this christmas

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to Salt Lake City for the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional. While I've visited Temple Square at Christmastime and been inside the Conference Center many times, I'd never been inside the Conference Center at Christmastime. In a word, it was beautiful. I know that decorations and lights aren't the most important part of Christmas, but having such a beautiful, homey environment definitely set the mood for the devotional. It just felt like Christmas.

While I loved the devotional wholeheartedly, my favorite part of the visit was actually a little Christmas concert we attended in the assembly hall after the devotional. To be quite blunt, the choir that sang wasn't exceptionally talented. This was especially evident due to the fact that I'd just heard angelic music from the well-trained, well-rehearsed Mormon Tabernacle Choir. But I didn't mind the off-key notes, the untrained voices, or the garbled harmonies one single bit.

Because in addition to the fact that most of the women in the choir were tiny, adorable elderly ladies with puffy white hair, the spirit of Christmas was evident with every syllable—even the ones that were off key. This choir may not be winning any choral awards anytime soon, but if there were an award for filling a room with the love and peace and joy that accompanies the Christmas season, they'd have my vote. When they sang "O Holy Night," my soul swelled with joy because I could feel of the love they each had for their Savior and the reverence with which they treat Him. Yes, they sang the wrong notes; yes the accompanist wasn't quite on the beat; and yes, there was more than one scratchy, worn out voice that could be heard over the rest of the choir, but their performance was beautiful.

This is what Christmas is about. It's about sharing the love you have for the Savior. It's not how well your home is decorated or how melodically you can sing Christmas hymns or how perfect of a gift you find for everybody on your list. Christmas is love. It's peace, joy, and forgiveness. This is a time of the year to take a step back and acknowledge the beauty that life has to offer. It's a time to fall to your knees in gratitude for the care and the patience you are shown by a loving God. It's a time to sing your testimony to the world, regardless of what your voice sounds like. 

These are two beautiful videos that exemplify what Christmas is truly about. I invite you to watch them and to ponder how you can keep the true spirit of Christmas in your heart at all times. I know that keeping Christ the center of this season—and the center of your life—will do nothing but increase the amount of peace, contentment, and love that you feel in your life.