Perception.

I was just asking a friend, half in jest, whether she still believed in Santa Claus. Thankfully, she said she still does.

After that comment, she said that she was helping her Dad be Santa for her family this year, she was substituting for santa, wich got me thinking a bit about it in a gospel context.

The Savior, like Santa, is someone who believe in but you never see. Santa comes around each year to give us presents, physical gifts, that are a representation of the appreciation we give or show someone during the holiday season. We play Santa Claus. Santa represents someone good, who separates the good from the bad. He doesn't punish, but rather, withholds gifts when someone hasn't been nice.

In the same way, we are representative of the Savior, But, we do it slightly differently. We show others his love through giving them gifts that the Savior would give them - kindness, love, charity, forgiveness. These are priceless gifts that warm the heart and stir the soul.

That' just a short thought that I had, that we should do our best to be like the Savior and give the best gift we can to those around us. Merry Sunday before Christmas!