"Maybe the purchasing and the making and the wrapping and the decorating—those delightfully generous and important expressions of our love at Christmas—should be separated, if only slightly, from the more quiet, personal moments when we consider the meaning of the Baby (and his birth) who prompts the giving of such gifts.
"As happens so often if we are not careful, the symbols can cover that which is symbolized. In some of our lives the manger has already been torn down to allow for a discount store running three-for-a-dollar specials on gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
"I do not feel—or mean this to sound—like a modern-day Scrooge. The gold, frankincense, and myrrh were humbly given and appreciatively received, and so they should be, every year and always. As my wife and children can testify, no one gets more giddy about the giving and receiving of presents than I do.
"But for that very reason, I, like you, need to remember the very plain scene, even the poverty, of a night devoid of tinsel or wrapping or goods of this world. Only when we see that single, sacred, unadorned object of our devotion—the Babe of Bethlehem—will we know why 'tis the season to be jolly' and why the giving of gifts is so appropriate."
- Jeffrey R. Holland, "Maybe Christmas Doesn't Come from a Store," address given to the Religious Instruction faculty at BYU, December 12, 1976; see Ensign, Dec. 1977, pp. 63-66
Click here to read the full talk
Elder Holland has given some wonderful Christmas messages. I loved this suggestion, that we consider "separating" — even "if only slightly" — the secular and the spiritual portions of our Christmas celebration. This helps prevent our tendency to let the symbols of the holiday "cover" the things they symbolize.
It is ONLY when we focus appropriately on the Savior's birth and all that means and represents, that we can truly appreciate the joy and blessing of the rest of the Christmas season in the appropriate spirit. What a great testimony!
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