First Presidency Christmas Devotional

One of the things that I look forward to the most during the holiday season is the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. This year, I made sure that I was going to watch it in person! To my surprise, both Nina and I were selected for tickets. Together, we had a total of 10 tickets! We invited some of our friends and made it one, big date. 

Dawson's, Anderson's, Stevenson's, Monson's, & the Simmons'!

I love hearing the members of the First Presidency speak on Christ and the true Christmas Spirit. It is always a wonderful reminder, right at the beginning of the month, to keep it all in perspective. All of the talks were amazing, but President Utchdorf's talk really hit home. He spoke about how we all have the "perfect" idea of Christmas and that it never turns out that way. The busy-ness of the season isn't mistake/chaos-proof. Something always goes wrong. And it's ok! Because Christ is the reason for the season. I also enjoyed the special viewing of the free videos on the life of Christ. I had goosebumps the whole time. I loved hearing President Eyring quote the scriptures on the birth and life of Christ. It is always so powerful when they quote scripture from memory. You hear the conviction and truth in their voices! Finally, I always look forward to our dear prophet's Christmas talk. President Monson always references the poems and books that he likes to read every Christmas. He recites several lines and quotes, again from memory. I'm thinking of reading adding "The Mansion" by Henry van Dyke and the traditional "Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens to my Christmas reading list. My favorite quote from the whole devotional was this one: “A wise Christian once urged, ‘Let us not spend Christmas … but let us keep Christmas in our hearts and in our lives.' This is my plea tonight, because when we keep the spirit of Christmas, we keep the spirit of Christ, for the Christmas spirit is the Christ spirit.” 

Finally, I loved hearing the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing Christmas songs. I couldn't choose a favorite, but I did enjoy singing along to the third verse of "Silent Night." It was a great devotional, and it left all who attended (members and non-members alike) with a greater appreciation for the birth of the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. If you missed it, you can watch the devotional here. 

After the devotional, we ran across the street to view the lights on Temple Square. I loved seeing Temple Square lit up! As if it isn't beautiful enough already! We walked all around, took some pictures, and headed back home. It was a great night!