Christmas with the Prophets

Every year I tell myself I am going to read Christmas with the Prophets by Laura F. Willes, but I never seem to get past Brigham Young. This year I really dedicated myself and I was able to finish the book in just a couple days. I actually really loved the stories! Each chapter is about a different prophet and is broken up into about five different stories. This makes it easy to break up the reading, but don't let that convenience keep you from getting through the entire book. In years past I tried reading just one story a day, and that never seemed to work.

There are three stories that I particularly enjoyed that I want to share on this post. The first comes from Joseph F. Smith. When he was a young father, his family was really struggling to make ends meet. They had enough money for food, but not enough for any presents or treats of any kind. The day before Christmas, he walked past all the shop windows and looked at the many wonderful things he couldn't afford, and then began to weep because he couldn't provide his family with a nice Christmas. He eventually went home and played with his children, that being the only present he could give them--his love and time.

Heber J. Grant loved to give out books and if you were to meet with him, there was a good chance that you would be leaving with a book in your hand. Of course, this also meant he loved to give books for Christmas. He once recorded in his journal, "Although my heart, alas, is bigger than my pocketbook, I pray it will stay that way." I loved this quote. I think that is a good way to live life.

The last story I want to share is from George Albert Smith. This cracked me up. At Christmas, when the grandchildren were spending the holiday with him, he would put out extra large stockings. One time he even cut out the toe and had the sock empty right into a bucket. The next morning the children's stocking would be full of goodies, while his stockings would be full of onions or something of that nature. The children would be so disappointed for him, but he would always use this opportunity to teach about the importance of not being greedy.

The book is done on really nice, colored pages and is easily one of the nicest-looking books in my Christmas library. I highly recommend this book for a personal library, but also as a gift.