Item Detail
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Christmas Eve Candle Tradition
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2/14/2017
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Through Email
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Male
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Utah
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Taylorsville, Utah
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46
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Father
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Caucasian
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Mormon
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This item was written by the informant himself, based around his own beliefs and the beliefs shared by his family.
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There is a tradition in our family every Christmas Eve for my dad to share a certain massage. For a couple years when we first started, it was slightly different each year, but as we grew older and the first of his children moved away, he typed up that year's message so he could email it to my eldest brother, Trenton, who had moved out and was on his mission. Since then, each year my dad would refine it slightly, but still type it up. It is to the point where he seems happy with its content and it stays pretty constant. This is the typed up version of his Christmas Eve message to the family from last year.\r\rHere is a description of the event each year:\r\rWe start in a large room, large enough to fit each of us, either on the floor or on couches, but always in a circle. My dad would have his special chair that we had moved earlier, and he would pass out large candles with papers around the bottom to catch the fallen wax. Everyone would get one, and when we were ready, we'd turn off all the lights. Silence would come over all of us, and we'd sit in the dark for a moment. Finally, my father would share the message, his voice the only sound in the dark. As he mentions the first 'light' in his speech, he'd light his own candle. As it continues, he eventually leans down and shares his candle's light with the child next to him, then again on the other side. We'd each wait our turn for our neighbor to light our candle as my dad kept talking. Eventually we'd all have our candle lit, still listening until the end of the message.
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The story shared is based around the Bible stories and more Christian beliefs in Christ's mission and role in our lives that he is a light to us. It uses many different bible references as well as Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants references, books used by Mormons as part of their normal religious scripture.
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Christmas, light, mormon, christ, darkness, candle, tradition, family, Doctrine and Covenants, Bible, New Testament, Savior, Christmas Eve
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This is directly pasted from an email which held the file that Trent Oliphant reads from each year.\r\rActual Item:\r\r(Start in darkness)\rIt is fitting that we celebrate the birth of Christ in the middle of winter - when the nights are long.  "For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people." (Isaiah 60:2)\r\r(Light first candle)\rInto the darkness was born "the light and the life of the world, a light which shineth in the darkness" (D&C 34:2).  \r"which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space".(D&C 88:12)\r\rHe came as each of us and lived among men, in the darkness of this world  "suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind" (Alma 7:11)\r\r(Light one other candle)\rHe spread light to those around him who would receive "He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:12).  \r\r(Start to spread lighting of candles)\rHe said "Ye are the light of world" (Matthew 5:14) "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).\r\rAs we live the gospel of Jesus Christ and share with others the light grows.  "And he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day." (D&C 50:24).\r\rLet us then be full of light and fill the darkness of the world with light, the light in each of us that comes from Christ.\r\r"Verily I say unto you all: Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations "(D&C 115:5)\r"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." (Isaiah 60:1)
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Katherine
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Oliphant
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Female
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21
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ENG 391
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Eric Eliason