Yes, I am really posting about our 2008 Christmas. I am pretty sure that I have never put this story on the blog and I felt that is was time to put it out there. On December 17th, 2008, I actually had some time to myself one evening to go shopping for Christmas. I had already purchased most of the presents for the kids but had not purchased anything for Tom or myself (yes, I buy most of my own presents...I get what I want this way). That night I sat in front of the tree in my warm house and wrapped each present and put it under the tree. The next day I called Tom at work only to find out that he had been laid off, for the second time that year. It was devastating and a tough pill to swallow. I hung up the phone and then went straight to the Christmas tree. I got down on my knees and with tears in my eyes unwrapped all of the presents that I had purchased the night before and took each present back to the store to be returned. I was not crying about the presents having to be returned but rather facing more time being unemployed. I was already tired from the first experience, I was not ready for another one. Even with the sadness I was feeling I was reminded of something far more important....the birth of our Savior. Christmas is not about the presents that are under the tree but rather the love and gratitude we feel toward our Father in Heaven for sending His only begotten son to the earth. The Christmas season is also about remembering the Savior and His life. Looking back on the experience, Christmas 2008 was my favorite Christmas. I will never forget the amount snow that fell that day! The beautiful white blanket of snow that softly covered all of Utah. We were all by ourselves that Christmas. It was just our family and we had a really low key day. I loved that the kids were so happy to play with their new toys and I was grateful that I was with them and able to play with them. I was grateful that we were in a cozy, warm home that protected us from the cold. I was also grateful for our Bishop who came by on December 22nd and dropped off $400 in Walmart gift cards so we could buy food. It was a very, very humbling experience for me but one I will always remember with great fondness and gratitude.
President Monson said it best in his 2009 Christmas devotional talk when he said this, "
Brothers and sisters, this joyful season brings to all of us a
measure of happiness that corresponds to the degree to which we have turned our
minds, feelings, and actions to the Savior, whose birth we celebrate.
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. Let it be a time that
lights the eyes of children and puts laughter on their lips. Let it be a time
for lifting the lives of those who live in loneliness. Let it be a time for
calling our families together, for feeling a closeness to those who are near to
us and a closeness also to those who are absent. Let it be a time for discarding the meaningless and for stressing the
true values. Let it be a time of peace because we have found peace in His
teachings. Most of all, let it be
a time to remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ,
that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and
the worship of the Wise Men.
My brothers and sisters, may the spirit of love which comes at
Christmas time fill our homes and our lives and linger there long after the
tree is down and the lights are put away for another year."
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