Do Latter-day Saints Celebrate Christmas? Yes, and the Book of Mormon Has Its Own Christmas Story

The short answerYes, and it’s about Jesus Christ

Latter-day Saints celebrate Christmas on December 25, like other Christians. Families put up trees, give gifts, sing carols and read Luke 2 together. The Church’s hymnbook includes the carols most Christians know, such as “Joy to the World,” “Silent Night” and “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” Each December the First Presidency holds a Christmas devotional broadcast, and the lights on Temple Square in Salt Lake City draw visitors from around the world.

The heart of it is the Savior’s birth: “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” (Luke 2:10–11).

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The BibleProphecy fulfilled in Bethlehem

Isaiah foresaw it: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given … and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Wise men came asking, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2), and when they found Him with Mary, they “fell down, and worshipped him” (Matthew 2:11).

John explains why it matters: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The God who made “worlds without number” (Moses 1:33) was born as a baby.

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The Book of MormonA second Christmas story, in the Americas

The Book of Mormon prophets knew Him by name centuries ahead. King Benjamin taught: “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 3:8). Nephi saw “the virgin … bearing a child in her arms,” and the angel said, “Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father!” (1 Nephi 11:18–21).

Five years before the birth, Samuel the Lamanite gave a sign: “in the night before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day … And behold, there shall a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld” (Helaman 14:3–5).

Unbelievers set a day to kill the believers if the sign didn’t come. Nephi prayed all day, and the Lord answered: “Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world” (3 Nephi 1:13). That night “there was no darkness in all that night, but it was as light as though it was mid-day … and they knew that it was the day that the Lord should be born” (3 Nephi 1:19). Many Latter-day Saint families read Helaman 14 and 3 Nephi 1 alongside Luke 2 at Christmas.

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What it means to usGod sent His Son

For Latter-day Saints, Christmas celebrates the literal Son of God coming to earth. Alma testified that He would be born of Mary, “a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God” (Alma 7:10).

That’s why the season points beyond the manger to the cross and the empty tomb. As Nephi wrote, “we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ … that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins” (2 Nephi 25:26). Many Latter-day Saints also use the season to serve others, following the Savior they celebrate.

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What about April 6?A detail some people ask about

The Church was organized on April 6, 1830, and the revelation that records it describes that year as “one thousand eight hundred and thirty years since the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh” (D&C 20:1). Some Latter-day Saints read this as a hint that Jesus was born in the spring. Whatever the exact date, we celebrate His birth at Christmas with Christians everywhere. As with most Christians, the day matters less than the Child.

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Check the premiseThe presuppositions baked into the question

Before this question can be answered fairly, the person asking has to justify a few assumptions packed inside it:

1. That Latter-day Saints don’t celebrate Christmas. We do, on December 25, with trees, gifts, carols and the Christmas story from Luke 2 and 3 Nephi 1.
2. That Latter-day Saints have a different Jesus. We worship the same Jesus born of Mary in Bethlehem (Luke 2:11; Mosiah 3:8; Alma 7:10).
3. That the Book of Mormon has nothing to say about Christmas. It tells of a new star and a night without darkness at His birth (Helaman 14:3–5; 3 Nephi 1:19).
4. That Latter-day Saints are like Jehovah’s Witnesses on holidays. They are different faiths. Latter-day Saints celebrate Christmas and Easter openly.

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FAQQuick answers

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Sources

• King James Bible (churchofjesuschrist.org): Isaiah 9:6 · Matthew 2:2 · Matthew 2:11 · Luke 2:10–14 · John 1:14
• Book of Mormon: 1 Nephi 11:18–21 · 2 Nephi 25:26 · Mosiah 3:8 · Alma 7:10 · Helaman 14:3–5 · 3 Nephi 1:13–19
• Doctrine and Covenants: D&C 20:1
• Pearl of Great Price: Moses 1:33

• Featured image and in-article graphic: original graphics by thebookofmormon.ai (painterly backgrounds; no photographs or likenesses of real people).