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Starting a Family Tradition

My wife, Bette, and I love Christmas traditions and activities, so December’s Questions and Answers section made a fun read. This year each of our children’s families received a small, simple Christmas treasure chest patterned after the picture on page 11 of the December Ensign. Our family members were at our house Christmas Eve. Just before everyone went home, we got out one of the chests and read from an instruction sheet we had placed inside. It explained that each person was to write his or her intended gift to the Savior in the coming year. Paper and pens were provided for all, and even the youngest children participated. Some didn’t want to stop writing, but finally, we folded our papers, put them in envelopes with our names on the outside, and dropped them into the little Christmas chest. We decided not to read them again for one year, on next Christmas Eve.

The fun part, at least for me, was that each family received a Christmas chest (with their written letters and instructions inside) on Christmas morning.

Perhaps a new tradition will emerge that will assist our children and their families to focus on the Savior as we celebrate His birth. Thank you to Sister Yvette T. Joyner and the Ensign staff for the idea, picture, and article.
David H. Kotter, Utah

Breathtaking Art

Thank you for the breathtaking art by Walter Rane on the cover of the January Ensign. It is gratifying to see Latter-day Saint art that has absorbed the best of the Western tradition, and it is gratifying to see the progress of an individual artist over the years under the influence of the Spirit. Study and faith seem to truly complement one another here.
Kate Horton, Indiana

Keeping a Sabbath

Kendal Hunter’s article on keeping the Sabbath holy struck a chord with me. For years I worked in hospitals and nursing homes and often had to miss sacrament meetings. One way I found that really helped me to stay spiritually strong was to keep my own Sabbath by dedicating one of my days off each week to study, prayer, service, and resting from worldly cares. I believe my example of always keeping a Sabbath day, even if it wasn’t on Sunday, has helped my children remain active in the Church. Thanks for an excellent article.
Donald Fallick, Dominican Republic

Family Home Evening Helps

I wanted to thank you for “A Quiz for Couples” in January’s Random Sampler section. My husband’s navy carrier group was recently deployed, so our family is experiencing its first military separation. We are using the “Quiz for Couples” idea to remain close even though he is thousands of miles away. We take turns e-mailing each other a question daily, and we’re enjoying reading each other’s responses. It has also spurred discussions that we might have missed otherwise.
Kim Blair, California