Christmas All Year

By Ann Jamison

“If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God” (D&C 14:7).

Do you wish it could be Christmas all year? You can have Christmas feelings all year. Happy feelings come when you prepare for, make, and keep your baptismal covenant by following Jesus’ example. You can follow His example at Christmastime and every day of the year.

Christmas is a special time when we think of Jesus Christ and the loving things He did for others. He did those things throughout His life, not just once a year.

Jesus taught His disciples that when you are kind to others, you are kind to Him. He said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matt. 25:40).

Danny cleaned and polished his mother’s shoes. His mother was very surprised. She hugged him, then gave him some money. Later, when she put on her shoes, she felt something in the toe of one of them. It was the money she had given Danny. It was wrapped in a small note that said, “I did it for love.”

You can be like Danny, doing kind things for others without asking for anything in return. Do it for love—and for love of the Savior.

Before her family moved, six-year-old Traci wanted to do something special for her neighbors. With her mother’s help, Traci wrote down her testimony. She made a copy for each neighbor. Then she visited her friends, leaving her love and her testimony.

You can find many kind things to do each day. Give a smile to someone. Help your parents prepare meals. Clean the house without being asked. Be a friend. These are gifts you can give all year.

Keeping your baptismal covenant means following Jesus throughout your life. As you follow His example and find ways to serve others each day, you are serving Him. You are giving Him a Christmas present every day! Just as Traci and Danny did, you can celebrate Christmas all year.

Instructions

A mosaic is a picture made of small pieces of colored material. You can make one by cutting scraps of colored paper or cloth into many small pieces. Remove page 9 from the magazine, and arrange your pieces on the drawing (see The Friend cover).

When you have the pieces positioned the way want them, glue each one in place. Just as a mosaic is made of many small pieces, you can show that you remember Jesus by sharing many small acts of love throughout the year.

Illustrated by Thomas S. Child

Sharing Time Ideas

With the help of the music leader, tell the story of the birth of the Savior. Using Matt. 2:1–2, 8–11; Luke 2:1, 3–20; Hel. 13:2–4; Hel. 14:2–5; and 3 Ne. 1:9–15, read the accounts from the scriptures, interspersing appropriate songs and hymns. Then using simple costumes, let the children dramatize the scriptures.
Divide the children into groups. Give each group a slip of paper with one or two of the monthly themes for the past year written on it (see I Will Make and Keep My Baptismal Covenant: 2000 Outline for Sharing Time and the Children’s Sacrament Meeting Presentation). Include the scriptures for each month. Have each group present a charade or dramatization depicting the themes. Have the rest of the children guess. As a theme is correctly discovered, have the class presenting the dramatization recite or lead the Primary in reciting the correlating scripture. Sing songs or hymns that support each theme.