1980
A Prophet Remembers Christmas
December 1980


“A Prophet Remembers Christmas,” Friend, Dec. 1980, 47

A Prophet Remembers Christmas

While we now celebrate the birth of the Savior during December, it is also the month when the Prophet Joseph Smith was born—December 23, 1805. Here from Joseph Smith’s journal are recollections of how he spent several Christmases after he became Prophet and President of the Church:

1835 Enjoyed myself at home with my family, all day, it being Christmas; the only time I have had this privilege so satisfactorily for a long period.

1838 My brother Don Carlos and my cousin George A. Smith returned [from missions through Kentucky and Tennessee], having traveled fifteen hundred miles—nine hundred on foot, and the remainder by steamboat and otherwise. They visited several branches, and would have accomplished the object of their mission had it not been for the troubles at Far West.

When nearly home they were known and pursued by the mob, which compelled them to travel one hundred miles in two days and nights. The ground at the time was slippery, and a severe northwest wind was blowing in their faces; they had but little to eat and narrowly escaped freezing both nights.

1841 Being Christmas, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, John Taylor and their wives, and Willard Richards spent the evening at Hiram Kimball’s; and after supper Mr. Kimball gave each of the Twelve Apostles a fractional lot of land lying on the west side of his second addition to Nauvoo.

1843 This morning, about one o’clock, I was aroused by an English sister, Lettice Rushton (who, ten years ago, lost her sight) accompanied by three of her sons with their wives and her two daughters with their husbands, and several of the neighbors, singing, “Mortals, awake! with angels join,” etc., which caused a thrill of pleasure to run through my soul. All of my family and boarders arose to hear the serenade, and I felt to thank my Heavenly Father for their visit, and blessed them in the name of the Lord. They also visited my brother Hyrum, who was awakened from his sleep. He arose and went out of doors. He shook hands with and blessed each one of them in the name of the Lord, and said that he thought at first that a cohort of angels had come to visit him, it was such heavenly music to him . … At two o’clock, about fifty couples sat down at my table to dine.

1844 I spent an agreeable time at Brother Coolidge’s, in company with Elders Heber C. Kimball, George A. Smith, A. M. Lyman, John Taylor and their ladies. The band was in attendance. We partook of a substantial dinner; after which I made a few remarks expressive of my good feelings and love to my brethren. I remarked that the Lord would never suffer us to overcome our enemies while we cherished feelings of revenge, when we prevailed over our enemies it must be from a sense of duty not of revenge.

The 1844 Christmas remembered in the December Friend (page 47) was an account by Brigham Young instead of Joseph Smith as the article implies. The editors regret the error.