Christmas
Christians throughout the world celebrate Christmas on December 25th as an annual church festival and as the traditional day of our Savior's mortal birth. Modern scripture (Doctrine and Covenants 20:1) suggests, and many Latter-day Saints believe, that the Savior was born in the spring. However, they observe the Savior's birth when, more than at any other time of year, the world unites to remember this most sacred event and where it is evident the Savior's teachings of love, charity, self-sacrifice, and tolerance are put into practice. (Find out more at the Church's official website.)
Latter-day Saints believe that without Christ there would be no Christmas and without Christ there cannot be true happiness. This is the ideal time to ponder the true meaning of Christmas and to center attentions on the true doctrine of His birth as the Son of God, an event that allowed Him to work out the infinite and eternal atonement.
Christmas trees, stockings, gifts and greeting cards are believed to add to the beauty of the Christmas season. However, when such is too time consuming and expensive, it can detract from the spirit of Christmas. If left to the last minute, it can often relay rapidity and confusion to Christmas observance. Church leaders caution members that holiday shopping, decorating, and festivities should not be so all consuming that they forget or vaguely remember the reason for Christmas. Gifts should reflect the same spirit of love and concern, as did those of the Wise Men who presented the first gifts to the baby Jesus.
The Church encourages its members to draw their families close together, show concern for neighbors, renew old friendships and show acts of Christ-like love by giving, and celebrating the birth of our Savior.
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[hide]First Presidency Christmas Devotional
The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ televises a Christmas message, which you can watch, read, or listen to from the Church's YouTube channel or on the official website.
Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert
Each year the Tabernacle Choir performs a special concert with a celebrity guest artist. 2010's performance with David Archuleta is available on CD. For instance, in 2024, the Christmas concert featured Tony Award-winning actress and singer Ruthie Ann Miles and actor Dennis Haysbert as guest artists. The 90-minute program, which took place at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, also included the choir, orchestra, bells at Temple Square, and the Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble. Broadway’s Michael Maliakel and film and television actor Lesley Nichol joined with the Choir, the Orchestra, and the Bells at Temple Square for the 2023 live concert.
Light The World
Light The World is a December initiative that suggests a variety of ways individuals can emulate Jesus Christ and serve as He did, such as feeding the hungry, comforting the lonely, visiting the sick and afflicted, and showing kindness to everyone. Jesus taught us to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbors (see Matthew 22:36–40). The initiative was initially created “to inspire people to make the holidays more meaningful by helping others and spending valuable time with loved ones.”[1] Light The World was launched in 2016 by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and at the end of the year, more than 200,000 acts of service were shared on social media. For the 2017 campaign, the Giving Machines concept was launched. In 2024, the Giving Machines were placed in 107 cities across 13 countries on five continents.
Christmas at Latter-day Saint Temples
Many temples sponsor Christmas cultural offerings, and many have gardens full of Christmas lights. The grandest is at the Salt Lake Temple where concerts at Temple Square and the special lighting of the gardens are annual events. Other notable lighting displays are at the Mesa Arizona Temple, the Washington, D.C. Temple, the St. George Utah Temple, and the [[Manila Philippines Temple].
Other Latter-day Saint Christmas Activities
Sacrament meeting for Latter-day Saints (Sunday worship) is always different at Christmas. Choirs perform beautiful carols commemorating the birth of the Savior, and narration focuses on His birth. The Book of Mormon peoples were aware of the birth of Christ. As foretold by their prophets, there were two days with no night and a new star in the heavens testifying that the Savior had been born. So that narration is intertwined sometimes with the story of the nativity.
Nativity plays are performed at church activities and by families in their own homes. Every congregation has a Christmas party to celebrate the season.
In Salt Lake City a major event of the season is the Festival of Trees. People donate decorated Christmas trees, centerpieces, mantle decorations, or gingerbread houses and these are purchased by companies or private individuals. All proceeds go to the Primary Children's Hospital.
