The hecticness of the Christmas season can leave us feeling overwhelmed, but we can rediscover the joy that should come with the most wonderful time of the year.
Photo by Nathan Fertig
Most of us are familiar with the spirit of Christmas—that feeling of joy we get during the holiday season each year. Everything feels magical. We see the best in the people around us. We want to serve and bake and sing. But eventually we lose that feeling—or maybe one year it never even comes.
In the hustle and bustle of the season, finding the perfect Christmas present for a loved one, planning a Christmas dinner party, or putting up the most beautiful decorations can make us feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and even ready for Christmas to be over. President Thomas S. Monson reminds us in his Christmas devotional talk “The Real Joy of Christmas” that “to catch the real meaning of the spirit of Christmas, we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the Spirit of Christ.”
Focusing our holiday celebrations on Christ and the joyful news that he was born will give us the sometimes-elusive feelings of joy and peace that we’re searching for. We can find “the real joy of Christmas” by acting as if we’ve already found it. We can strive to see the best in everyone this Christmas season. We can serve others, sing hymns that tell of Christ’s birth, and spend quality time with our families and friends. Activities that draw us closer to Christ can help us feel the true and lasting joy of the season.
This year, take a little extra time to think about the Savior, because as President Monson says, “finding the real joy of Christmas comes not in the hurrying and the scurrying to get more done. We find the real joy of Christmas when we make the Savior the focus of the season.”
Watch or read “The Real Joy of Christmas,” by President Thomas S. Monson, to learn about more ways we can feel the joyful spirit of Christmas.
Source: LDS.org
—Nicole Terry, Mormon Insights
feature image by walter chávez
Find more insights
Watch “The Reason behind Christmas,” a Mormon Message about a man who lost the spirit of Christmas and was then reminded of the things that really matter during the Christmas season.
Read and reflect on the story of Christ’s birth in Luke 2.
Feel the spirit of Christmas as you listen to “O Come Emmanuel,” by The Piano Guys.
Focus on Christ as you watch or listen to “O Holy Night,” a video depicting the Savior’s birth and moments from his life.