Do Not Open until July 25

“In one month—on July 25—we will have ‘Christmas.’” My brother made this announcement as he produced a large paper Christmas tree. “We will surprise each other with gifts for our year’s supply.”

That night we had a family discussion on storing food and other items so that we would be self-sufficient in times of need. Our family had a testimony of this principle; only a few years before, our home had been damaged by the Teton Dam floodwaters, and we remembered how grateful we had been that we were prepared during that crisis.

As our “holiday” approached, each of us worked feverishly on our gifts. My mother tied quilts. My sister saved some money from her part-time job and bought a case of soap. Another sister assembled a first-aid kit. We grew closer to each other as we worked together to prepare ourselves.

In some ways, our family home evening on July 25 was as much fun as Christmas morning. And what a wonderful feeling to carry those gifts down to our storage shelves and know that we had become more prepared!—LaDawn G. Dalton, Prescott, Arizona

Illustrated by Rob Magiera