“Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
In those words the Lord makes clear what gifts we might give Him out of our gratitude. Each act of kindness to anyone becomes a kindness to Him because He loves all of Heavenly Father’s children. And because that brings joy to Him, it also brings joy to His Father, to whom we owe thanks beyond measure.
Many of you will in the Christmas season find ways to give food to people who are hungry. As you do, you bring joy to the Lord. Yet He taught us that there is a way to give an even more priceless and lasting gift. He said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” With all the kindnesses we give for Him, the greatest we can offer is to point those we love and serve toward Him, the only source of eternal life."
When I was a very young bishop, in 1951, there was a tap at my door and a good German brother from Odgen, UT, announced himself as Karl Guertler.
He said, "Are you Bishop Monson?"
I answered in the affirmative.
He said, "My brother and his wife and their family are coming from Germany. They are going to live in your ward. Will you come with me to see the apartment we have rented for them?"
On the way to that apartment, he told me he had not seen his brother for something like 30 years. Yet all through the holocaust of World War II, his brother, Hans Guertler, had been faithful to the Church - an officer in the Hamburg branch.
I looked at that apartment. It was cold; it was dreary; the paint was peeling form the walls; the cupboards were bare. What an uninviting home for the Christmas season of the year! I worried about it and I prayed about it, and then in our ward welfare committee meeting, we did something about it.
The group leader of the high priests said, "I am an electrician. Let's put good appliances in that apartment."
The group leader of the seventies said, "I am in the floor covering business. Let's install new floor coverings."
The elders quorum president said, "I am a painter. Let's paint that apartment."
The Relief Society representative spoke up, "Did you say those cupboards were bare?" (They were not bare very long, with the Relief Society in action.)
Then the young people, represented through the Aaronic Priesthood general secretary said, "Let's put a Christmas tree in the home and let's go among our young people and gather gifts to place under the tree."
You should have seen that Christmas scene, when the Guertler family arrived from Germany in clothing which was tattered and with faces which were drawn by the rigors of war and deprivation! As they went into their apartment they saw what had been in actual fact a transformation - a beautiful home. We spontaneously began singing, "Silent Night! Holy Night! All is calm; all is bright!" We sang in English; they sang in German. At the conclusion of that hymn, Hans Guertler threw his arms around my neck, buried his face in my shoulder, and repeated over and over again those words which I shall never forget: "Mein brudder, mein brudder, mein brudder".
As we walked down the stairs that night, all of us who had participated in making Christmas come alive in the lives of this German family, we reflected upon the words of the Master:
"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me".
This story is depicted in the DVD on President Monson's life, On the Lord's Errand. I couldn't find it as one short clip, but you can watch it by viewing the last 2 minutes (starting at minute 8) of the first video below, and the first 2 and a half minutes of the second video.
(OK, when I went to see if the video was working, it wasn't, so go to YouTube and search the titles of the videos below or cut and paste the url - if you have the time to go to the extra trouble- it's worth it!)
Not so Christ-centered, but a great evening with the family nonetheless. We had a dance/house cleaning party to kick off the night. We whipped up a quick dinner of Costco favorites (garlic toast, corn, and tortilla- crusted lime tilapia), then settled in to watch the sixth Harry Potter. We've been trying to finish the series since last summer. Only two more to go!
"And behold, there shall a new star arise, such an one ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you. And behold this is not all, there shall be many signs and wonders in heaven."
I helped with Maren's first grade holiday centers today.
Gingerbread house constructing was the primary focus in Nate's third grade class today.
Lauren and Nathan had a Christmas piano recital at a local assisted living facility. Maren made friends with this sweet lady who let Maren wear her Mrs. Claus apron. I love watching my kids interact with seniors. They are not shy at all and easily converse with the grandmas and grandpas. It warms my heart.
"And behold, this will I give unto you for a sign at the time of His coming; for behold, there shall be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before He cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day." -Helaman 14:3
