"Remember Christ."

Christmas has come and gone, just like it does every year. I ate a lot of food, just like I do every year. We played a lot of games, made a lot of cookies, and cracked a lot of dumb jokes. We laughed about funny things that have happened, and talked about things we hope will happen. I played Christmas music everywhere I went. We hung ornaments and lights and put up our favorite decorations. We bought gifts, wrapped them, and put them under the tree. It was Christmas, that's for sure. It took a while for me to feel like it was actually Christmas - maybe because life was so crazy in the weeks leading up to it. It was the greatest blessing in the world to be home to spend today with my family. Christmas is always perfect; though all four of us don't have the same beliefs about this day and its significance, we all love each other enough that those differences don't matter. We come together as a family, and just spend the day genuinely enjoying each other's company. Today was one of the greatest days I've had in a long time. Not because we did anything fancy or because I got a ton of presents, but because I was able to spend this beautiful white, Colorado Christmas in Centennial, in the 9 degree weather, with my lovely little family. I couldn't have asked for anything more. 

I am so thankful to know that Christmas isn't just about the lights, the presents, or the food. In addition to spending time with family, we get to really spend time remembering the birth of our Savior. Because of this day, so many more incredible things happened. The life, ministry, Atonement, and resurrection of the Savior all happened because he was born in a manger in Bethlehem so many years ago. Because of the faith of one young woman and one young man, we are able to celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world.

I don't always do the best job of remembering the Savior during the Christmas season. I get caught up with everyone else in the stresses of life and trying to make everything perfect. Especially this year, I found that I was so focused on surviving the last few weeks of school and passing all of my finals that I didn't always leave enough time to reflect on the true importance of this season. At the beginning of December, though, was the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional. I love this broadcast, because it always comes at just the right time - right before people start stressing about presents and get-togethers and all of the less important things that come with Christmastime. I was just so thankful for the words of the prophet and his counselors to help me to remember what Christmas is really about. As I looked at those talks again, these were some of the lines that stuck out the most to me:

"At Christmastime we talk a lot about giving, and we all know that “it is more blessed to give than to receive,” but I wonder if sometimes we disregard or even disparage the importance of being a good receiver.  I hope that this Christmas and every day of the year we will consider, in particular, the many gifts we have been given by our loving Heavenly Father. I hope we will receive these gifts with the wonder, thankfulness, and excitement of a child...

"With you, and with all those who desire to follow the gentle Christ, I lift my voice in praise of our mighty God for the precious gift of His Son. This Christmas season and always, I pray that we will see the marvelous gift of the birth of the Son of God through the blessed eyes of a child." - President Uchtdorf

"As we sing in choirs, families, and classes, and as we have listened together tonight, the carols of Christmas remind us of our shouts of joy when we learned that we could come to this world and be given a Savior to redeem us. Someday we will sing those songs with the hosts of heaven...

"At this and every season, our Savior invites us to join with Him and others to offer the priceless gift of joy." - President Eyring

"My brothers and sisters, true love is a reflection of the Savior’s love. In December of each year we call it the Christmas spirit. You can hear it. You can see it. You can feel it...

"There is no better time than now, this very Christmas season, for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the principles taught by Jesus the Christ. It is the time to love the Lord, our God, with all our heart—and our neighbors as ourselves. It is well to remember that he who gives money gives much; he who gives time gives more; but he who gives of himself gives all…Let us make Christmas real. It isn’t just tinsel and ribbon, unless we have made it so in our lives. Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. It is happiness because we see joy in people. It is forgetting self and finding time for others. It is discarding the meaningless and stressing the true values. It is peace because we have found peace in the Savior’s teachings. It is the time we realize most deeply that the more love is expended, the more there is of it for others." - President Monson

There is so much truth in these words. Joy in the Christmas season comes through remembering our Savior and sharing His love with those around us. I'm so thankful for my family, for my friends, and for my Savior, Jesus Christ. I'm thankful for this beautiful Christmas season, and for the fact that I was able to feel His love for me despite the craziness of life. The good news about Christmas is that it may have "come and gone," but the spirit that exists during this season can be with us all the time if we take the time to remember our Savior.

My favorite verse of my favorite Christmas hymn/carol, to wrap up what has been such a wonderful Christmas:

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Son of Righteousness!

Light and life to all he brings,

Ris'n with healing in his wings.

Mild he lays his glory by,

Born that man no more may die;

Born to raise the sons of earth,

Born to give them second birth.

Hark! the herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King!