Through the years, my family and I have been involved in many different Christmas traditions. From decorating the tree the day after Thanksgiving, to making chocolate popcorn balls and pulling taffy, each tradition means something different and adds a special touch to the entire holiday season. Among them all, my favorite tradition has been the secretive gift exchanges and the sweet smiles people share when they know somebody cares about them.
Looking back, my most memorable Christmas wasn't when we got big extravagant gifts or were able unwrap piles of presents. I don't even remember it all that well, but the feelings that were there are what made this Christmas my favorite. My family was strapped for money and my parents were struggling to find anything to give to their six children. After much worry and concern, my mom went to Deseret Industries and found what we believe was a true gift from a loving Heavenly Father: brand new Tonka Trucks. It may seem peculiar, but to us it was the best Christmas ever. My Mom has gone back since, and never found anything like the treasure she found that day. It was our Christmas miracle. After that Christmas, finances became better and we were able to do things like this for others. To this day, this Christmas is our family's favorite.
My family has now changed to a couple. Finances are tight again and now I'm a college student. However, the Christmas season remains my favorite time of year filled with traditions. As a student, Christmas has become a challenge of balancing time and finding ways to be involved. It seems that the last month of school occupies all time, resources and brain power. Projects fill the hours into the night, and classes and work drain the daylight hours. Time is spent planning and attending parties, but never relaxing enough to enjoy their purpose. Christmas is here, but it isn't in my heart like I want it to be.
When I do finally get home after finals wind down, Christmas Eve is a few days away and I almost feel guilty. I've missed Christmas yet again. The holiday comes and goes with little sincerity put into the gifts I rushed to get, cards I quickly signed and greetings I vaguely remember amid the chaos of finishing school. And so it is with these feelings that I wish to grant a challenge.
'It is His influence in our lives that stirs within us more kindness, more respect, more love, more concern,' President Gordon B. Hinckley said in his Christmas devotional talk this year. 'It is because of Him and His teachings that we reach out to those in trouble, distress, and need wherever they may be.'
Last year, feeling these same feelings I do right now, I decided to do something a little more personal to complete my Christmas season. Each year my dad asks that we give him a gift of service, not a tangible gift. With this is mind, I went to the store and picked out what I thought was the best gift of service I could give. I picked out the brightest yellow Tonka Truck I could find and left it for Deseret Industries. With tears in my eyes I handed the receiver the truck and explained it was for the toy drive. When I shared this with my family a couple days later, we all welled up with tears remembering that Christmas blessing years ago. Sure, the Tonka Truck wasn't the biggest or most expensive gift I could give, but it meant something to me and I hope it meant something to the person who received that truck Christmas morning.
Let us all remember the true feelings of Christmas aren't stress and anxiety, but gratitude and love. It isn't the rush of projects and papers, but of the quiet acts of kindness for those around us. This year I've finally challenged myself to make Christmas a part of my schoolwork and the things I'm doing. Balancing the season isn't easy, but has made my focus on Christ, not on a grade.
Laura Bird is from Boise, Idaho, and is a public relations major.