Do you remember, as a young child, going to bed on Christmas Eve?   Falling asleep seemed near impossible!  There was such an anticipation and an expectation of joy, of hope, of magic.  We expected miracles.  A fat, jolly, bearded man in a red suit, escorted by a sleigh of flying reindeer would surely descend the chimney that night with a sack full of our favorite things! We were sure of it.  We had a perfect hope.  And with that perfect hope brought joy, excitement, eagerness, zest, and delight.

How many of us really remember a Christmas that we were disappointed because Santa didn’t give us exactly what we wanted?  I’m sure there are exceptions here and there, but overall, did we give up on the miracle, the dream, the fantasy?  Years later, did we teach our children not to believe?  No, because it was probably one of our first lessons in hope.  Believing in Santa Claus taught us how to anticipate joy.  Did we worry that Santa wouldn’t come?  No. Did we fear that we would get coal?  No. Did we toss and turn all night wondering if we made it on his naughty list?  No.  We were sure we would be greeted with good things on Christmas morning.  Sometimes we got just what we wanted, and sometimes we didn’t, but it didn’t change the good feelings associated with Christmas morning.

Christmas is the time of hope.  It represents the fulfillment of prophecy.  The Christ Child was born.

 The language of the first stanza of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” reminds us of the dreary condition of the world before His birth.  It describes the town of Bethlehem as being still, lying in a deep, dreamless sleep; silent and dark.  Then appears the “everlasting Light”; the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. 

The song continues, “The hopes and fears of all the years, are met in thee tonight.”  What does that mean to you?  Is your life, like mine, filled with hopes and fears?  Do we get most of what we want and then worry, and obsess about what we don’t have?  Do we sometimes fear the future?  Do we have sleepless nights worrying about the “what-ifs” of life? 

When do we stop believing in the miracle of Christmas?    We teach our children to hope and expect great things from a fictional character.  However, Christ is real.  He lives.  He is the light and life of the world.  The Savior is mindful of our hopes and fears.   Because of the atonement, he has suffered all the pain, anxiety, despair, and fear that we endure.  Yet, the scriptures read, “Men are that they might have joy.” ( 2 Nephi 2:25).  We mustn’t rob ourselves of joy, which is the essence of our creation.  Instead, let us greet each day as a child on Christmas morning.  We must expect good things.  There will be disappointments along the way.  Sometimes we’ll get just what we wanted and sometimes we won’t.  It doesn’t mean we give up believing.   

May this be a year filled with the hope, light and life of the world!

By:  Beth