President Uchtdorf: Christmas is about Christ
E-mail story
It's easy. Send a link to the story you were just reading to a friend. Just fill out the form on this page and we'll send it along.
Your name and e-mail address are transmitted to the recipient. Otherwise, it is considered private information; see Privacy policy.
Related articles:
President Monson: Make Christ center of Christmas
President Eyring: 'Messiah brought light'
First Presidency offers free Bible videos
"Christmas and some of the cherished traditions of the season remind us that we, like the Wise Men of old, should seek the Christ and lay before Him the most precious of gifts: a broken heart and a contrite spirit."
It is during the wonderful Christmas season that individuals often take the opportunity to remember the Savior and the wonderful gifts He has given to every person, President Uchtdorf said.
"Christmas has always been a special time for me," he declared. "When I was very young I lived in Czechoslovakia, and the rich, centuries-old traditions of Christmas were everywhere around us. Although many years have passed, I still look back on those days with a fondness and tenderness leave me with profound feelings of gratitude and joy."
President Uchtdorf shared a story of when he was a young boy — about 4 years old — looking at his family's Christmas tree in their home.
"It was decorated with lovely, shining ornaments," he remembered. "Silver tinsel draped over the branches, catching the light of real wax candles that flickered all around me. Nearby was a window that looked out onto the street; its curtains shimmered in the light, adding a certain mystery and magic to the scene."
While admiring the tree, young Dieter decided to take one of the lit wax candles and put it behind the curtains to admire how the light sparkled through the fabric. As he was admiring the light, the flames from the candle caught the fabric of the drapes and spread quickly, threatening the walls and ceiling of their home. With charred remains of a once-beautiful window, the young boy thought he had ruined Christmas.
"This fiery event was a very frightening experience, of course," he said. "I'm certain my mother and father were shocked and dismayed that I had done such a foolish thing. But, in the end, it didn't diminish the love we had in our family, nor did it destroy the wonder of the Christmas season. ...
"My memories of that and every other Christmas of my youth are dear and precious to me. Knowing that my family still loved me was a wonderful blessing and a great lesson."
Looking back, President Uchtdorf said, his fear of ruining Christmas came from an incomplete understanding of what Christmas really is. And, he added, it isn't just 4-year-olds who have that misunderstanding.
"Sometimes it seems that our efforts to have a perfect Christmas season are like a game of Jenga ... each of those little wooden blocks is a symbol of the perfect Christmas events we so desperately want to have. We have in our minds a picture of how everything should be — the perfect tree, the perfect lights, the perfect gifts and the perfect family events. We might even want to re-create some magical moment we remember from Christmases past, and nothing short of perfection will do.
"Sooner or later, something unpleasant occurs — the wooden blocks tumble, the drapes catch fire, the turkey burns, the sweater is the wrong size, the toys are missing batteries, the children quarrel, the pressure rises — and the picture-perfect Christmas we had imagined, the magic we had intended to create, shatters around us. As a result, the Christmas season is often a time of stress, anxiety, frustration and perhaps even disappointment."
It is through opening theirs hearts and minds to the spirit of Christmas that people are able to recognize the wonderful things happening around them, directing their attention to the sublime, he said.
"It is usually something small — we read a verse of scripture, we hear a sacred carol and really listen, perhaps for the first time, to its words, or we witness a sincere expression of love," he said. "In one way or another, the Spirit touches our hearts, and we see that Christmas, in its essence, is much more sturdy and enduring than the many minor things of life we too often use to adorn it."
It is through those moments that the Spirit touches individuals' hearts and they are able to remember that Christmas is really about the Christ.
"We should offer Him our love," he said. "We should give Him our willingness to take upon ourselves His name and walk in the path of discipleship. We should promise to remember Him always, to emulate His example, and to go about doing good.
"We cannot offer Him the gift of perfection in all things, because this is a gift beyond our capacity to give — at least for now. The Lord does not expect that we commit to move mountains. But He does require that we bring as gifts our best efforts to move ourselves, one foot in front of the other, walking in the ways He has prepared and taught."
It is through bringing gifts to the Savior that individuals are able to also receive the gifts the Savior has prepared for them.
"This may be the most one-sided gift exchange in the history of the universe," he said. "The Savior's gifts to us are breathtaking."
President Uchtdorf listed many gifts the Savior has given — immortality, forgiveness and eternal life — that are available to all, through His Atonement.
"Because of the Atonement of Christ, not only are we guaranteed an infinite quantity of life, but He offers the possibility of an unimaginable quality of life as well.... He extends many gifts and His grace to us every day."
Individuals do not need a Christmas holiday or Christmas traditions to remember Jesus Christ, the Savior, President Uchtdorf said. But the celebration of Christmas can help remind all of Him.
"The hallowed Christmas season can be an opportunity to recommit to keep the fire of the Spirit and the glory of the Son of God burning in our hearts every day throughout the year," he said. "This is a wonderful time of year. 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. ...
"May we always remember to bring gifts to Him who has given His all for us. May we always remember and be grateful that in the birth of that Child, the universe rejoiced. And may each Christmas season remind us to lift up our voices and fill our hearts with joy and gratitude that Christ the King has come! Christ lives! He is real. He is our Redeemer at Christmas and always."
