Remembering why we celebrate...

{ My sweet Mom took this photo of my family's nativity at home sweet home in Washington...makes my heart happy }

Tonight, Adam and I snuggled together and watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional that our church puts on every year. We heard incredible Christmas music, and listened to the beautiful words of our Prophet and his counselors. Deiter F. Uchtdorf's message touched me deeply...reminding me to not focus on the minor, monetary things of Christmas (although they are wonderful:) but to remember and truly devote my heart to celebrating the birth of Christ. His words are inspiring:

"We have in our minds a picture of how everything should be. The perfect tree, the perfect lights, the perfect gifts, and the perfect family events. We might even want to recreate some magical moment we remember from Christmases past and nothing short of perfection will do. Sooner or later something unpleasant occurs. The wooden blocks tumble, the drapes catch fire, the turkey burns, the sweater is the wrong size, the toys are missing batteries, the children quarrel, the pressure rises, and the picture-perfect Christmas we imagined, the magic we had intended to create, shatters around us. As a result the Christmas season is often a time of stress, anxiety, frustration, and perhaps even disappointment. But then, if we are only willing to open our hearts and minds to the Spirit of Christmas, we will recognize wonderful things happening around us that will direct, or redirect, our attention to the sublime. It is usually something small. We read a verse of scripture, we hear a sacred carol, and really perhaps listen to its words for the first time. Or we witness a sincere expression of love. In one way or another the Spirit touches our hearts and we see that Christmas in it's essence is much more sturdy and enduring that the many minor things in life we too often use to adorn it with. In these precious moments we realize what we feel and know in our heart that Christmas is really about the Christ. It is Christmas and some of the cherished traditions of the season that remind us that we, like the wise men of old, should seek the Christ and lay before him the most precious of gifts: a broken heart and contrite Spirit. We should offer him our love. We should give him our willingness to take upon ourselves His name and walk in the path of discipleship. We should promise to remember him always, to emulate his example, and to go about doing good."

Thank goodness for DVR, I was able to rewind (and rewind some more;) in order to type all of that as I heard it...it's such a beautiful message I couldn't resist recording it!