BYThis is one of our favorite messages by Mark Mabry, an incredible photographer who has beautifully captured images depicting scenes from the life of Jesus Christ. We often see Biblical paintings, but seeing real people brings life to the history in a completely different, and personal way. We truly hope that each one of you feels the love and warmth of Christmas this year. As faithful Christians ourselves, the Savior is at the center of our church, our homes, and our lives. He strengthens us, comforts us, and provides hope and stability in an ever-changing world. We do our best to honor Him each day of the year, but especially at Christmas time when we remember that tiny child on that holy night, and even more so in a few months when we celebrate Easter. The true miracle of Christmas, for us, is in the knowledge that He lives. If you are not a person of faith or don’t believe in the divinity of Christ, it’s hard to deny that the attributes and virtues that He exemplifies, simply as a man, can better our lives in every way and we encourage everyone to embrace that spirit this holiday season and throughout the coming year.
“This year, 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 kind. 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 the speak it again.” -Howard W. Hunter
As we wrap up this week of holiday fun and get ready to wave farewell to 2011, we want you all to know how much we love you! We know it’s a big world out there, and we get to share a little more of ourselves with you than you get to share with us, but we really do feel like we have a close-knit community of friends and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for coming back to our blog time and time again. Thank you for reading, thank you for commenting, thank you for supporting our book and our calendar and sending your friends to our site. Without you, we wouldn’t have the best jobs in the world so we’ll keep getting fat working hard for you!
May you all feel the peace, the love, and the joy the season brings, this Christmas and always.
Your Friends,
Sara and Kate
Kate – you have a son named Clark! Love it. My little Clark started kindergarten this year. What a great name. Merry Christmas to you both! I love your site.
Thank you Ladies for your thoughts and sharing such a wonderfully done video! Very appreciated.
When I’m looking for a recipe, you girls are my “go to girls.” I love your site and every delicious thing I’ve made from it!
Merry Christmas to you both.
Thanks for bringing the Spirit in greater abundance into my morning. And to think I just wanted to look up your Breakfast Casserole recipe- and got so much more! Merry Christmas
Right back at ya! Happy holidays 🙂
I was just stopping by today to wish you girls a Very Merry Christmas. Thank you for sharing your recipes, ideas, and laughs with us.
What great family photos! Merry Christmas to you both! And Kate Jones-you are in SO much trouble! I should not have to learn these things on your blog! Congratulations! You make beautiful babies!
Thank you for sharing a little bit of your lives, your wonderful recipes, and those adorable family pictures. Merry Christmas!
Food for the soul, and food for the body. Doesn’t get any better than that. Thank you sisters, and Merry Christmas! And congrats on the newest little chef.
Merry Christmas to you 2 wonderful, talented ladies! Thanks for all your amazing recipes and wonderful stories!
Beautiful! Thank you girls for all your inspiration!
That is the BEST Christmas message I’ve received EVER! Thank you so much for that!
Thank you both for your testimonies and love. This was a beautiful reminder of WHY we celebrate Christmas. By the way, I want you to know that while I have LOVED attending Time Out For Women in the past, the only reason I will be attending this year, is because you guys will be presenting. I’m SO excited to meet you in person, cause I kind of feel like you’re already my friends (I mean that in a nice way, not in a wierd, stalker-ish sort of way).
Beautiful video! Thanks for that. And thanks for helping me serve up deliciousness in our home. Merry Christmas!
Thank you for your Christmas & New Year wishes and for sharing. I love having a safe and wonderul blog that I can go to and not worry about any content. You ladies rock! May your holidays be joyous, safe and wonderful as you are!
Peace and Love,
Sherrie
Loved this post—thanks!
Thanks girls! That message was beautiful and exactly what I needed! Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to both of you and your families! I appreciate all that you share!!!
Merry Christmas to you both. Love your site and all of your recipes. Our new arrival may make her debut between Christmas and New Years. Congrats on your news.
You girls are just awesome! I love the life like photos of our Saviors life! His pictures were put up in Winter Quarters visitors center a little over a year ago. I took a pic of every one. May you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! An Congrats Kate on your pregnancy :o)
Thanks for the beautiful Christmas message and testimony! And thanks for your wonderful blog and amazing recipes. Thanks to you two, everyone thinks I’m a fantastic cook now. I sing your praises all. the. time. I tell everyone…”I never make recipes from anywhere but OBB. They’ll never lead you astray!” Merry Christmas and Happy 2012 to you and your cute families.
Have you heard the new cd Music Inspired by the Story? It’s amazing! The songs are written from the perspective of people like Moses, David, etc and goes through the whole Bible. Anyway, Merry Christmas! I enjoy your blog, even if you do make me gain 5 pounds every time I make a recipe 🙂
Absolutely beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful video with us and I love the quote by President Hunter, what wonderful things for us to do and keep in mind through out the holidays and new year. Thank you for all that you do for all of us and I hope that both of you and your families have a wonderful Christmas.
Beautiful!! Merry Christmas to you and your families! Be blessed! XO
Thanks for sharing that awesome video, and bits of your lives with all of us. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas! I love your blog and appreciate all your hard work! Blessings to your families this holiday season. May God bless you richly!
Merry Christmas Our Best Bites!!
Beautiful, girls. My brother got that book as a wedding gift and I devoured it while I was there. Have a wonderful holiday weekend! Mine will include some of your yumminess. 🙂 Thanks for all your hard work!
Like Jessica, I too am looking forward to TOFW. Being the absent-minded dork that I am, I completely spaced out the date only to remember after I had booked a flight to visit two of my kids back east. I cancelled the flight as soon as I remembered! I can see my kids some other time 🙂
Thank you for posting that message from President Hunter. Great words from a great man!
Merry Christmas to you both, and thank you to your families for all the time they sacrifice with you so we can partake in all the wonderfulness that is OBB.
Patti – you can’t post this on here -about canceling your trip to see your kids just so you can be at OBB at TOFW! Too funny! You are a true fan – except that your daughter (that you aren’t going to see) didn’t even have a copy of OBB cookbook – what’s up with that?? You owe me one now! I only have one left (besides my own copy)…so I hope you can find one to replace it! Luckily now, tho, your darling daughter has her very own copy of OBB cookbook, thanks to your awesome sister, LynnEl!! 🙂
LynnEl, I had to buy a couple more cookbooks the other day. My stash was running low because of too many weddings (I think I’m back up to three extra copies). I was going to take a book to TOFW and have Kate and Sara sign it, and then I was going to give it to my daughter that I am not going to visit so I can see the OBB girls instead.
Kate and Sara- sorry to hijack your comment section for a personal diatribe with my sister.
Merry Christmas to you ladies too!! Thank you for the beautiful message!! and for giving to us all year round!!! My family AND my belly appreciate it!!! (Maybe not my thighs so much, though!!!)
I love this video. “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” is my favorite…and the pictures were wonderful! Thanks for all your hard work and your wonderful recipes! I have never made anything from your book or blog that didn’t taste divine! Have a Merry Christmas!
MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all!! Thanks so much for all your inspiring stories, recipes, etc. May each of your families have a VERY blessed 2012! <3
Merry Christmas to both of you and thank you for sharing this message. I started reading your blog a few years back. We were not members then but through some missionary magic in a grocery store parking lot my husband and I were baptized in 2009. Our family was sealed in the San Diego Temple in 2011. Somewhere in that time frame as my Mormon radar improved it dawned on me that you were LDS. Funny how things come together. So I just want you to know that I know it is a risk to put up a message like this on your blog or maybe it would have been before you published your cookbook but it is all worth it. People do pay attention; they do see the examples that other people set and some times the spirit whispers to us through a recipe blog. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for your beautiful Christmas message and putting things in perspective! I appreciate the quote by Pres. Hunter which is what I needed to hear. Thanks for sharing your wonderful talents and skills AND your hearts–you guys are awesome! Keep up the good work 🙂
Merry Christmas to you and both of your families. I appreciated that message and video. I love coming to this blog as you share both my passion for food and my love of the gospel and I feel like you feed both my body and soul here. Many congrats Kate on the new baby (did I miss a post about it somewhere – totally embarrassed!) and many wishes for 2012 to be even more successful for OBB 🙂
It’s Christmas Eve, I was looking for recipes but I found joy!!!! Thank you for unselfishly sharing everything you are and stand for! There is beauty in your sharing 🙂 Love for the holidays. . . !
thanks for the beautiful Christmas message! and for posting your cute family Christmas cards. Kinda makes me want to print them off and add them to the others I received! Have a great Christmas with your families!
That is a beautiful video and message from you. Merry Christmas!
Thank you! Merry CHristmas!
Merry Christmas!
Wonderful message, thank you for all that you share. Merry Christmas to you both!!
I never leave comments on blogs, but I just really wanted to say “Thanks” for your Christmas message and for who you both are. I don’t know you, but I can tell you both are happy people, who live Christlike lives. Thanks for sharing your lives and talents with so many people. I love your humor and take on life as much as I love your recipes. Merry Christmas!
MERRY CHRISTMAS LADIES! I really enjoyed your testimonies and video clip it is filled with CHRISTmas Spirit! May all Christians remember Christ in their homes this Christmas. Lots of LOVE from California ladies!
Gorgeous cards, Ladies! I love them both. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Just got your cookbook this morning for Christmas & it is lovely! It was nice to see a few recipes we’ve made before from the site in there, and I can’t wait to try more.
Love your blog and the cookbook. We gave it as quite a few presents this year. Weird question for you Kate but is your husband’s mom Teeny Jones? If so I grew up with that clan of Jones boys when they lived in Bay Village, Ohio.
She sure is!! 🙂 And I saw your email address–I don’t know you, but we knew Karl, Kyle, and Kent at BYU. How funny! 🙂
Kate, how weird. I am the only girl in that clan of Gee boys. tell Sam hi for me. We just moved to Washington and i have been meaning to look Teeny up. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
P.S. Are you really pregnant Kate?
I really am! 🙂
Love the photography, and the song is my *favorite*. Thanks for sharing.
Merry Christmas! My hubby got me your cookbook and I’m SO excited. Glad it contains some of my favorite recipes from your blog.
I’m stoked that this year, I got exactly what I wanted for Christmas- your new cookbook! I flipped though a dozen times already and can’t wait to get cookin’ 😉
Merry Christmas! Thank you for sharing such a beautiful video! Hope the beauty of the holiday season brings you peace through the year.
Sara, I love this. Thank you so much for posting. And thank you for being such an incredible person.
Merry Christmas! I just got your cookbook for Christmas and I am so excited to start cooking! Thanks 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing that beautiful video. I’ve seen most of those images before, but I don’t know that I’d seen this entire slideshow with the lovely music accompanying. I wish you both merry things for 2012 and hope your Christmases were wonderful! Thank you for sharing your awesome recipes, ideas, and humor.
Merry Christmas to you both! You do such a wonderful job with every post on this site and this one is no exception. I am on here a lot but don’t comment often, but I did want to say Merry Christmas and thanks for all the great recipes, ideas, smiles, and inspiration!
May peace, love and prosperity follow you always and forever.
Wishing you the happiest of holidays!
Thank you ladies!
After reading your blog for 2+ years, buying your wonderful cookbook (which I use at LEAST once a week), and feeding my family your delicous recipes more times than I can count, I just barely made the connection that you’re Nate’s sister. Nate was my husbands roommate at BYU, and my husband (Sam Payne) knew Emily as well. SO CRAZY!
John 1: 1, 14 “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, the same was in the beginning with God… And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” Praise Him!
Merry Belated Christmas! Love your recipes! Thanks so much!
thanks so much!! You girls are awesome! Have a happy new year!!
Thanks for that beautiful video. Simply loved it.