[MUSIC FOR FIRST NOEL PLAYING] Brothers and sisters, we welcome you to the First Presidency's Christmas devotional. We are grateful for the opportunity to join together and reflect upon the birth, life, and mission of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. President Thomas S. Monson, who presides this evening, has asked that I conduct this meeting. We extend our warmest Christmas greetings to each of you and to those who will view the devotional at a later time. We acknowledge the presence of the First Presidency, members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and other General Authorities and general auxiliary presidencies who are in attendance this evening. The music for the devotional will be provided by the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square under the direction of Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy, with Richard Elliott at the organ. The choir will open the meeting by singing "Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful," after which the invocation will be offered by Sister Mary N. Cook, first counselor in the Young Women general presidency. The choir will then favor us with "What Child Is This?" [MUSIC FOR OH, COME, ALL YE FAITHFUL PLAYING]

Oh, come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant! Oh, come ye, oh come ye to Bethlehem.

Come and behold him, born the King of angels; oh, come, let us adore him; oh, come, let us adore him; oh, come, let us adore him, Christ, the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation; sing, all ye citizens of heav'n above! Glory to God, glory in the highest; oh, come, let us adore him; oh, come, let us adore him; oh, come, let us adore him, Christ, the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning; Jesus, to thee be all glory giv'n. Son of the Father, now in flesh appearing; oh, come, let us adore him; oh, come, let us adore him; oh, come, let us adore him, Christ, the Lord. Oh, come, let us adore him, Christ, the Lord.

[MUSIC ENDS] Our kind and loving Heavenly Father, we come before Thee with gratitude in our hearts for the blessing and opportunity to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ; His life; His example; and the gift of His atoning sacrifice for each of us. We particularly feel privileged this evening to be able to listen to the words of living prophets and ask Thee to both bless them and to sustain them, particularly our beloved prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. We pray that we may listen and hear their words and that we may be blessed personally and as families during this sacred season. We are so thankful for those who have talents and abilities and have put forth the effort to bless us this night with music. We pray that as we listen, we may ponder the gift of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His influence in our lives for each of us. We pray that we might be filled with the Spirit of the Holy Ghost, that we might have a greater desire to live and to love and to give as He would. And for these things, we give thanks and gratitude for all that Thou hast given us. And we say these things humbly in the name of our beloved Son, Jesus Christ, amen. Amen.

[MUSIC FOR WHAT CHILD IS THIS PLAYING]

So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh; come, peasant, king, to own Him! The King of Kings salvation brings; let loving hearts enthrone Him! Raise, raise the song on high! The virgin sings her lullaby.

Joy! joy! for Christ is born, the babe, the son of Mary!

The babe, the son of Mary!

[MUSIC ENDS] Thank you for the beautiful music. We will be now pleased to hear from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency. Following his remarks, it will be my privilege to speak to you. The choir will then sing "O Little Town of Bethlehem." What a wonderful time of the year! When I hear the beautiful music, see the lights, and feel the chill in the air, I'm transported back to the many occasions throughout my life where the spirit of Christmas has warmed my heart and lifted my soul. Like many of you, I find that some of the warmest and most vivid memories of Christmas come from my childhood. Although I grew up in modest circumstances, my parents wanted Christmas to be a time of joy and wonder for their children. They went to great lengths to make Christmas a special time for our family. We children made gifts for each other. One year, I remember drawing a picture as a Christmas gift for my sister. It could not have been a work of art, but she treated it like a treasure. How I love her for that! Another year my brother, who is 12 years older than I, gave me a precious gift. He had found a wooden stick in the park near our home and carved from it a small toy knife. It was simple, not fancy at all, but oh, how I cherished that gift because it came from him! Isn't one of the great joys of Christmas seeing the excited faces of little children as they take in their hands a wrapped gift that is just for them? As we get older, however, our ability to receive gifts with the same enthusiasm and grace seems to diminish. Sometimes people even get to the point where they can't receive a gift or, for that matter, even a compliment without embarrassment or feelings of indebtedness. They mistakenly think that the only acceptable way to respond to receiving a gift is by giving back something of even greater value. Others simply fail to see the significance of a gift--focusing only on its outward appearance or its value and ignoring the deep meaning it has to the sincere giver. This reminds me of an event that took place during the last night of the Savior's life. He gathered His beloved disciples around Him, broke bread with them, and gave them precious final instructions. Do you remember that as the meal progressed, Jesus rose from the table, poured water into a basin, and began to wash His disciples' feet? When He came to Simon Peter, the fisherman refused, saying, "Thou shalt never wash my feet." The Savior gently corrected him: "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me." I'm sure Peter thought he had noble reasons for refusing this gift and felt he was doing the right thing. But at that moment he clearly did not understand the spiritual significance of what Jesus was offering him. At Christmastime we talk a lot about giving, and we all know that "it is more blessed to give than to receive," but I wonder if sometimes we disregard or even disparage the importance of being a good receiver. On a Christmas day many years ago, a young girl received a beautiful beading kit. The girl's father suggested that she make something for one of her relatives who had assembled for a family party. The girl's face lit up, and she went to work creating what she thought would be a perfect gift. She picked out the person she wanted to make it for--an elderly aunt with an unhappy face and a harsh personality. "Perhaps if I make her a bracelet," the little girl thought, "it will make her happy." And so she carefully selected each bead and did her very best to make this a special gift for her aunt. When she finally finished, she approached her aunt, handed her the bracelet, and told her she had designed it and made it just for her. Silence descended on the room as the aunt picked up the bracelet with her finger and thumb as though she were holding a string of slimy snails. She looked at the gift, squinted her eyes and scrunched up her nose, and dropped the bracelet back into the hands of the little girl. She then turned away from her without saying one word and began talking to someone else. The little girl blushed with embarrassment. With deep disappointment, she quietly walked out of the room. Her parents attempted to console her. They tried to help her understand that the bracelet was beautiful--regardless of her aunt's insensitive reaction. But the little girl couldn't help feeling unhappy every time she thought of this experience. Decades have passed, and the little girl--now an aunt herself--still remembers, with a bit of sadness, that day when her childlike gift was refused.

Every gift that is offered to us--especially a gift that comes from the heart--is an opportunity to build or strengthen our bond of love. When we are good and grateful receivers, we open a door to deepen our relationship with the giver of the gift. But when we fail to appreciate or even reject a gift, we not only hurt those who extend themselves to us, but in some way we harm ourselves as well. The Savior taught that unless we "become as little children, [we] shall not enter ... the kingdom of heaven." As we watch the excitement and wonder of children at this time of the year, perhaps we can remind ourselves to rediscover and reclaim a precious and glorious attribute of children--the ability to receive graciously and with gratitude. Not surprisingly, the Savior is our perfect example not only of generous giving but also of gracious receiving. When He was in Bethany, near the end of His mortal ministry, a woman approached Him with an alabaster box of rare and expensive oil. She was allowed to anoint His head with this precious gift. Some who witnessed this event became angry. "What a waste of money," they said. The oil was extremely expensive. It could have been sold and the money given to the poor. They saw only the temporal value of the gift and entirely missed its much greater spiritual significance. But the Savior understood the symbolism and the expression of love in that gift, and He received it graciously. "Let her alone," He said to those who murmured. "Why trouble ye her? ... She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying." My brothers and sisters, my dear friends, what kind of receivers are we? Do we, like the Savior, recognize gifts as expressions of love? In our day the Savior has said that those "who [receive] all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious," and "the fulness of the earth is theirs." I hope that this Christmas and every day of the year we will consider, in particular, the many gifts we have been given by our loving Heavenly Father. I hope we will receive these gifts with the wonder, thankfulness, and excitement of a child. My heart grows tender and warm as I think of the gifts our loving, gracious, and generous Father in Heaven has given us: the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, the miracle of forgiveness, personal revelation and guidance, the Savior's peace, the certainty and comfort that death is conquered--and many, many more. Above all, God has given us the gift of His Only Begotten Son, who sacrificed His life "that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Have we received these gifts with humble gratitude, with joy? Or do we reject them out of pride or a false sense of independence? Do we feel our Father's love expressed in these gifts? Do we receive them in a way that deepens our relationship with this wonderful, divine Giver? Or are we too distracted to even notice what God gives us each and every day? We know that "God loveth a cheerful giver," but doth He not also love a good, grateful, and cheerful receiver? "For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift." Whether we have experienced 9 Christmases or 90, still we're all children--we are all children of our Heavenly Father. Therefore, we have it within us to experience this Christmas season with the wonder and the awe of a child. We have it within us to say, "My heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God"--the Giver of all good gifts. With you, and with all those who desire to follow the gentle Christ, I lift my voice in praise of our mighty God for the precious gift of His Son. This Christmas season and always, I pray that we will see the marvelous gift of the birth of the Son of God through the blessed eyes of a child. I pray that in addition to giving good gifts, we will strive to become good and grateful receivers. As we do so, the spirit of this season will enlarge our hearts and expand our joy beyond measure. This I say in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

At Christmastime we celebrate our Heavenly Father's perfect gift of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. In token of this greatest of gifts, the Christmas season becomes for most of us a time of finding joy in giving to others. You and I have learned from experience how challenging that can be. In 1970 I was the father of three young boys. Like many novice parents, I was working hard to provide for a growing family. Two days after Christmas I knew I needed to take a long business trip, leaving my wife, Kathleen, to entertain the boys during their holiday from school. Knowing that their happiness might well depend on having good Christmas gifts to play with, we chose our gifts carefully. To our oldest son, then seven, we gave a barometer, a device for forecasting the weather.

We discovered that (quote) "some assembly was required." My son and I sat down to put together his beautiful new barometer. We laid out dozens of pieces and carefully studied the complex assembly instructions. After a few hours, it became clear to me that even if we correctly assembled all of the pieces, something seemed to be wrong with the mechanism for making the barometer fluid go up and down. I tried to hide my doubts from my son, but late that night, after he had gone to bed, I was so frustrated that I used my journal to draft a complaint letter to the company that made the barometer. Here is part of that letter, which I'm glad I never sent. Quote: "Our son is delighted with his barometer. He is seven and has faith that anything so handsome must surely work. I hope that the weather doesn't change before we get your reply, since I don't want to sneak upstairs to defraud him by setting it by hand, and I don't want him to lose faith in your barometer. ... Please tell me how to make it work. It's not your credibility but mine that will suffer unless you help." No, human help did not arrive in time for that Christmas gift to work. But our son, now a father himself, remembers the love we shared as we helped each other. And he still feels the faith we had in the unfailing order of God's creation of earth and atmosphere that makes the art of weather forecasting possible. That faith was undiminished by our frantic efforts to get a barometer to work. We learned from that what you know from your experiences: Success in giving joy at Christmas usually involves help from others. It is rarely found in solitary effort. Joining with others spreads the joy and makes it more lasting. And perhaps most important, invoking faith in the Savior, the Creator and source of all lasting happiness, invites the pure love of God, which is the greatest of all gifts and the sure source of enduring joy. That reality was put deeper in our hearts during a Christmas season years after our adventure with the barometer. I decided to design and build a wooden treasure chest for my wife. I needed the generous help of many others who had the tools and the skills I lacked. I worked with them for weeks. I also needed the help of the Holy Ghost to discover ways to convey love and faith in the gospel in that gift. On the lid I carved our family monogram. On the front I placed two panels. On one panel I carved my initial, and my wife's initials on the other. The box can only be unlocked by using two different keys, one to open the lock by my initial and the other the lock by my wife's initial. We now use that as a family treasure box. So on the Christmas when it was under the tree and all the days since, seeing the box has filled our minds and hearts with love for each other and for the Savior's sacrifice that makes eternal marriage and families possible. The box, now filled with family pictures and sheets of Christmas music, rests near the old piano in our living room. Creating that gift brought a feeling of love for family and the Master. From time to time I still see and thank the people who helped me create that box. When I see them again, I can feel the joy we shared in creating a gift of love for a family and a token of the love we shared for the Savior. I see joy in the smiles of my friends, as I did when we worked on the box together. You know from your experiences during Christmas seasons that such shared joy can come from creating and offering even simple gifts of love. For instance, many of you have helped a child to take plates of cookies to those who feel especially alone at Christmas. To the person receiving this modest gift from a child, it can appear as precious as frankincense. And a child bringing such a gift can remind them of the Magi bringing gifts from the East to the Savior. Both giver and recipient can remember Christ and feel love and gratitude. The young men and women in the Church, together with their leaders, can offer gifts of love and testimony in the baptismal fonts of our temples. Having more temples closer to the young people makes that experience of giving possible for more and more of them, and more often. Wise bishops and leaders of youth help with their encouragement; some even join with the youth in temple service. They all share in offering the blessing of cleansing and purification made available by the Savior to those who were unable to receive that gift while they lived. An increasing number of missionaries participate with the Savior and their companions to offer the gift of eternal life. With the change in age of eligibility for missionary service, many more will feel the joy of offering that priceless gift. Missionaries also offer the Book of Mormon to everyone they meet. It is a gift of love and a gift of testimony, created through God's inspiration to faithful prophets over centuries. The Savior needed those prophets' help to create gifts of testimony in the Book of Mormon, and He needs the missionaries' help to share it. Families also offer priceless gifts of love and testimony at Christmastime through music as well as words. As a young boy, I would together with my family around our Winkler piano, now more than 100 years old and badly out of tune. That piano rests in our living room, near the treasure chest. The piano still is a precious heirloom because it was dear to my mother as a gift from her husband when they were poor. My parents had known poverty and so were frugal. The Christmas gifts we received were modest. But my mother had a rich soprano voice. She played her piano at Christmas as she led us in singing familiar carols and sacred hymns. I don't know if she thought of herself as inviting us to share in a lasting gift. But even as a young boy, I felt inexpressible joy in singing those songs. The music filled our small home with a spirit of peace. I could feel not only the love of my mother and father and two brothers, but of my Heavenly Father and the Savior, Jesus Christ. I sensed that the love I felt then was something I had experienced before--before this life in the spirit world. I wanted more than anything else to feel it some day in a home of my own. And I wanted to live so that I could return with a family of my own to our heavenly home, where I knew Heavenly Father and the Savior would be waiting. Now when I see the treasure box and that piano, memories of love with my family and love from the Savior flood back over me. As we sing in choirs, families, and classes, and as we have listened together tonight, the carols of Christmas remind us of our shouts of joy when we learned that we could come to this world and be given a Savior to redeem us. Someday we will sing those songs with the hosts of heaven. It is my prayer that the Spirit will bless us this Christmas and in the years to come with the power to offer other gifts of love and of the testimony of Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. I know that the Spirit can lead each of us in many and simple ways to give love, faith, and joy to others at this season of rejoicing. I testify that Jesus Christ was the literal Son of God and the Savior of the world. He was the perfect gift from our loving Father. At this and every season, our Savior invites us to join with Him and others to offer the priceless gift of joy. I pray that we will, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

[MUSIC FOR O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM PLAYING]

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie.

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by; yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light.

The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

For Christ is born of Mary, and gathered all above while mortals sleep, the angels keep their watch of wond'ring love.

O morning stars, together proclaim the holy birth, and praises sing to God the King, and peace to men on earth.

[MUSIC ENDS] We express appreciation to the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for the wonderful music that has brought the spirit of Christmas into our hearts. We likewise recognize the efforts of those who have assisted in any way to make this devotional possible. We will now be pleased to hear from our President, Thomas S. Monson. At the conclusion of his remarks, the choir will close the meeting with the beloved carol "Silent Night." As directed by Brother Wilberg, the congregation will join the choir in singing the third verse. The benediction will then be offered by Brother Matthew O. Richardson, second counselor in the Sunday School general presidency. President Monson.

Brothers and sisters, what a beautiful sight you are. It's a privilege each year to begin my Christmas season with you at this, the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. I express my love to all of you, whether you are present here in this building or listening to these proceedings through other means. The Christmas season, with its special meaning and beauty, often prompts a tear, inspires renewed commitment to God, and provides--borrowing the words from the lovely song "Calvary"--"rest to the weary and peace to the soul." However, it is easy to get caught up in the pressure of the season and perhaps lose the very spirit in our lives we're trying to gain. Overdoing it is especially common this time of year for many of us. The causes for this might include too many Christmas activities to attend, too much to eat, too many expectations, and too much tension. Often our efforts at Christmastime result in our feeling stressed out, wrung out, and worn out during a time we should feel the simple joys of commemorating the birth of our Savior. Finding the real joy of Christmas comes not in the hurrying and the scurrying to get more done, nor is it found in the purchasing of gifts. We find real joy when we make the Savior the focus of the season. We can keep Him in our thoughts and in our lives as we go about the work He would have us perform here on earth. At this time, particularly, let us follow His example as we love and serve our fellowman. A segment of our society desperately yearning for an expression of love is found among those growing older, and particularly when they suffer from pangs of loneliness. The chill wind of dying hopes and vanished dreams whistles through the ranks of the elderly and those who approach the declining side of the summit of life. Wrote Elder Richard L. Evans some years ago (and I quote): "What they need in the loneliness of their older years, is in part at least, what we needed in the uncertain years of our youth: a sense of belonging, an assurance of being wanted, and the kindly ministrations of loving hearts ...; not merely dutiful formality, not merely a room in a building, but room in someone's heart and life. ... We cannot bring them back the morning hours of youth. But we can help them live in the warm glow of a sunset made more beautiful by our thoughtfulness, by our provision, and by our active and unfeigned love." (End quote.) My brothers and sisters, true love is a reflection of the Savior's love. In December of each year we call it the Christmas spirit. You can hear it. You can see it. You can feel it. Recently I thought back to an experience from my boyhood--an experience I've related on another occasion or two. I was just 11. Our Primary president, Melissa, was an older and loving gray-haired lady. One day at Primary, Melissa asked me to stay behind and visit with her. There the two of us sat in the otherwise empty chapel. She placed her arm about my shoulder and began to cry. Surprised, I asked her why she was crying. She replied, "I can't seem to get the Trail Builder boys to be reverent during the opening exercises of Primary. Would you be willing to help me, Tommy?" I promised Melissa that I would. Strangely to me, but not to Melissa, that ended any problem of reverence in the Primary. She'd gone to the source of the problem--me.

The solution was love. The years flew by. Marvelous Melissa, now in her 90s, lived in a nursing facility in the northwest part of Salt Lake City. Just before Christmas I determined to visit my beloved Primary president. Over the car radio I heard the song "Hark! The herald angels sing glory to the newborn King!" I reflected on the visit made by wise men those long years ago. They brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and of myrrh. I brought only the gift of love and a desire to say thank you. I found Melissa in the lunchroom. She was staring at her plate of food, teasing it with the fork she held in her aged hand. Not a bite did she eat. As I spoke to her, my words were met by a benign but blank stare. I took the fork in hand and began to feed Melissa, talking all the time I did so about her service to boys and girls as a Primary worker. There wasn't so much as a glimmer of recognition, far less a spoken word. Two other residents of the nursing home gazed at me with puzzled expressions. At last one of them spoke, saying, "Don't talk to her. She doesn't know anyone--even her own family. She hasn't said a word in all the time she's been here." Luncheon ended. My one-sided conversation wound down.

I stood to leave. I held her frail hand in mine, gazed into her wrinkled but beautiful countenance, and said, "God bless you, Melissa. Merry Christmas." Without warning, she spoke the words, "I know you. You're Tommy Monson, my Primary boy. How I love you." She pressed my hand to her lips, bestowed a kiss on it, a sweet kiss filled with love. Tears coursed down her cheeks and bathed our clasped hands. Those hands that day were hallowed by heaven and graced by God. The herald angels did sing. The words of the Master seemed to have a personal meaning never before fully felt: "Woman, behold thy son!" And to His disciple, "Behold thy mother!" From Bethlehem there seemed to echo the words: "How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is giv'n! So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heav'n. No ear may hear his coming; but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in." Present David O. McKay said: "True happiness comes only by making others happy. ... The [spirit of] Christmas ... makes our hearts glow in brotherly love and friendship and prompts us to kind deeds of service. It is the spirit of the gospel of Jesus Christ." (End quote.) There's no better time than now, this very Christmas season, for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the principles taught by Jesus the Christ. It is the time to love the Lord, our God, with all our heart--and our neighbors as ourselves. It is well to remember that he who gives money gives much; he who gives time gives more; but he who gives of himself gives all. Let us make Christmas real. It isn't just tinsel and ribbon, unless we have made it so in our lives. Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. It is happiness because we see joy in people. It's forgetting self and finding time for others. It is discarding the meaningless and stressing the true values. It is peace because we've found peace in the Savior's teachings. It is the time we realize most deeply that the more love is expended, the more there is of it for others. "There's Christmas in the home and church, there's Christmas in the mart; but you'll not know what Christmas is unless it's in your heart. The bells may call across the snow, and carols search the air, but oh, the heart will miss the thrill unless it's Christmas there." As the Christmas season envelops us with all its glory, may we, as did the Wise Men, seek a bright, particular star to guide us to our Christmas opportunity in service to our fellowman. May we all make the journey to Bethlehem in spirit, taking with us a tender, caring heart as our gift to the Savior. And may one and all have a joy-filled Christmas, I pray in the sacred and blessed name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Silent night! Holy night! All is calm, all is bright round young virgin mother and Child. Holy infant, so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace; sleep in heavenly peace. [MUSIC FOR SILENT NIGHT PLAYING]

Silent night!

Holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight! Glories stream from heaven afar; heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!

Christ, the Savior, is born!

Christ, the Savior, is born!

Silent night! Holy night! Son of God, love's pure light radiant beams from thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth; Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

[MUSIC ENDS] Our dear and wonderful Father in Heaven, it has been a blessing to be gathered together this evening. We have been blessed by the talents of the choir and the orchestra, and we ask Thee to bless them. We have been especially blessed by hearing the living words of our prophets, seers, and revelators, even our beloved First Presidency. We love them, and we pray that Thou wilt continue to sustain them in Thy work. Father, we ask that we might be strengthened to live their words. We are grateful for the instruction we have received and the edification, and we pray that we might make it part of our living. As we close this devotional, we pray that Thou wilt strengthen us to keep our minds and hearts open to focus on our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ, not just for this season but in every season. For these things we give thanks, and we pray most humbly in the name of our Redeemer, even Jesus Christ, amen.

[MUSIC FOR HOLY NIGHT PLAYING]