Though adorned today with the trappings of Christmas splendor, Nauvoo of the 1840s would have looked rather stark by comparison.

"Christmas wasn't celebrated then like it is now," said Glen M. Leonard, a historian and director of the Museum of Church History and Art. "Typically in the Nauvoo period, it was celebrated with activities around and in the home, like dinners and dinner parties." Customs such as gift giving, decorating and Christmas trees were not prevalent.In England, Charles Dickens published his now-famous "A Christmas Carol" in 1843 - during the Nauvoo period of Church history. But the festive celebration he described so graphically in that novel had yet to traverse the Atlantic to any great extent.

In America, "Thanksgiving Day was kept as Christmas Day was kept in England and Germany," noted George W. Givens in his book In Old Nauvoo, Everyday Life in the City of Joseph. "In fact, people of Yankee origins celebrated Thanksgiving more exuberantly than they celebrated Christmas."

"We look in vain," Givens explains, "through Nauvoo's newspapers, or any other newspapers in the old Northwest Territory of that time, for any indication that Christmas was very much different from any other day of the year. The newspapers advertised no gifts or mentioned special celebrations. In some homes there were homemade candies, popcorn strings and balls, and fancy cookies with dates and figs for the occasion. A few families exchanged simple gifts, inexpensive or homemade."

Christmas trees, popular exchange of Christmas cards and vacation from school were not customs in Nauvoo at Christmas time, according to Givens.

But it was a time for adult get-togethers. The Prophet Joseph Smith recorded in his journal of 1841: "Being Christmas, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, John Taylor, and their wives, and Willard Richards spent the evening at Hiram Kimball's for supper." (History of the Church 4:484.)

Also in his journal, the Prophet wrote that on Christmas Day 1843, he was awakened at 1 a.m. by serenaders singing, " `Mortals, awake! with angels join', &c., which caused a thrill of pleasure to run through my soul. All of my family and boarders arose to hear the serenade, and I felt to thank my Heavenly Father for their visit, and blessed them in the name of the Lord. They also visited my brother Hyrum, who was awakened from his sleep. He arose and went out of doors. He shook hands with and blessed each one of them in the name of the Lord, and said that he thought at first that a cohort of angels had come to visit him, it was such heavenly music to him." (HC 6:134.)

That year, the prophet gave a dinner party on Christmas Day. The Nauvoo Neighbor carried this notice on Dec. 13: "At the request of a large number of citizens, General Joseph Smith proposes having a dinner party, on Christmas Day at 1 o'clock p.m., for young ladies and gentlemen." Fifty couples attended, according to the prophet's journal, and spent the evening with music and dancing. (HC 6:134.)

In a reminiscence published in the Woman's Exponent in 1882, Helen Whitney recalled: "During the winter of 1843, there were plenty of parties and balls, and many were held at the mansion. The last one that I attended there that winter was on Christmas Eve. Some of the young gentlemen got up a series of dancing parties to be held at the mansion once a week."

The same writer recalled New Year's Eve of that year, the first after the prophet moved into the mansion: "Our choir, under the leadership of Stephen Goddard, to which I became a member some time previous, gave them a serenade.

"We met at our usual place of practice, on the hill near the temple, and although the night was unfavorable, being dark and rainy, we, nothing daunted, started out between twelve and one o'clock, we struck up and sang the New Year's hymn. . . . The . . . Prophet came out and invited us to come in; but being late; we declined. After singing one or two anthems he pronounced his blessing upon the orchestra and choir, which repaid the brethren and sisters for all their trouble."

The Prophet himself mentioned that occasion, a Sunday, in his journal: "At early candle-light, went to prayer meeting; administered the sacrament; after which I retired. At midnight, about fifty musicians and singers sang Phelps' New Year's Hymn under my window." (HC 6:153.) He also wrote that the following evening, a large party ate a New Year's supper at his house and enjoyed music and dancing until morning. (HC 6:155.)

But what of Christmas time in 1845, following the martyrdom of Joseph Smith and preceding the exodus? A sense of urgency pervaded Nauvoo.

"They were very busy getting ready to leave," Brother Leonard said. "Most felt they wouldn't be leaving until the spring, but the Church leaders knew they would have to leave earlier because of threats against their lives. They wanted to get the temple ordinances to as many as possible."

The entries in History of the Church for that time, taken from Brigham Young's manuscript history, contain no reference to holiday celebrations. Rather, there is continual mention of administering temple ordinances, and occasionally, preparation for the upcoming exodus. For example, for Dec. 11, he wrote: "We prayed that the Lord would defeat and frustrate all the plans of our enemies . . . and that the Lord would preserve the lives of his servants and lead us out of this ungodly nation in peace."(HC 7:544.)

And from the entry of Dec. 25, Christmas Day: "The Twelve met in my room for counsel and prayer. After considerable conversation about the western country we united in prayer: George A. Smith was mouth.

"One hundred seven persons received their ordinances. . . . Brother Kimball and I, with some few others, remained in the Temple all night." (HC 7:552.)