This 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
Thanks for that beautiful video. Simply loved it.
thanks so much!! You girls are awesome! Have a happy new year!!
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!
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!
Thank you ladies!
May peace, love and prosperity follow you always and forever.
Wishing you the happiest of holidays!
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!
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! I just got your cookbook for Christmas and I am so excited to start cooking! Thanks 🙂
Sara, I love this. Thank you so much for posting. And thank you for being such an incredible person.
Merry Christmas! Thank you for sharing such a beautiful video! Hope the beauty of the holiday season brings you peace through the year.
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’ 😉
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.
Merry Christmas!
P.S. Are you really pregnant Kate?
I really am! 🙂
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.
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.
Gorgeous cards, Ladies! I love them both. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
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!
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!
Wonderful message, thank you for all that you share. Merry Christmas to you both!!
Merry Christmas!
Thank you! Merry CHristmas!
That is a beautiful video and message from you. Merry Christmas!
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!
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. . . !
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 🙂
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 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.
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