From YA Weekly
4 Ways to Celebrate Christ All Year Long
At Christmas, we celebrate Christ’s birth. How can we celebrate the rest of His life?
Wouldn’t it be nice to celebrate Christmas all year?
The yummy food, the beautiful decorations, the fun traditions, and most importantly, the opportunity to focus on Jesus Christ.
The good news: Just because Christmas comes and goes doesn’t mean you can’t keep celebrating the Savior. Christ’s acts and teachings can be honored all throughout the year! Here are four ways to focus on always remembering Him, beyond the Christmas season.
1. Seek to Know Him
Jesus Christ’s birth was a sacred manifestation of God’s love for His children, and like the shepherds in Bethlehem, we should certainly honor that holy night.
But one group of people in the Christmas story—the Wise Men—didn’t arrive the night Christ was born. They found Him later. Their journey could have taken months or years! But they were determined to worship their King, no matter how long it took. We too can seek the Savior beyond Christmastime.
President Russell M. Nelson taught, “The more you learn about the Savior, the easier it will be to trust in His mercy, His infinite love.” You can seek to learn more about Jesus Christ by praying to feel His love, studying His life in the scriptures, and making covenants with Him.
2. Gain Spiritual Strength by Fasting
Before He began His ministry, Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness. This time prepared Him to resist all the temptations set before Him and teach “in the power of the Spirit” (Luke 4:14) in Galilee.
You don’t need to fast for 40 days straight to follow His example, but the principle holds true: Giving up worldly desires and habits makes more room for the Savior and the Spirit in your life.
President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, explained that fasting brings us “power to receive inspiration and greater capacity to resist temptation.” Keeping the commandment to fast often will help you focus on Jesus Christ and allow Him to bless you and the people you fast for.
3. Prepare for His Return
Jesus ministered to His disciples for 40 days after His Resurrection, then ascended into the heavens, with a promise that He would return (see Acts 1:2–11).
Recently, prophets and apostles have emphasized the need to prepare for that return. For example, President Nelson taught that “increased time in the temple will help us prepare for the Second Coming” and urged everyone to worship in the temple as often as possible. You can look forward to Christ’s Second Coming with joy and faith by spiritually moving heavenward, including through temple worship.
4. Learn to Hear Him
Not long after the Ascension, Jesus’s Apostles received the gift of the Holy Ghost while gathered for a feast (see Acts 2). This gift allowed them to have Christ’s guidance even though He was no longer on the earth with them.
Through God’s restored priesthood authority, we can have access to the gift of the Holy Ghost—and the Savior’s voice! President Nelson encouraged everyone “to do whatever it takes to increase your spiritual capacity to receive personal revelation.”
As you seek Jesus during this special season and focus on Him throughout the year, your life will be filled with the guidance, hope, and strength that He promises. That’s reason enough to celebrate—not just this season but always.