A Glorious Time of Year.

"This is a glorious time of the year, simple in origin, deep in meaning, beautiful in tradition and custom, rich in memories, and charitable in spirit. It has an attraction to which our hearts are readily drawn. This joyful season brings to each of us a measure of happiness that corresponds to the degree in which we have turned our mind, feelings, and actions to the spirit of Christmas."

Thomas S. Monson,

"What Is Christmas?" Ensign, Dec. 1998, 2

I have the fondest memories of Christmas and none of them involve gifts I received. As a matter of fact, I don’t remember very much about those gifts I do about the feelings I had about the giving of Christmas gifts. Mom put so much into the giving and that was what made it so WONDERFUL.

Mom was a very industrious women and most of what we received over the years was made, from the clothes we wore to the clothes our Barbie’s enjoyed. I remember hours and hours of time spent with family and the one gift throughout the season was being with them. Aunts and Uncles, younger cousins; Christmas was always about being with family.

One year, when I believe money might have been an issue. Mom decided to creatively wrap every gift she had. There were trains and diggers and doll made out of many different boxes. These boxes were created into so many different things that the most joy came from seeing what came next. The looks on my young cousin’s faces were priceless and when you think about it, at that age, the unwrapping of the gifts could sometimes be more exciting.

Christmas has such a spirit of Joy still. Mom weaves through every part of it from the decorating, as you pull out one more decoration she made for you, to the clay Nativity set her and M painstakingly crafted for all 7 families. I still weep as these come out and it brings her once again back into my home. It’s as if she is beside me and I feel her warmth in my soul.
What we accomplish as parents at Christmas is so essential to a feeling that our children will carry forward and pass on for generation to generations to come.

I am hoping this year, as money is significantly less, and things will be very different, that my children and I can have such an incredible growth in spirit of family that I can at least find the hope that we too will know the peace of being a family and being together. If anticipation is an indicator we are so getting there. My heart beats faster each day as we get closer to all being together again.

Family is Zen!

Always.

That’s the spirit of Christmas.