"Sometimes it seems that our efforts to have a perfect Christmas season are like a game of Jenga—you know, the one played with small wooden blocks that are precariously stacked up to a tower. As we try to increase the height of the tower, we pull out one wooden block before we can place it on top of the delicate structure.
"Each of those little wooden blocks is a symbol of the perfect Christmas events we so desperately want to have. We have in our minds a picture of how everything should be—the perfect tree, the perfect lights, the perfect gifts, and the perfect family events. We might even want to re-create some magical moment we remember from Christmases past, and nothing short of perfection will do.
"Sooner or later, something unpleasant occurs—the wooden blocks tumble, the drapes catch fire, the turkey burns, the sweater is the wrong size, the toys are missing batteries, the children quarrel, the pressure rises—and the picture-perfect Christmas we had imagined, the magic we had intended to create, shatters around us. As a result, the Christmas season is often a time of stress, anxiety, frustration, and perhaps even disappointment.
"But then, if we are only willing to open our hearts and minds to the spirit of Christmas, we will recognize wonderful things happening around us that will direct or redirect our attention to the sublime. It is usually something small—we read a verse of scripture; we hear a sacred carol and really listen, perhaps for the first time, to its words; or we witness a sincere expression of love. In one way or another, the Spirit touches our hearts, and we see that Christmas, in its essence, is much more sturdy and enduring than the many minor things of life we too often use to adorn it.
"In these precious moments we realize what we feel and know in our heart—that Christmas is really about the Christ."
- Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Of Curtains, Contentment, and Christmas," First Presidency Christmas Devotional, December 4, 2011
Click here to read or listen to the full talk
Speaking at the First Presidency Christmas Devotional in 2011, President Uchtdorf shared this interesting analogy. We sometimes try so hard to get every detail of the Christmas season in perfect balance and alignment, and it can cause no small amount of tension and frustration—especially when something unexpected happens and the carefully-balanced "tower" topples:
Instead of being consumed by the superficial external details of the season, President Uchtdorf counseled us "to open our hearts and minds to the spirit of Christmas" and allow the little things to touch our hearts. Then we will be reminded that the real meaning and message of the Christmas season is not so easily toppled; it lies in our faith and belief about the Savior.
(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2018)
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