The following is a transcript of President Faust's address delivered at the Tabernacle on Temple Square, Sunday, Dec. 6, 1998.

 By President James E. Faust

       My dear brothers, sisters, and friends, may I first express appreciation to President Hinckley, for his inspired leadership, to President Monson, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Seventy, the Presiding Bishopric, and all those devoted priesthood and auxiliary leaders in the stakes and wards throughout the world. I also express appreciation to all the members of the Church for your faithfulness, dedication, and commitment. 
      Christmas is such a wonderful time. No doubt it is all Christendom's favorite season. Children and adults alike look forward to this time — a time when our best self shines through. What makes it so special? Certainly it is our love for family and friends. But at the heart of it all is remembering the birth of the Savior. 
      Some of us have been in the fields near Bethlehem. Still today, shepherds keep "watch over their flock by night." It was there that the shepherds heard perhaps the most important message ever given to mankind. The message came from an angel to the frightened shepherds, saying, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

       "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 
     "And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
      "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, saying, 
      "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

       No one but Jesus could have such a profound effect upon the world. His message was shocking: "Love thy neighbour as thyself." "If a man ask for your coat, give him your cloak also." "If a man asks you to walk one mile with him, go two." He described part of His mission by quoting the Prophet Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." His teachings were so novel and enlightened that they would change the hearts and minds of millions, transforming them by the power of love. The love of Christ, which we are to emulate, is the distinguishing characteristic of Christmas.
      Particularly at Christmastime, hearts are filled with love. The feeling is contagious. People reach out in kindness even to strangers. John Greenleaf Whittier wrote:

       Somehow not only for Christmas
      But all the long year through,
      The joy that you give to others
      Is the joy that comes back to you.
      And the more you spend in blessing
      The poor and lonely and sad,
      The more of your heart's possessing
      Returns to make you glad.

       No one can measure the effect of an unselfish act of kindness. By small, simple things great things do indeed come to pass. Of course gifts given and gifts received make Christmas special. For many children Christmas Eve is a very long night as they look forward with eager anticipation to the gifts Santa brings, which is why children love Santa Claus. Let me share what someone once said about Santa Claus:
      First of all, he's a joyous individual. People are attracted to joyous individuals as filings are attracted to a magnet. Next, Santa Claus is interested in making others happy. He increases the happy moments in the life of everyone he meets. He loves his work; he gets fun out of his job. 
      He is childlike, simple, humble, sincere, and forgiving. Finally, he is a giver. His philosophy is to give himself away in service. He is a friend to everyone. He smiles.
      Perhaps you and I could attain greater happiness if we emulated Santa Claus a little more, for his way is the way of the Infant Jesus also." 
      We can all reach out like Santa Claus and spread happiness to those around us.
      A few years ago, Bill Lederer wrote to the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D.C. about a sailor who emulated the Christ, reaching out one Christmas Eve as one who would be Santa. He recalled: 
      Last year at Christmas time my wife, our three boys and I were in France, on our way from Paris to Nice in a rented car. For five wretched days everything had gone wrong. On Christmas Eve, when we checked into our hotel in Nice, there was no Christmas spirit in our hearts.
      It was raining and cold when we went out to eat. We found a drab little restaurant shoddily decorated for the holiday. Only five tables were occupied. There were two German couples, two French families, and an American sailor. While eating, he was writing a letter.
      My wife ordered our meal in French. The waiter brought us the wrong thing. I scolded my wife for being stupid.
      Then, at the table with the French family on our left, the father slapped one of his children for some minor infraction and the boy began to cry.
      On our right, the German wife began berating her husband.
      All of us were interrupted by an unpleasant blast of cold air. Through the front door came an old flower woman. She wore a dripping, tattered overcoat, and shuffled in on wet, rundown shoes. She went from one table to the other.
      "Flowers, Monsieur? Only one franc." No one bought any.
      Wearily she sat down at a table between the sailor and us. To the waiter she said, "A bowl of soup. I haven't sold a flower all afternoon." To the piano player she said hoarsely, "Can you imagine, Joseph, soup on Christmas Eve?"
      He pointed to his empty "tipping plate."
      The young sailor finished his meal and got up. Putting on his coat, he walked over to the flower woman's table.
      "Happy Christmas," he said, smiling and picking out two corsages. "How much are they?"
      "Two francs, Monsieur."
      Pressing one of the small corsages flat, he put it into the letter he had written, then handed the woman a 20-franc note.
      "I don't have change, Monsieur," she said. "I'll get some from the waiter."
      "No, Ma'am," said the sailor, leaning over and kissing the ancient cheek. "This is my Christmas present to you."
      Then he came to our table, holding the other corsage in front of him. "Sir," he said to me, "may I have permission to present these flowers to your beautiful daughter?"
      In one quick motion he gave my wife the corsage, wished us a Merry Christmas and departed. Everyone had stopped eating. Everyone had been watching the sailor.
      A few seconds later Christmas exploded throughout the restaurant like a bomb.
      The old flower woman jumped up, waving the 20-franc note, shouted to the piano player, "Joseph, my Christmas present! And you shall have half so you can have a feast too."
      The piano player began to belt out Good King Wenceslaus.
      My wife waved her corsage in time to the music. She appeared 20 years younger. She began to sing, and our three sons joined her, bellowing with enthusiasm.
      "Gut! Gut!" shouted the Germans. They began singing in German.
      The waiter embraced the flower woman. Waving their arms, they sang in French.
      The Frenchman who had slapped the boy beat rhythm with his fork against a glass. The lad, now on his lap, sang in a youthful soprano.
      A few hours earlier 18 persons had been spending a miserable evening. It ended up being the happiest, the very best Christmas Eve they had ever experienced. 
      As we age we get wiser and less concerned about material gifts. This reminds me of the story about a woman "who lived far beyond her three-score-and-ten years. . . . Her friends and relatives always remembered her with little gifts which were usually in the form of knick-knacks for the house. Finally arriving at the age of ninety, the old lady was asked by a friend what she wanted . . . this year. Give me a kiss,' was the reply, so I won't have to dust it.'"
      A few weeks ago, my Ruth read in the newspaper about a medical finding that the kind, appropriate touch of the hand can lower blood pressure. Unfortunately, however, the article reported nothing about helping arthritis! Over sixty years ago in Seminary we learned the following poem:

       Tis the human touch in this world that counts,
      The touch of your hand and mine,
      That means far more to the fainting heart
      Than shelter and bread [to dine];
      For shelter is gone when the night is o'er,
      And bread lasts only a day,
      But the touch of the hand and the sound of the voice, 
      Sing on in the soul alway.

       May the peace of heaven be with us all at this precious time. May burdens be lightened, and suffering be diminished, but mostly may we follow the new commandment given by the Savior that we love one another. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.