“When This Christmas Is Different,” For the Strength of Youth, Dec. 2022.
When This Christmas Is Different
Peace at Christmas, or any time of year, is usually a matter of focus.
Illustrations by Jim Madsen
Repeating the words of an Apostle, David said, “Fear is a chief weapon of Satan in making mankind unhappy.”1
David Ikegami, a deacon from Oahu, Hawaii, had an assignment to speak during a Sunday mission conference. Seven months ago he had lived through one of the worst Christmases ever—not just for his family, but for the whole country. He chose to speak out against fear.
He would know a thing or two about fear. The year was 1942. Months earlier, the scenic island where David’s family lived had been turned upside down with destruction as Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. The day after that devastating attack, the United States entered World War II.
Fear for the future still covered the land like a blanket. To make matters more difficult, Japanese-Americans, such as the Ikegami family, lived with serious racial prejudice after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Life was neither simple nor easy for this young man.
So how did he find peace? For one thing, he focused on serving. He joined a group who helped to build trails and clear thorny kiawe trees from trails for military camps. Meanwhile, his family joined fundraising efforts to help the U.S. soldiers. These funds were used for everything from buying books to movie screens and projectors to help raise morale.
David then said, again quoting the same Apostle, Elder John A Widtsoe, “There is safety wherever the people of the Lord live so worthily as to claim the sacred title of citizens of the Zion of our Lord.”2
David found peace by focusing on Jesus Christ.3
Peace during Christmas
Finding peace is important any time of year. Yet certain times of the year often have many traditions, expectations, and activities that can feel at odds with the peace we all hope for. For example, you may have your favorite summer to-do list, perhaps a winter one, and almost certainly a Christmastime list. What do we do with those lists when life is tough?
During holidays, in particular, it becomes obvious when things aren’t going well for us. Even events that took place much earlier in the year, such as a death in the family, can sting all over again around the holidays. In a year like that, clearly something important is different at Christmas.
Maria, a 16-year-old from Brazil, was struggling one Christmas after losing a second beloved grandparent. A few years ago it had been her grandfather on her mother’s side, and now she had lost her other grandfather.
“I remember Christmas always being a magical and incredible experience,” Maria says. “I remember singing hymns with my family, waking up in the night to see my Christmas present, performing the play of the birth of Christ in elementary school, and many other things that marked my childhood.”
Maria always enjoyed time with family. But now, with her second grandfather’s passing away, some of the gladness was stolen from her at Christmastime. Her path through the grief, like David’s, involved focusing on Christ.
“Focusing on Jesus Christ, especially at Christmastime, gives me a certainty that these feelings of sadness and longing won’t last forever,” Maria says. “I know that God is with me always. Over time I have felt this hole inside me being filled with the Savior’s love.”
Maria still has one grandparent living—her grandmother on her mother’s side. “I’m enjoying all the time I have with my grandmother,” she says. “Even if my other grandparents and relatives are no longer with me, I know I will see them again one day. We have an eternity together ahead of us.”
The Source of Peace
The First Presidency shared this message with the world recently: “We know that enduring peace can be found through Jesus Christ. He can calm and comfort our souls even in the midst of terrible conflicts.”4
If your own world seems to be crumbling apart personally or globally, the solution is the same. Focus on Jesus Christ. Peace will follow.