Christ-Centered Christmas

A secret Santa must have known that I wanted to make our Christmas more Christ-Centered, because a box of wrapped gifts appeared at our door this morning, each one with an envelope counting down to Christmas. The box said:

"Merry Christmas! I have left you with 8 gifts, one to be opened on everyday leading up to the day we celebrate the birth of our Savior. May we all remember the true meaning of Christmas this year and feel of the love of our Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ."

So, today Grant gleefully opened gift #1. The letter told this story:

"Late one Christmas Eve, I sank back, tired but content, into my easy chair. The kids were in bed, the gifts were wrapped, the milk and cookies waited by the fireplace for Santa. As I sat back admiring the tree with its decorations, I couldn't help feeling that something important was missing. It wasn't long before the tiny twinkling tree lights lulled me to sleep.

I don't know how long I slept, but all of a sudden I knew that I wasn't alone. I opened my eyes, and you can imagine my surprise when I saw Santa himself standing next to my tree. He was dressed all in fur from his head to his feet just as the poem described him, but he was not the "jolly old elf" of Christmas legend. The man who stood before me looked sad and disappointed, and there were tears in his eyes.

'Santa, what's wrong?' I asked. 'Why are you crying?'

'It's the children,' Santa replied.

'But Santa, the children love you,' I said.

'Oh, I know they love me, and they love the gifts I bring them. But the children of today seem to have somehow missed out on the true spirit of Christmas. It's not their fault. It's just that the adults, many of them not having been taught themselves, have forgotten to teach the children.'

'Teach them what?' I asked.

Santa's kind old face became soft, more gentle. His eyes began to shine with something more than tears. He spoke softly. 'Teach the children the true meaning of Christmas. Teach them that the part of Christmas we can see, hear, and touch is much more than meets the eye. Teach them the symbolism behind the customs and traditions of Christmas which we now observe. Teach them what it is they truly represent.'

Santa reached into his bag and pulled out a shiny star and placed it at the top of the small tree. 'The star was the heavenly sign of promise. God promised a Savior for the world and the star was the sign of the fulfillment of that promise on the night that Jesus Christ was born. Teach the children that God always keeps His promises, and that wise men still seek him.'"



Contained within the wrapping was a little golden star that Grant carefully placed on the tree. And so begins our countdown to Christmas. Thank you, secret Santa! I've been so ill today, I was very grateful that someone loves us enough to help us celebrate the spirit of Christ when I was too weary to do so myself. Heavenly Father really does keep his promises.