Every Day is Christmas

                The Christmas decorations are packed up and stored for another year.  But only the decorations, the Christmas CD’s, DVD’s, the tree, the lights, garlands, toy Santa houses, wreathes, gingerbread, advent calendars, and an over abundance of chocolate and goodies are put aside.  We may pack up lots of tangible stuff, but Christmas cannot be boxed away in the attic.  For faithful followers of Christ, Christmas is a way of life that is never sealed up in packing tape and stowed away.                   

                 Seasonal trimmings, gatherings with friends and family, cards, gifts, increased charity and the many other symbols of peace on earth and good will toward men are all good things.  Turning one’s thoughts to God and our fellow men are commendable efforts and worthy of our time and attention.  Do we practice those things for a few short weeks and then box them up, never to be thought of for another twelve months?  It’s true that the decorations would become tattered and worn with constant use.  I might even tire of fancy chocolates, although I doubt that.  Which pieces of Christmas can and should we pack away and what should we keep in our daily routines?

                I recently read a quote that described success as achieved only by making changes in daily life.  In others words, we have not become successful at anything until we have incorporated it into our everyday activities and thoughts.  Singular events usually do not have staying power.  One good gym workout does not make me strong.  One foregone dessert does not make me thin.  A one hour practice session at the piano does not bring about mastery of a great composition.  A single cheerful greeting at the door at the end of just one day does not make me a beloved wife or mother.  However, daily repetition of any of the above activities over weeks, months, years, and decades has the power to shape extraordinary characteristics. 

                We should never grow weary of truly good works.  Kindness, tenderness, patience, loyalty, devotion, and honesty should never be packed away.  We can never tape shut the box of charity and acts of compassionate service.  To give an example, I recently witnessed a wonderful scene at the Washington, DC, temple where I have the privilege of working each week.  In that beautiful edifice, sacred ordinances are performed that bind family and marriage relationships for eternity.  One happy and grateful temple guest recently remarked, “If this is what you do here every day, then every day is Christmas for you.”  Indeed, it is.  The temple is open and operating all year.  I have frequently pondered that comment and evaluated my daily activities to see if they include the things that I want to keep open all year, every year.

                How is it possible to keep the symbolic Christmas boxes open and vibrantly beautiful all year?  Does one grow tired of giving or even confused as to which boxes are good?  After all, there are a lot of tacky decorations and cheap substitutes for happiness out there.  How does one know what to keep and what to toss?  Fortunately, there is help.  First of all, there is a God who “slumbers not nor sleeps.”  His example is ever present, and He is always accessible through sincere prayer and study of scripture.   He has organized a church and called both ancient and modern prophets to continually guide us.  He has put us together on the earth to allow us to love and serve one another.  Through revelation and the witness of the Holy Spirit, He personally guides us.   He has given us the freedom to act for ourselves and to experience joy.

                Christmas came over two thousand years ago with the birth of Jesus Christ.  There is no sadness at the close of each annual celebration, for Christmas can never be put away.  It can be our daily walk, if we choose every day to spend our time and energy on the happy things that can never rust, fade, or wear out.  May you be found so doing, and every day will be Christmas for you.