Have a REAL Merry Christmas

Mmmhmm, I love Christmas time. I mean what is there not to love? People have a reason to be nice to each other, families makes an effort to get together, and for once, people really focus on serving others. But lets be honest, as I have grown some of the "magic" has almost left. I mean I think some big shot store might try to copywrite the usage of the word Christmas. Everywhere we look, its more about making money, and less about the real reason of why we even celebrate Christmas. For me, Its been discouraging. It frustrates me when stores started opening Thanksgiving day to get that "90% off for the next thirty seconds" sale in. Where are the priorities? Looking back on the Christmases I have been apart of, I honestly don't remember what I received every year, but I DO remember when my family decided to do the "12 days of Christmas" for a family in my ward. I also remember when my uncle suggested we go feed the homeless on Christmas Eve, and how that changed my perspective on what mattered. As Christmas is approaching quickly this year, I was so glad for the annual devotional hosted by the first presidency. President Monson commented this year:

"I, with you, have witnessed during the past few days and weeks what has become over the years the annual commercialization of Christmas. I am saddened to see Christmas becoming less and less about Christ and more and more about marketing and sales, parties and presents.

And yet, Christmas is what we make of it. Despite all the distractions, we can see to it that Christ is at the center of our celebration. If we have not already done so, we can establish Christmas traditions for ourselves and for our families which will help us capture and keep the spirit of Christmas."
I was talking to a friend this past week who works in retail. He has stated before, that working in retail has made him dread the holidays. However while I was talking  to him on this occasion, he said that he started feeling the Christmas spirit again as he was shopping and making presents for his younger brother. He commented that it made him excited to think about how his brother is going to  react on Christmas Eve. Another experience that recently happened that touched my heart: my younger sister is a member of the choir at Orem High School, and they are going to Disneyland this year to compete. The cost of the trip was out of the family budget, which was a disappointment to my sister. Tonight however, an anonymous
friend left a note at the doorstep saying that her trip to Disneyland was paid in full. I cannot imagine the sacrifice that this person went through in order to help my sister. I hope, and challenge you, that this Christmas, we can put CHRIST back into Christmas. I hope that we together can have charity and look for opportunities to serve one another, so we can remember how we felt GIVING instead of GETTING. I love this time of year, and am grateful for it. PLease take time and watch these clips: (copy and paste to open!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PFIam4QTcM&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXXwtFWpAI8http://youtu.be/RM8XoT7qnxY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM8XoT7qnxY