Christmas continues sacred

Thomas S. Monson

Giving, not getting, brings to full bloom the Christmas spirit.

Friends are remembered and God obeyed.

The spirit of Christmas illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world's busy life and become more interested in people than in things.

To catch the real meaning of the spirit of Christmas, we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the spirit of Christ.

Then came that night of nights, when the shepherds were abiding in the fields, and the angel of the Lord appeared to them, announcing the birth of the Savior. You with me, recall the words from Isaiah, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Emmanuel, meaning God with us."

Times change, years speed by, but Christmas continues sacred.

Our opportunities to give of ourselves are indeed limitless. There are hearts to gladden. There are kind words to say. There are gifts to be given. There are deeds to be done. There are souls to be saved.

If we are to have the very best Christmas ever, we must reach out for the carpenter's hand. With every step we take in His footsteps, we abandon a doubt and gain a truth.

It was said of Jesus that He increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.

Do we have the determination to do likewise?

Thomas S. Monson narrated this, one of the earliest of the “Mormon Messages” series of short inspirational videos, published for Christmas 2009.