Christmas Chickadee

James E. Faust (1920-2007) told of growing up during the great depression. Like much of the country, his dad was out of work. He recalled one particular Christmas spent on his grandfather’s farm in Millard County. He remembered Christmas dinner, bountiful because everything on the table had been produced on the farm. He spoke of the carols they sang, and the story of Christ’s birth read from the book of Luke. He didn’t remember presents. “Presents are wonderful,” he said, “but they aren’t essential to our happiness.” He went on to describe the difference between presents and gifts. “We had the gift of boundless love. We knew God loved us. We all loved each other. We could not have been happier. We all enjoy giving and receiving presents. But true gifts—giving of the riches of the heart and mind—are more enduring and of far greater worth than presents bought at the store.”