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Each year we anticipate that first Sunday of December when the First Presidency Christmas Devotional puts us in the Christmas spirit and brings the message of Christ into our homes. We love hearing meaningful Christmas memories and testimonies of the Savior from Church leaders as they testify of what the Christmas season truly means to us as members of the Restored Church. Here are nine quotes from past First Presidency Christmas Devotionals that you need to hear again:
Rosemary M. Wixom, “What Happened Next?” First Presidency Christmas Devotional 2013
Rosemary Wixom told the story of Amy Johnston, a Cub Scout den leader in Gilbert, Arizona, who told her scouts the story of the first Christmas. The excited eight year olds were amazed at the story of the Christ child and at each pause in the story, one little boy named John kept asking, “What happened next?”
“After the season is over, the Christmas lights come down, the fragrance of pine dissipates into the air, and the Christmas music no longer plays on the radio, we may ask, ‘What happens next?’ The wonder and awe of Christmas is just a beginning. Christmas reminds us that the babe born in Bethlehem has given us purpose for living, and what happens next to us largely depends on how we embrace our Savior, Jesus Christ, and follow Him.”
President Thomas S. Monson, “Christmas Is Love” First Presidency Christmas Devotional 2012
“Finding the real joy of Christmas comes not in the hurrying and the scurrying to get more done, nor is it found in the purchasing of gifts. We find real joy when we make the Savior the focus of the season. We can keep Him in our thoughts and in our lives as we go about the work He would have us perform here on earth.”
“The glitter of the season should never prevent us from truly seeing the Prince of Peace.”
President Henry B. Eyring, “The Gifts of Christmas” First Presidency Christmas Devotional 2011
“You can give a great and wonderful Christmas if you remember the gifts God has given you and, as best you can, offer them to others as He would. That is the spirit of Christmas and of true happiness every day.”
Bonnie L. Oscarson, “Christmas Is Christlike Love” First Presidency Christmas Devotional 2014
“The spirit of Christmas is Christlike love. The way to increase the Christmas spirit is to reach out generously to those around us and give of ourselves. The best gifts are not material things but gifts of listening, of showing kindness, of remembering, of visiting, of forgiving, of giving time.”
“In every season of our lives, in all of the circumstances we may encounter, and in each challenge we may face, Jesus Christ is the light that dispels fear, provides assurance and direction, and engenders enduring peace and joy.”
“Christmastime is cherished family time. Family time is sacred time.”
Elder Kevin R. Duncan, “Heavenly Gifts” First Presidency Christmas Devotional 2017
“As a child, I thought Christmas came just one day a year. As an adult, I now realize it is Christmas every day. Because of the benevolence of a loving Heavenly Father and a beloved Savior, Jesus Christ, we are the recipients of a continuous flow of heavenly gifts—every day. Heavenly gifts too numerous to mention.”
“As we prepare for His Second Coming, and as we stand in holy places, we persist in observing Christmas not just as a season of ‘Greetings’ or ‘Happy Holidays’ but as a celebration of the birth of the Son of God and a time to remember His teachings and the eternal significance of His Atonement.”
