This year, I decided to start a personal tradition that I hope to carry on for as many years as I'm able. I wanted to do something different - a tradition that no one else I knew had done. I wanted it to be something that helped me to have a more "Christ Centered Christmas" and would allow me to keep in mind the true meaning of Christmas.
I love the idea of doing the traditional "12 Days of Christmas," but I needed to add a special and unique spin to it.
One day while I was sitting in the temple, I recalled a moment 10 years prior after Mike and I got engaged on December 1st, 2000. He took me to the Jordan River temple to do baptismal ordinances. Upon arriving, a temple patron invited us to take a seat in a room and await the Temple President to come have a word with us. This was quite a surprise, because this sort of thing rarely happens! We sat patiently, anticipating what he was going to say to us. As President Loring M. Hampton entered the room, a very special spirit accompanied him. After becoming acquainted with each other, he made a statement that I'll never forget. He said, " I want you two to know that by coming here today to do temple ordinance work, you are giving someone the greatest Christmas gift they have ever been offered. The opportunity for them to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ is the most precious gift they could ever receive." This really struck me in a way I never had thought of and it made the temple work so much more meaningful for me. Suddenly the thought came to my mind...That's it!...That is what I want to do for my new tradition! So, the idea I came up with, is doing the 12 days of Christmas for those who no longer receive a gift at Christmas time. I thought it would be perfect to begin the Christmas Season on December 1st, by going to the temple for 12 days straight and giving someone the opportunity to accept the gospel of Jesus Chris, just as President Hampton had taught me many years earlier.
The purpose for LDS temples is to do ordinance work for both the living and the dead. By standing as proxy for those that have passed on into the "spirit world," I can offer them the opportunity to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ and make covenants with their Heavenly Father. For me, this was definitely the most precious gift I've personally accepted in my life, so to help another accept this beautiful gift for themselves, is the most priceless and special gift I can help offer anyone.
Because Christmas is full of wonderful symbols of the true meaning of Christmas, I wanted to add something to my home that would stand as a reminder of my commitment to this new tradition and help me feel the real meaning of Christmas every time I looked at it. So, I came up with the idea to add a tree to my front room that would be completely symbolic of temple service. So of course it's all white and bright - I call this my "Temple Tree." I set the tree up right after Thanksgiving and beginning on December 1st, I went to the temple and when I got home, I hung an ornament on the tree with a scripture on it that reminds me of the joy of giving service, partaking of the gospel in my life, and remembering my Savior and Heavenly Parents.
This experience added such a wonderful feeling to my holidays and was exactly what I needed to help me constantly have the true meaning of Christmas in my heart.
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