Many people assume that
Jesus Christ was born on December 25th because that's when Christmas is celebrated worldwide. But is that really when Jesus was born?
Learn the true date Christ was born in this FAQ or browse through other resources about
Jesus Christ and
Christmas.
During this Christmas season I've been following my own advice of
Keeping Christ in Christmas, but I've really struggled with number 3 to "Focus Decorations on Christ". Throughout our home we have several pictures of Christ, including a beautiful collage with pictures of Christ that border
The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles.
We also have a picture of Mary holding the baby Jesus, two nativity sets, a magnetic version of my
Nativity Advent Calendar, and a few other Christ centered decorations and ornaments, but it's been a frustrating struggle to find additional decorations that focus on the birth of Christ.
For several Christmases now, it's been almost impossible to find Christmas cards, wrapping paper, gift tags, gift bags, ornaments, and other Christmas decorations that focus on the true meaning of Christmas- which is Christ. As I've gone Christmas shopping I've become more and more frustrated with the over-commercialization of Christmas and the lack of focus on the birth of Jesus Christ.
A few years ago, I found a roll of Christmas wrapping paper that portrayed a lovely painting of Mary holding the baby Jesus, but this year all I've been able to find is a roll with the words, "Merry Christmas, Season's Greetings, Noel, Joy, and Peace." I was unable to find any gift tags, bags, or boxes with the star, wise men, or other nativity related images or words. After some additional shopping I eventually found a box of Christmas cards displaying the nativity scene, but other than that, Christ related Christmas decorations are almost non-existent!
Needless to say I was thrilled when I learned about a new website that makes and sells nativity-oriented Christmas wrapping paper, called
First Christmas Gift Wrap. They currently have three beautiful designs to choose from, with additional ones for next year.
Meridian Magazine has an interesting article by Cheri Loveless, the owner of First Christmas Gift Wrap, called, "
Who's Keeping Christ Out of Christmas." The article shares her story and feelings of Christmas, which I really related to, and how she decided to do something about it.
How have you been able to focus your Christmas decorations on
Christ? Where have you gone, what have you been able to find, and what have you done or made? I'd love to know the solutions you've been able to come up with!
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has created an excellent new
Christmas page which focuses on Christ as the "Real Gift of Christmas." On this site you'll find:
- The Christmas Story
- Christmas Videos
- Christmas Traditions
- Christmas Ideas
- Other Christmas Resources
The site also has free
Christmas music and
Christmas activity pages you can download. My favorite of the three songs currently available is, "What Child Is This?" from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's album
Rejoice and Be Merry!The
Christmas videos are wonderful too. The sequence of events shown in the music video, "
My Song in the Night," also performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, was especially moving.
At the beginning of each year the
curriculum studied in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints changes. In 2010 the curriculum of study will be as follows:
Each manual is available online. Learn more about the
organization of The Church of Jesus Christ.
