Celebrating Christmas Across the Pacific

All over the Pacific area, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints find unique and inspired ways to bring Christ to the centre of their Christmas celebrations.

Here are some of their stories.

Let Your Light so Shine at Christmastime

Marlee Craig

Christmas in Samoa is much simpler. Folks are happy with the simple things.

Every year my Dad would spend more money adding to his already huge Christmas stash. This meant more lights, more work, and more giant Santas. The decorations went up long before December.

Putting up the lights was a huge job. The neighbourhood boys would be up on the roof with my dad and brother, stapling up more and more lights. It was my dad’s thing, and it was something he loved doing. Of course, as a professional Christmas decorator, he knew exactly where he wanted every single light to go.

Many families in our neighbourhood would be at our house in the evenings, helping with the lights.

After the lights were put in place, and after the inside of the house was transformed into the North Pole, the last thing to be erected was the huge stable. The stable was placed on the front lawn with all Nativity characters lit up and in place.

Many evenings at dinner time, we would come outside and see so many cars parked in front of our house with their families admiring the lights. Families would come out of the back part of the village with their children to look at the lights. We would hear choirs singing “O Holy Night” or “Silent Night”.

I realised later that the reason my Dad put so much time and effort into the decorations, was because a lot of people in Samoa couldn’t afford lights or Christmas trees. This was his way of bringing joy to the community. It wasn’t about getting credit, it was truly about the spirit of Christmas. It was about being a light to the world from our little corner.

My mum would step out of the house with plates of cookies; there was always something for everyone.

Over time, I realised that one of the greatest gestures of love is time. With every single light bulb that was tested, checked and put in its proper place to shine, it was all driven by love.

Putting up Christmas lights, preparing plates for the crowds & creating an atmosphere where the spirit can dwell, was a Christmas tradition of my family. People knew they could come to the Craig family house and feel that Christmas spirit.

I remember one particular Christmas I saw an elderly man arrive with his family. This family came every year to see the lights. I never knew where they lived, but I knew they were not from our village. The sons lifted the elderly man off the back of the truck and carried him to the front of our house where they sat to admire the lights. He especially loved looking at the Nativity.

I learned that this elderly man had dementia. Every time this family came, he would sit and hum. His sons mentioned that our house was the only place he would hum, sing and smile, as if he was revisiting a happy place in his memory. I learned that the family couldn’t afford a wheelchair, so they carried their father everywhere. I couldn’t hold back my tears and had to walk away for a moment.

So many people stepped onto our property at Christmastime, every kind of person. A solo parent with his children, a young single pregnant mother, a widow, a family in grief, a military sergeant who was homesick, children without parents living with extended family and many others. They came for the lights yes, but the author of pure light is the Saviour. They came for hope, comfort and peace, gifts of the Saviour.

Although I am not a decorator like my dad, something that his actions made me mindful of is the gift of time and acts of service. I am a product of both these things because of the examples of my parents. Many of the little things they did were time consuming and many times I would tell them they were wasting time.

Our Christmas traditions were a consistent reminder to me that little things were never a waste of time when it came to bringing the spirit of Christ to others.

If I am not out of the country for the holidays, I spend that time with my charities. We plan the Christmas meals, make up food parcels, and deliver them to the community. I make jars of chutney, relishes and jams and deliver them to the recipients on my list, all while the voice of the prophets or the Tabernacle Choir can be heard in the background. There are places I go to for the sake of being in and around the radiance of lights. My best friend and I watch “The Nativity” every year. Although he is not a member, it is now a tradition of his, and he looks forward to it just as much as I do.

What does it mean to wish someone a merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart?

For me, it is a verb, and it is a series of consistent actions. It is not just a line from a Christmas carol. It is showing others how much they are valued. It is going out of my way repeatedly for others. It is creating a space within myself, or in a shared environment to convey to them what pure love is. Since I still have a lot to learn about pure love, the best I can do is show others the spirit of Christ through time and service.

Preparing for Christmas by Caring and Sharing

Perth, Australia Southern River Stake

Thousands of Australian children will not receive a gift in the upcoming December holiday season simply because their families can’t afford it due to poverty. Women from the Perth Australia Southern River Stake Relief Society recently collected gifts to donate to The Smith Family Christmas Appeal for those in need.

One of the key purposes of the Relief Society organisation is to “work in unity to help those in need”. With that mandate in mind, Latter-day Saint women (aged from 18 years onwards) were encouraged to purchase a gift for a child in accordance with The Smith Family guidelines and bring it to a Christmas in July activity to place under a Christmas tree. The gifts collected will help the organisation achieve their goal to deliver more than 75,000 new toys and 50,000 new books to children in need around Australia.

Volunteers will be enlisted to sort, pack and deliver the gifts so they are ready for Christmas morning.

Sue Noney, the stake Relief Society President, remarked, “The sisters who participated in the activity believe in the precept contained in The Book of Mormon reference from Mosiah 2:17, stating that ‘when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God’.”

This project will provide an opportunity to bring a smile to a child’s face this Christmas.

Giving to Others is the Gift we Give to Him

Tania Numia

With 14 in my family, it was difficult to get presents. I remember our presents being simple: a balloon and a bag of lollies to share and we were all happy.

Being together as a family was the gift we shared. On Christmas Eve we would get together and share food, play games like cricket or volleyball or have a dance.

Christmas is the time when we should be the most caring and willing to share. It’s a time to love one another. My parents always taught us that even if we don’t have enough food ourselves, we can still give a little to those who are in need to show our love for Jesus. That is what he wants. That is the gift we can give him.

Every Christmas we have our Christmas tradition. We get together and say a prayer. We talk about the true meaning of Christmas. This is a special time for us. I remember when I was young, learning about how Jesus was born in a lowly place, a stable with no bed and no wealth but, He is the Son of God. I learned that wealth means nothing to God.

Even now I know that we don’t need to be rich to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. What matters is that we show love to one another in whatever way we can. I make sure that my family and I share our blessings with family and friends around us. Anything we have we share whether it is a lot or a little.