Good Tidings of Great Joy: An Advent Celebration of the Savior's Birth

Listen to an interview with Eric D. Huntsman from The Cricket and Seagull Fireside Chat.

Christmas, President Thomas S. Monson has written, "is a glorious time of the year, simple in origin, deep in meaning, beautiful in tradition and custom, rich in memories, and charitable in spirit." Even still, it is easy to lose sight of the connections between the holiday we celebrate and its origins in the birth of the Savior of the world.

Author Eric D. Huntsman, in a companion volume to God So Loved the World, has provided yet another insightful look into the origin, meaning, and celebration of an aspect of the Savior's life. Beautiful illustrations, fine artwork, and photographs accompany the latest scholarship about the birth of Jesus Christ. Sidebar articles illuminate various aspects of our Christmas celebration, from the music that delights us to the symbols that have accumulated through the centuries to become familiar and welcome reminders of the season.

Throughout the book are suggestions for celebrating the Advent of Jesus Christ through the traditional four aspects of Advent: Hope, Love, Peace, and Joy. President Uchtdorf has remembered the Advent of his youth thus: "Advent was a time of anticipation and hope, and it brought a special feeling into our humble home as we prepared for something holy and beautiful. Each Sunday we lit one additional candle; by the fourth Sunday our expectations for the coming joyous events had reached their peak." The author also suggests an added "focus" of Advent for Latter-day Saints: Salvation, with scriptural support from the Book of Mormon. By celebrating the advent of our Lord and Savior, we can find in the old forms of Christmas the message that the Lord intended us to find: Salvation comes from and through the life of the Babe of Bethlehem, Jesus Christ.