Twelve Days of Christmas

Something special happened when our stake in Santiago, Chile, assigned the young women and their leaders in La Florida Third Ward to participate in a “12 days of Christmas” activity. Each day for 12 days we went to visit Sister Brigida, a sister in our ward who is more than 80 years old and can no longer come to church. Each time we went, we took her and her young granddaughters something different. To prepare for our visits, the young women and their mothers baked bread or cookies and made or purchased small gifts.

Sister Brigida’s home did not have many of life’s comforts, but it was full of love. The warmth and kindness she extended to us was touching, and it made a strong impression on the girls. They still remember how beautiful Christmas was and how good they felt as they gave of their time.

Even though I hadn’t asked the young women to bring a gift for our visit on Christmas Eve, I saw with great joy that each one had prepared a small, personal gift for Sister Brigida and each of her granddaughters. Many of the young women cried that night as they embraced Sister Brigida. The gratitude and love on her face was her gift to us.

That Christmas Eve, we forgot about presents and shopping and found the real meaning of Christmas. We discovered that service to others is a celebration of love and life—the way the Savior lived His life.