A Christmas advent calendar... without the candy

As a child, I loved advent calendars--the anticipation of opening a new box each day, the taste of waxy chocolate (any chocolate was great to a five-year-old), and the thrill of seeing fewer and fewer days until Christmas.

This year, I don't open windows with chocolate, but I have made a habit of reading a "Christmas Advent Thought" each day. This article from The New Era magazine pulls together songs, scriptures, quotes, and a daily challenge. It's been a great way to bring a little Christmas cheer into my day and remind me why I love this holiday so much. So, if you feel so inclined, download it yourself. I think it's definitely worth the 45 seconds a day.

Here is today's thought:

“Despite all we can do, we cannot have a fullness of joy in this world or through our own efforts. Only in Christ can our joy be full. This is why the angel proclaimed: ‘I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day … a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord’ (Luke 2:10–11). We are able to have a fullness of joy only when spirit and body are inseparably connected in the glorious resurrection to celestial glory. That joy, of course, comes only through the mercy of the Holy Messiah” (Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, Nov. 1991, 74).

“And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name. … And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to judge the world” (Mosiah 3:9–10).

Express your love and gratitude for the Savior in your prayers.

“It Came upon the Midnight Clear,” Hymns, no. 207.