In 1974, at the funeral of President Harold B. Lee, Marion G. Romney, a member of the First Presidency, shared this tender thought: With all his heart, he loved and served his fellow men. He loved the poor, for he had been one of them. "I love you," he said, "I have come to know you intimately. I know what it means to go without meals. I thank God now for those experiences. I have loved you because of your devotion and faith. God bless you that you won't fail."

President Harold B. Lee shared the following experience that occurred when he was a stake president: The first Christmas after I became stake president, our little girls went over to their friend's home to show what Santa Claus had brought them. In a few moments, they came back. "Donna Mae didn't have any Christmas," they reported sadly. And then, belatedly, we realized that the father had been out of work and there was no money for Christmas. I resolved then that before another Christmas came, I would be certain that every family in our stake had the same kind of Christmas we would have.

As the following Christmas approached, and as financially desperate times prevailed in the nation, President Lee discovered that in his stake there were nearly 1,000 children under 10 years of age for whom, without someone to help them, there would be no Christmas. So we started to prepare. We found a second floor over an old store on Pierpont Street. We gathered toys for a month or two before Christmas. Our goal was to see that none of the children would be without a Christmas.

The night before Christmas Eve, we had a heavy snowstorm. As I drove to town, I saw a little boy on the roadside hitchhiking. I stopped and asked where he was going. "I'm going uptown to a free picture show," he said. I told him I was also going uptown and that he could ride with me. I asked him if he was ready for Christmas. "Oh, golly, mister, we aren't going to have any Christmas at our home. Daddy died three months ago and left Mama, and me, and a little brother and sister." I turned up the heat in my car and said, "Now, son. Give me your name and address. Somebody will come to your home. You won't be forgotten." That night I asked each bishop to go with his deliverymen and see that each family was cared for, and report back to me. When the last bishop reported, I remembered the little boy. "Bishop, have you enough left to visit one more family?" He said, "Yes, we have." I told him of the boy and gave him the address. Later he called to say that that family too had received some well-filled baskets. As I awoke that Christmas morning, I said in my heart, "God grant that I will never let another year pass but that I, as a leader, will truly know my people."