On the 4th Day of Christmas Past…
Question: What lesson did George Albert Smith’s granddaughter learn at Christmas?
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Remembering Grandpa George Albert Smith by Shauna Stewart Larsen, granddaughter
December 25, 1940 – “It was a real treat to see how happy the children were with their gifts…I played with them, helped them enjoy their toys, read to them some faith-promoting stories and we shed tears together as we had brought to our attention the sacrifices that were made by some of our loved ones when they settled this country.” (from George Albert Smith’s diary)
“My grandfather, George Albert Smith, had heard my brother, sister, and me talk about what we wanted for Christmas for weeks. We described in detail, what we would get, what color, what size, and on and on.
Christmas Eve finally arrived and we all hung up our stockings on the fireplace mantel, still hoping aloud for LOTS of gifts.
Just before we went to bed, Grandfather said, “Wait a minute, I have to get my stocking.” Pretty soon he came back with his blue eyes twinkling. He carried a great big scout sock in his hand. What’s more, he had taken a pair of scissors and cut off the toe of the stocking. He hung up his stocking with great glee and then went over and got the empty coal bucket and put it right beneath the stocking.
Well, I was very impressed with how smart Grandfather was. Not only would Santa have to fill his stocking, but he’d have to fill the coal bucket too. What a smart idea!
Christmas morning, after breakfast, we opened the doors to the living room and raced in to where the tree was. I was especially anxious to see what Santa had left Grandfather.
But when I saw his stocking, my heart sank, and my eyes filled with tears, because Santa had left my very SPECIAL Grandfather a switch and coal and onions.
Grandfather saw the tears in my eyes and he pulled me towards him and said, “Now Shauna, you must remember that this is Christ’s birthday we are celebrating and even Santa doesn’t like to see anyone be greedy.”
I learned a great lesson, one I’ve never forgotten, and one I’ve always been grateful for.
Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of our Savior, not to see how many gifts we can get.
It’s easy to get caught up in our Christmas lists and all our many wants when it comes to presents. But the greatest gift and the true meaning of Christmas is that we can live with our Heavenly Father again, thanks to the perfect love that the Savior has for us.
President Smith’s granddaughter learned that Christmas is about Jesus Christ and not so much about being selfish and wanting lots of gifts
The true meaning of Christmas. We should celebrate the birth of Christ & not the gifts we expect.
Christmas is a time to focus on the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ. If we place too much importance on temporal gifts, we may miss the greatest gift.
The granddaughter learned that when we wish for material blessings we often lose sight of the must important gift of all, the gift of our Savior, from Heavenly Father. Selfishness can bring on the rewards from Satan.
A lesson was learned to remember what we set our sights on. Not to set it on the temporal or worldly but instead on the everlasting, our savior Jesus Christ. It is Him who we find the most joy.
His granddaughter learned that Christmas is a special time of year when we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.
We should be thinking about our Savior and not dwelling on how many presents we have under the Christmas tree.
George Albert Smith’s granddaughter learned by example that focusing on our wants instead of a Christ-centered version of the Christmas holiday wouldn’t be rewarded by the character of Santa Claus.
The granddaughter learned that it is important to set your sights on Christ. Also that her grandfather was very wise.
His granddaughter learned that Christmas is a time to celebrate Christ’s birth, not a time to be selfish or greedy.
She learned that Christmas is about Christ, something that is too often forgotten and overlooked.
We should be thankful for what we get and not greedy.
Christ is Christmas. The celebration is all about His gift to us. No other gift we receive can compare.
What a wonderful lesson Shauna learned about the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas is about the gift our Heavenly Father gave us–His Son and His Son gave us His life so we might live with Them again. Christmas is about giving–giving our love and our hearts to Him–not about receiving.
She learned that Christmas is Christ birthday, and we need to focus on Him, not on what we want or get!