From the First Presidency

Christmas Is about Christ

By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Second Counselor in the First Presidency

Adapted from the December 2011 First Presidency Christmas devotional address.

What a wonderful, joyous time of the year! Christmas is about Christ. Of course, we do not need a Christmas holiday or Christmas traditions to remember Jesus Christ, our Savior. But the celebrations of Christmas can help remind us of Him. It is usually something small—we read a verse of scripture; we hear a sacred carol and really listen to its words; or we watch people doing sincere acts of love.

Christmas reminds us that we, like the Wise Men of old, should seek Christ and lay before Him the most precious of gifts. We should offer Him our love. We should promise to remember Him always, to emulate His example, and to go about doing good.

What are the Savior’s gifts to those who are willing to bring these gifts to Him? Immortality, forgiveness, and eternal life—the greatest gift of all.

He also promises to be with us, to come to us when we need comfort, to mourn and rejoice with us.

Dear friends, may we always remember to bring gifts to Him who has given His all for us. May we always remember and be grateful that in the birth of that Child, the universe rejoiced. And may each Christmas season remind us to lift up our voices and fill our hearts with joy and gratitude that Christ the King has come! Christ lives! He is real. He is our Redeemer at Christmas and always.

• Answer: Atonement

Emulate: follow

Immortality: living forever after we are resurrected

Eternal life: being like Heavenly Father and living in His presence with our families

Gifts of Service

President Uchtdorf says we can give the Savior gifts by serving others.

Fill a jar with slips of paper with ideas like Make the bed for somebody in my family, Do an extra chore without being asked, or Smile at 10 people today.

Each morning, close your eyes and pull out your service idea for the day.

Ways to Remember Christmas

President Uchtdorf shared three ways to remember Christ during Christmas:

1. Read the scriptures.

2. Listen to sacred Christmas carols.

3. Watch people doing sincere acts of love.

What can you do to remember Christ?

The Greatest Gift

Eternal life is the greatest gift the Savior offers us. Fill in the missing words about the Christmas story. Then write the letters that go with each symbol in the blanks below. When you solve the code, you will learn how eternal life is possible. See the answer on page 48.

1. The wise men gave Jesus __ o __ __, frankincense, and myrrh (see Matthew 2:11).

2. The angel __ __ __ __ __ __ __ told Mary she would bring forth the Son of God (see Luke 1:26).

3. Caesar __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ decreed that all the world should be taxed (see Luke 2:1).

4. Mary laid Jesus in a __ __ __ __ __ __ (see Luke 2:7).

5. The angel told the shepherds, “I bring you good __ __ __ __ __ __ __ of great joy” (Luke 2:10).

6. Jesus’s mother was named __ __ __ __ (see Luke 1:27).