Merry Christmas

Salt Lake's LDS Temple Square is an incredible place to visit during the Christmas Season

JOY TO THE WORLD
If you've never visited a Latter-day Saint temple's grounds during the Christmas season, you've missed out on a very special holiday experience.

Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah is, of course, the iconic image of the church throughout the world. There is simply nothing like it anywhere.

The Los Angeles temple is also a beautiful place at this time of year.  I know the Mesa, Arizona Temple also has some truly beautiful light displays.  Those are just the ones I've experienced first-hand at Christmastime. The lights are amazing, and the sweet, peaceful feeling that abides in these places is truly worth the visit, in spite of the crowds.

Whenever possible, visiting the temple at Christmas has become a family tradition.  It helps to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas.

Isaiah the prophet foretold the birth of the Savior of the world
See Isaiah 7:4 and 9:6-7

A wise man shared the following with me a couple of days ago:

"I’ve been thinking a lot lately about light in relation to Christmas and to the mission of the Savior. 

"One of the big symbolisms of Christmas is the light that Jesus brings into a dark and dreary world. That’s reinforced by the fact that Christmas comes when it does on the calendar, rather than in April when he really was born.

"But the symbolism is rich and powerful and true. Christ is the source of all light. He is the power by which the sun receives its light. He brings light and life to everything.
I’ve been pondering on this in relation to developing film. Back when I used to use the food storage room as a darkroom, I used to get frustrated by how hard it was to keep absolutely all light from coming into that room. I would tape over the cracks in the door and put a big black tarp along the bottom of the door. Then, as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I would inevitably see a tiny sliver of light coming into the room from somewhere.

"But even a tiny sliver of light would make its mark on the film. The more light that came in, the more it would affect the film. Light, it seems, will try its hardest to find its way into darkness.

"I think the same is true with people. No matter how dark someone may live his life, in regards to sins or unbelief, if he will just allow a tiny sliver of the light of Christ into his soul it will begin to make its mark on him. The more light that comes in, the greater the effect."