On The 15th Day Before Christmas...

Thursday, 10 December 2009

...we were able to do some soul satisfying service all evening.

-- We have been talking with the boys about the joy of being able to serve others anonymously. We discussed this quote by President James E. Faust, "Anonymous giving reflects the Savior's love. Those of us who contribute anonymously have sweet inner feelings of the Spirit that swell inside when we do something for others that cannot be traced back to ourselves. Anonymous giving gives the gift a higher form of sanctification" ["First Presidency Focuses on the Savior at Devotional," Ensign, February 2007, 74-75].

Christ spent his life serving others. To honor him at Christmastime we try to keep our focus on serving others as he would. We love the fun traditions of Christmas but try to emphasize the true meaning of this season. We honor our Savior by trying to be like him.

So...even though we won't be sharing many of our acts of service on this blog--I couldn't have a post without photos. Here are some of our favorite Christmas decorations displayed through out our home.

The boys hand and footprints from last year--forever captured as Rudolf-the-Red-Nosed-Reindeer.





I have several tree decorations. More specifically, I have several groups of 3 Trees all over our home. My love of 3 Trees came from this book. The moral of this story is that when things do not seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. You can read a similar version here.

Gratitude Journal:

Keenan: Grateful for my bed. It is comfy.

Valu: Grateful that our focus is on serving others for Christmas.

Mom: Grateful for so much. Health, having an able body, unconditional love. I feel so blessed.

Dad: Grateful for a thoughtful wife.