Events

The following comes from the Church Newsroom. To visit their website, CLICK HERE. 

Share Jesus Christ’s love with others. Befriend the lonely. Accept the gifts the Savior offers you. Focus on Him to find hope and healing.

These messages and more were shared by four leaders at the 2025 First Presidency Christmas devotional of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The prerecorded broadcast from the Conference Center Theater on Temple Square was shared with the world on Sunday, December 7, 2025. The speakers were Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency; Jeffrey R. Holland, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Timothy L. Farnes, Young Men General President; and Susan H. Porter, Primary General President.

President Eyring: Partner with Christ in Sharing Love and Hope

President Eyring recalled a Christ-centered tradition he had as a young father of baking fresh bread with his two daughters for those in need. In addition to the bread, President Eyring would carve into a wooden board a few words in French that mean, “I love and I hope.”

“Opportunities await each of us this Christmas season to reach out and show kindness with Christlike love — and many times will have an enduring effect,” President Eyring said. “As we embark on this wonderful Christmas season, I leave you my testimony that Jesus Christ is love and hope. We too can partner with him and share His love and hope with others through selfless acts of kindness.”

President Holland: Be a Family for the Lonely

President Holland spoke of the loneliness many experience during the holidays. He said that for him, the past three Christmases without his wife, Patricia (who died in July 2023), have been especially lonely.

“This Christmas, may I invite each of you to be, however briefly, a family for someone who is otherwise alone. Loneliness is a terribly painful feeling,” President Holland said.

He pointed people to their Heavenly Father, “who never flags nor fails,” and to Jesus Christ, “who grew up to bear our griefs, carry our sorrows and be bruised for our iniquities. We thank our Father in Heaven for the promised Messiah, the greatest gift of all at Christmas.”

President Farnes: Accept Christ’s Gift

President Farnes shared a story from his time as a young missionary in Brazil, where a family offered him and his missionary companion a Christmas dinner despite the family’s limited means.

“They had given us a beautiful gift, and at first I had been hesitant to accept it. That Christmas changed my life forever,” President Farnes said. “We can and we should celebrate Christmas each day by turning to the Savior and gratefully accepting His gift. As we embrace the joy of daily repentance, we will discover that the blessings of Christmas and the miracle of his gift can be ours continually.”

President Porter: Christ is the Source of Hope and Healing

President Porter shared the difficulties she experienced on Christmas Eves in 2010 and 2016 when her husband, Bruce, was hospitalized and “fighting for his life.” Bruce survived his 2010 health scare but not his second. He died on December 28, 2016.

“Although each Christmas Eve had a different outcome, each one is sacred to us,” President Porter said. “Were tears shed, deep sorrow felt, along with loss and loneliness? Yes. And did we feel the light of God’s love? Yes. At what felt like the going down of our sun in our lives, He gave us light and understanding. As we keep our focus on the Savior of the world, He will light our way to hope and healing.”

To visit the Church Newsroom website, CLICK HERE.