Nativity Countdown #1

It's December! This year the Church is sponsoring an initiative called "Light the World" which can be found at mormon.org.

LIGHTtheWORLD

Since a new star first appeared above Bethlehem, Christmas has been a season of light, reminding us that Jesus Christ is the light of the world. Together, we can celebrate His birth by making the world a brighter place. All we have to do is follow Him—His life, His example, and His teachings. In doing so, we can help #LIGHTtheWORLD.

I encourage you to participate in the 25 days of service. I plan on doing so. However, although I'll probably complete the daily challenge, I'm not going to write about it here. Instead, I want to share my nativity collection with you. We love Santa! But we also want to remember that Christ is the reason for the season.

One of our family traditions is to wrap a copy of John 3:16 as a reminder that Heavenly Father's gift to us is His Son. Rather than just have a piece of paper in the package, I often wrapped the scripture with a nativity set. Consequently, we have quite a few. Each day this month I thought I'd share one of them with you, along with how it helps us remember Christ. This will definitely help me feel the Spirit of Christmas, and I hope it helps you as well.

There are a few things about the nativity above that prompted me to start this series with it. First, it's the newest one and the only one available for a picture! Second, it's reminding me of my slogan - Finishers Wanted. I purchased several craft sets on clearance years ago, and this year I finally got around to completing them. (That's why it's the first one up, it wasn't packed away with all the others.) Diligence, perseverance, and success are all Christ-like qualities, things in which I'm continually striving to improve. Finally, I just love the star on top, and that reminds me of light and hope, this 2016 Christmas initiative, and my Savior.

There you have it. Best wishes for a wonderful month filled with peace and joy and love.

Merry Christmas!