The First Presidency's Christmas Devotional

I don't know why, but I don't really remember this from my childhood. I think sometime during my Freshman year I heard about it... meandered down to the Cannon Center and watched it with some strange folks that I didn't know, but I loved it. Now it's something that I look forward to and love. Sometimes I look forward to the music and the simple beauty of the carols. Sometimes I am looking for a spiritual pick-me-up and am thirsting for a message from our living Prophet - more recently Gordon B. Hinckley and today Thomas S. Monson. It also helps that it typically is accompanied with some kind of social interaction with friends in the Singles Ward.
This year was no exception. It was my roommates and I in our living room watching and listening. I was just finishing catching up or at least breaking ground on my google reader feeds and my roommates were relaxing on the couches. It just felt right. For some reason it felt like it was supposed to. I learned so much and was so enriched by the messages.

Click HERE to watch the Devotional. Click HERE to listen to the Devotional. And (eventually) Click HERE to read the talks from the Christmas Devotional. And if you'd prefer another language than English click HERE for the eclectic list of languages that the devotional has been and will be translated into.

The message was beautiful. It was a reminder of the simplicity of Christmas - a reminder of the real meaning of Christmas - and concurrently of the call to serve and love those around us. We all could use an extra hug and an maybe a little note addressed just to us dropped in our direction. Even if we seem to be doing well or our problems are minimal compared to the people we have heard about or know - we all could use a little extra love. For those of us who are going through hard times - perhaps we need to share more love now than we ever have before. Yes, we need love and yes, we need to feel important, but that will come as we serve each other.
In this Christmas season I challenge you to think of 3-5 friends who you can help to know they are loved and appreciated. This could be a little note, a plate of goodies, or maybe just a phone call. Let us all feel and share the Spirit of Christmas in the coming weeks.