December 24th - Christmas Eve

Scripture: Mosiah 3:5-8 - "For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases. And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men. And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people. And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary."

Song: "Silent Night" - Hymns, #204

Story: Little story from Santa called "Hello from Santa's Village"

Hello from Santa's Village!

This is Santa Claus speaking to tell you about a sequence of amazing and unforgettable events. It all started while I was feeding the reindeer one morning, just a few weeks before Christmas. I was surprised to find a young boy asleep in the stable, a handsome Child, who just begged to stay and see how we prepare for Christmas. I agreed, and took him around the village to introduce him to the elves. When we got to the carpenter shop he was especially attracted to that, and wanted to know if he could help out there. (It turned out he had quite an aptitude!) The Child just endeared himself to everyone - and everything was going just great. I was especially pleased, as we were ahead of schedule on the inventory. Then, just when everything was going so well tragedy struck! While out searching for a lost reindeer, I slipped on the ice, fell and broke my leg. The doctor put on a cast and said, "Well, that's it! Your trip is off. Christmas is only two weeks away. There is no way you can make the trip this year." What a disaster! Everyone was terribly upset and dejected - except the Child. He went right on working in the carpenter shop making toys. He moved into my house so he could kinda look after me. He exercised the reindeer everyday, and he make me a beautiful set of wooden crutches, so I could at least hobble around a bit. In addition to all of those activities, he was working on a "secret project" in the carpenter shop. He had it all screened off so no one could see what it was. The elves were just about bursting with curiosity and finally tried to sneak past him to see the 'secret project'. He caught them, though, and said, "If you'll get to work and finish up these toys that would please Santa very much - then I'll show you the 'secret project'." The elves agreed and quickly got back to work. On Christmas Eve they finished up the very last toy so the Child pulled aside the screen. You should have seen the excited expressions on the faces of those elves when they saw the wonderful 'secret project'. I was here in the house, of course, with my bad leg and all. It was Christmas Eve and the doctor had come by to be sure that I wasn't planning anything rash. I said, dejectedly, "No way Doc, I can get around a bit on these crutches, but there's no way I could make the trip." Just then, I heard something outside my door. I could hardly believe my ears. It was the sound of sleigh bells - and prancing reindeer hoofs! Doc opened the door - and there was my sleigh - all loaded with toys and ready to go! The Child waved from the drivers seat - and the elves were shouting from the back, "Come on Santa! We can make the trip now! The 'secret project is a special place for you to ride!" There, attached to my sleigh, was a remarkable conveyance - like a chaise lounge - on which I could lie back with my leg all propped up in comfort and safety. Doc checked it out and said, "It looks great! I'm sure it'll work fine." So, they bundled me up and we took off on the big trip.

As we reached each roof-top the elves did all the chimney climbing, while I was in back checking off the list. When we got to the last stop I was overjoyed! I didn't think we were even going to make the trip - and here we were finished. The Child came back and said, "Santa, I know you must be tired but can we make one more stop?" I said, "Listen, we'll go anywhere you want to go. If it hadn't been for you we could never have made the trip." The Child said, "I just want to show you where I was born," We took off into the silent night - following a bright star that I had never noticed before. Such a Star! I had never seen such a start. Soon we landed by a humble stable. The Child came back and said, "Come with me Santa. Please come with me." He helped me up on my crutches, and together we started hobbling toward the stable. Suddenly, I looked around - and the Child had disappeared! Then I heard the Child's voice coming from the stable saying, "Don't be afraid Santa. This is where I was born on the first Christmas night. Drop your crutches and come kneel with us." Almost overcome by the sudden realization of what I was viewing, I let my crutches fall to the ground. Hesitantly, I walked forward, took off my hat and dropped to my knees before an incredible beautiful scene - The Nativity. When I could finally catch my voice, I asked " Why - why did you come to me?" The Child's voice replied, "To remind you, dear Santa. To remind you, and all the world, that Christmas is my birthday, the birthday of the Lord."