Family Home Evening Ideas

This issue contains articles and activities that could be used for family home evening. The following are some examples.

“The Reality of Christmas,” page 22: After sharing with your family the arrowhead story that Bishop Stevenson tells at the beginning of the article, consider discussing ways that family members can recognize what is real and most important. How might you and your family bear witness of the Savior’s reality this Christmas? You may want to review the list of practical ideas given by President Howard W. Hunter (1907–95) in the quotation near the end of the article. Invite family members to select one or more of these ideas to try during the Christmas season. You could conclude by watching the video “The Reason behind Christmas” (lds.org/go/reasonE1214) or some of the Christmas-related Bible videos at lds.org/bible-videos.

“Lessons from the Sacred Grove,” page 66: You may want to begin by singing “Joseph Smith’s First Prayer” (Hymns, no. 26) or “On a Golden Springtime” (Children’s Songbook, 88). Consider summarizing for your family the four lessons that Elder Jensen says we can learn from the trees of the Sacred Grove. Then discuss ways these lessons have application in your family. If you live near a park or other area with trees, you could take your family to this location and ask them to identify trees that show qualities mentioned in the article (reaching for light, overcoming opposition, and so on). What additional spiritual lessons can your family draw from trees and other objects found in nature? (see Isaiah 2:12–13; Luke 6:43–44; Jacob 5).

Family Preparedness

My husband and I decided to simulate an emergency in which our family would be without electricity and water. I planned ahead by getting food that could be grilled, filling our water cooler, and ensuring we had flashlights and candles. The afternoon of our “emergency,” without telling our children, we turned off the water and the electricity. Alarmed at first, our children adapted as we used our grill to cook dinner and to heat water for washing dishes. They even enjoyed using flashlights and candles for homework and getting ready for bed. Later, after our children realized it had been a planned emergency, we discussed what we had learned and the difference that being prepared can make.

Elaine Fort, Arizona, USA