6 Tender Christmas Memories President Monson, Apostles Have Shared from Their Childhood

As we remember Christ and His birth, we also reflect on happy times with our family and Christmases where we felt His love strongly. We all have our special Christmas memories, and members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve are no exception. Here are some Christmas memories from their youth that general authorities have shared over the years.

When President Monson was a child, he played the part of one of the three wise men in a nativity reenactment in his ward. In the play, he declared that the wise men had seen the star and wanted to know where Jesus was.

According to lds.org, President Monson shared:

“I don’t recall all of the words in that pageant, but I vividly remember the feelings of my heart as the three of us ‘wise men’ looked upward and saw the star, journeyed across the stage, found Mary with the young child Jesus, then fell down and worshipped Him and opened our treasures and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh,” he said.

To this day, President Monson keeps the old cane he used in the play to remind him of what he felt that day. “The Christmas cane continues to occupy its special place in my home; and in my heart is a commitment to Christ."

When President Eyring was young, he would hear various Christmas songs on the radio, some of which still linger in his mind. One line of a song he remembers the best is “I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams.” The song spoke of a desire to be with family, but he knew its true meaning went beyond that.

In a 2009 First Presidency Christmas message, he recalled visiting his old home 

“A few years ago I went back and knocked on the door [of an old home]. Strangers answered. They allowed me to step into the rooms where the radio had been and where our family had gathered around the Christmas tree. I realized then that the desire of my heart was not about being in a house. It was about being with my family, and it was a desire to feel enveloped in the love and the Light of Christ, even more than our little family had felt in the home of my childhood.”

President Uchtdorf remembers his Christmases as a child vividly. Although his holidays were not extravagant, they were meaningful and special. He remembers the joy his family felt giving and receiving gifts the year he gave his sister a drawing he made and another year when his brother carved a toy knife.

“Isn’t one of the joys of Christmas seeing the excited faces of little children as they take in their hands a wrapped gift that is just for them? This Christmas season and always, I pray that we will see the marvelous gift of the birth of the Son of God through the blessed eyes of a child. I pray that in addition to giving good gifts, we will strive to become good and grateful receivers. As we do so, the spirit of this season will enlarge our hearts and expand our joy beyond measure.”

How did Joseph Smith celebrate Christmas? What did John Taylor say about the pioneers’ first Christmas in the Salt Lake Valley? What was the heartening message that George Albert Smith included on his 1945 Christmas cards? Christmas with the Prophets provides glimpses into the individual Christmas celebrations of each President of the Church, with recurring themes of missionary efforts, Church work, family, and service. Some of the vignettes are personal, others soul-stirring, poignant, and tender. Often their experiences and messages reflect the world conditions at that time and serve as little snapshots of history.

One day close to Christmas, President Nelson and his extended family would often gather for their annual Christmas pageant. After reading the birth of the Savior from both the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon, they would sing Christmas songs and finish with “Silent Night.”

“Just as the Savior’s mother pondered sacred things in her heart, so some of our deepest feelings of reverence and gratitude are unspoken and unsung. Some are felt only deeply within. They are so sacred that speaking openly of them would seem in some way to desecrate them. I’m sure we all feel that way when we sing and ponder the birth, the mission, and the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ,” President Nelson said.

One of Elder Ballard’s favorite memories as a small child was when his Grandfather and Grandmother Ballard would visit their home. When he was young, Elder Ballard's grandfather served as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. At the time, Elder Ballard didn't fully understand the calling of his grandfather; he was just Grandpa Ballard and Elder Ballard was always excited when he came to visit.

“Reflecting back on those special Christmas mornings with Grandfather and Grandmother Ballard brings special fond memories since today I find myself as a member of the Council of the Twelve and I have a new and deeper appreciation for those special Christmas mornings with my grandparents. I hope now as my grandchildren come to visit me and I go to visit them, I can create memories for them that will live on long after I am gone,” Elder Ballard said.

Elder Renlund recounted the fond memories he had of Christmas with his family. According to a Swedish tradition, Jultomten—or Santa Claus—arrives on Christmas Eve, but before Elder Renlund and his siblings opened their presents from Jultomten, Elder Renlund’s father would read Luke 2 aloud to the family. After finishing the verses, Elder Renlund’s father would bear testimony of the birth of Christ, telling the family, “He is my Savior and He is yours.” 

“Of all the Christmas gifts I ever received, the gift I remember most was the gift of my father’s testimony to me. I knew that he knew the reality of Christ’s birth. He knew who that babe in Bethlehem was and what He would accomplish. This gift was better than any gift that Jultomten ever brought or could ever bring,” Elder Renlund said.

Lead image from lds.org

How did Joseph Smith celebrate Christmas? What did John Taylor say about the pioneers’ first Christmas in the Salt Lake Valley? What was the heartening message that George Albert Smith included on his 1945 Christmas cards? Christmas with the Prophets provides glimpses into the individual Christmas celebrations of each President of the Church, with recurring themes of missionary efforts, Church work, family, and service. Some of the vignettes are personal, others soul-stirring, poignant, and tender. Often their experiences and messages reflect the world conditions at that time and serve as little snapshots of history.