Only 266 more Days!

Christmas is my most favorite time of the year! I enjoy the whole season. Christmas music starts to play in October, and the longer the decorations can be up, the better. I love the feeling that permeates the air. It is as if everyone is a little bit happier and a little bit kinder. Cheer and charity seem to be far more prevalent at this time of year. The anticipation of Christmas morning is a feeling which is difficult to replicate. As I was growing up my family had the privilege of taking Christmas to a family who had very little. The family was dealt a hard hand in this life. They were struggling to make it from day to day. Christmas would not be an option for them. Every year we gathered gifts, gift cards, and food to take to them on Christmas Eve. Our family looked forward to this tradition every year. The anticipation for taking Christmas to this family was often greater than the anticipation for our own Christmas morning.One year when we went to visit them we found the house dark with no lights or tree. We left and went to a near by store where we were able to pick up a tree and lights to decorate it with. Seeing the joy and anticipation on their faces every time we arrived at their house was a beautiful gift and often my family drove home with silent tears falling over our cheeks.

Christmas has been a time of anticipation from the very beginning. 3rd Nephi speaks of the people looking forward to the birth of Christ and watching for the signs of his birth. I think that the anticipation of Jesus Christ is what creates the irreplaceable feeling I so enjoy at Christmas time. Whether people realize it or not, the joyful prospect of the night which celebrates the coming of the Messiah causes all to be more merry and bright. I am grateful for the birth of our Savior and the opportunity we have each year to celebrate it. The music, the lights, the gifts and opportunities to serve are all ways in which Christmas helps us to anticipate the coming of the Savior.