The Gift of Kindness
2025 First Presidency’s Christmas Devotional
Sunday, December 7, 2025
My dear brothers and sisters, it is an honor to address you, wherever you may be gathered, for this First Presidency Christmas devotional. As we reflect on the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ, His earthly ministry, and His glorious Atonement and Resurrection, we feel closer to Him. We feel of His kindness, majesty, and love. I have prayed fervently that my message this evening, in some small way, will help each of you feel His abiding love more fully during this sacred season of Christmas.
Christmastime is filled with traditions. Although these traditions vary in scope and size based on family, culture, and location, traditions bring us together as we unitedly celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
I recall a tradition as a young father baking bread with my two daughters. As they returned from school, I would be ready in the kitchen with the ingredients to make whole wheat bread. The girls helped mix and knead the dough. Then, as they waited for the dough to rise and bake, I would carve letters into a small wooden bread board, cut out in advance, for the purpose of making a gift. In each board, I carved the words J’Aime et J’Espere, which is French for “I Love and I Hope.” When the fresh-baked bread was pulled from the oven, we would deliver the loaf and board to a friend or neighbor, one who was facing a trial of health or sorrow.
As I have reflected on this tradition, my mind has turned to the wooden bread board with the engraved words “I Love and I Hope.” As a living witness of Jesus Christ, I promise you that because of Him we can always feel of His love and find hope in Him no matter life’s circumstances, good or bad.
Through the Savior’s willingness to “[descend] below all things,” as requirements of His infinite Atonement, Jesus Christ offered the perfect gift and expression of love and hope. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” And our loving Heavenly Father, by allowing His Only Begotten Son to make such a sacrifice, provided us with an ultimate expression of His love as His gift to the rest of His children.
As we consider these eternal gifts provided to us from the Father and the Son, we may wonder how our own gifts we share this Christmas season can appropriately reflect our devotion and gratitude to Them. I humbly declare that perhaps the most meaningful way to accomplish this worthy endeavor is by giving simple gifts of kindness to those we love. As we are kind and serve each other as the Savior would, even in the smallest of ways, we can become a channel of God’s grace to help those in our circle of influence feel the Savior’s love and hope—J’Aime et J’Espere!
As I have continually studied the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, I have marveled at His matchless example of kindness. Reflect with me for a moment on just a few touching accounts and familiar words from the scriptures:
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“And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.”
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“And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”
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“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
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“Have ye any that are sick among you? … Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy.”
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“And he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.”
As we each follow the Savior’s example of kindness during this special season, it can be done in many ways—service, charity, love, compassion, and forgiveness. President Howard W. Hunter defined it this way, “This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. … Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again.”
I know that the Spirit can lead each of us in many simple ways to give love, faith, and joy to others at this season of rejoicing.
At Christmas time, as a young boy, I would gather with my family around our Winkler piano, which would now be over a hundred years old. My parents had known poverty and so were frugal. The Christmas gifts we received were modest. But my mother had a rich soprano voice. She played the piano as she led us in singing familiar carols and sacred hymns.
I don’t know if she thought of herself as inviting us to share in a lasting gift. But even as a young boy, I felt inexpressible joy in singing those songs. The music filled our small home with a spirit of peace. I could feel not only the love of my mother and father and two brothers, but of my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ.
My dear brothers and sisters, opportunities await each of us this Christmas season to reach out and show kindness with Christlike love and compassion and to make a difference. I promise as we are prayerful and as we open our hearts and minds to the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, the Lord will direct us to find someone that He loves perfectly, who needs our kindness during this holiday season. The kindness we offer may be simple and not seem extraordinary in any way, but it can—and many times will—have an enduring effect.
May I conclude with the words of one of my favorite primary hymns:
As we embark on this wonderful Christmas season, I leave you my testimony that Jesus Christ is love and hope—J’Aime et J’Espere. We too can partner with Him and share His love and hope with others through selfless acts of kindness.
Of these things I so testify in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.