The magic of the Christmas season was brought to our home one year by the anonymous "Christmas Elf." Though to this day we don't know the identity of the person or persons, they indeed brought a lot of love to our family and made that Christmas one we'll never forget.
The months preceding Christmas had been a year when our family had faced several trials and, consequently, we entered the Christmas season feeling a bit low. But on the evening of Dec. 13, a plate of cookies was left on our doorstep with a note, "From the Christmas Elf." We thought that was pretty exciting; but we were even more surprised when the next evening a little box of ornaments for our tree was left on the doorstep with another note, "From the Christmas Elf." By the third evening, the children decided that maybe "the Christmas Elf" would come again, so they watched and watched, but never saw him or her. However, in the morning, another sweet gift was there by the front door.Each evening the children were determined to discover the identity of this mysterious person, but "the Christmas Elf" must have been even more determined not to be discovered, for he or she was never seen or even heard. But the love that we felt each time we discovered a precious little gift will never be forgotten. Our Christmas season was brightened with excitement and love.
On each of those days preceding Christmas, "the Christmas Elf" left a little present and not only were we and our children filled with a special spirit of love and caring, but the children's elderly grandmother who was with us at the time also felt this special spirit. She was not then a member of the Church, though we had longed for her conversion for many years. However, when she was 80 she was baptized and a year later went through the temple. I will always remember "the Christmas Elf" and the love that was brought to our home and how it made her eyes light up. She has been gone for two years now but I will always believe that the spirit of love with which those gifts were left deeply touched her heart and was a step toward her conversion.