Christmas in the Book of Mormon

Everyone knows and loves the Christmas story found in Luke Chapter 2, but one Christmas, while I was on my mission, an investigator asked me if there were any references to Christmas in the Book of Mormon. I first thought of Nephi's vision of Mary.

And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities. And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white. 

And it came to pass that I saw the heavens open; and an angel came down and stood before me; and he said unto me: Nephi, what beholdest thou?

And I said unto him: A virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins.  

And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescension of God? 

And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things. 

And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh. 

And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time the angel spake unto me, saying: Look! 

And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms. 

And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw? 

And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things. 

And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul. 

 1 Nephi 11: 13-23

 Of course, I could have also shared the experience of Christmas among the Nephites, but it's so far removed from the typical Christmas story that I thought it was better to stick with the reference to the virgin mother. Little did I know then that there was another reference to Mary later in the Book of Mormon, when King Benjamin told his people what an angel told him about Christ.

And the things which I shall tell you are made known unto me by an angel from God. And he said unto me: Awake; and I awoke, and behold he stood before me. 

And he said unto me: Awake, and hear the words which I shall tell thee; for behold, I am come to declare unto you the glad tidings of great joy. 

For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath judged of thy righteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy. 

For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases. 

And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men. 

And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people. 

And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary. 

Mosiah 3: 2-8

 Of course, neither of these references are nearly as detailed as Luke's account. They don't say anything about shepherds or wise men, or even the star. However, they, too, make mention of the birth of our Savior, and that's the really important part. I think it's nice that we have a second witness of the birth of the Savior, as our way of saying "Yes, we believe that happened, and they believed it, too." With Christ's birth being one of the most important events in all of history, it makes sense that the Nephites would have known and written about it, and we're fortunate enough to have a copy of a translation of their record. The Book of Mormon really is Another Testament of Jesus Christ, and I'm glad that that testament includes at least three references to the birth of Christ.