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Merry Smithmas everyone!!

“I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet.” History of the Church,” 6:408-409.

On this Smithmas Day, I feel inspired to provide a historical note. In an “Official Notice” published in the Deseret News on December 5, 1901, the First Presidency made the following announcement:

The anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Joseph Smith will occur on the 23rd inst. He was born December 23, 1805. We suggest to the Bishops, everywhere, that it would be highly appropriate to hold special services in commemoration of that important event, on Sunday, December 22, 1901. The authorities of the several Stakes and Wards will please make arrangements accordingly.

JOSEPH F. SMITH, JOHN R. WINDER, ANTHON H. LUND.

Stake and ward leaders throughout the church made the necessary arrangements to celebrate Smithmas with special services on Sunday, December 22, 1901. The Salt Lake Tabernacle hosted the most significant special Smithmas services. In a keynote sermon, Bishop Orson F. Whitney extolled the virtues of the Prophet Joseph Smith before an audience that included the three First Presidency members. Bishop Whitney said:

Ninety-six years ago—let come to-morrow—the Prophet Joseph Smith, the founder of this Church, the revelator of this religion—the Church and the Religion of the Most High God—opened his natural eyes upon this world. It is eminently fitting that the Latter-day Saints should commemorate this event, and place it, where it belongs, “among the high tides of the calendar.” The world in its blindness may ignore or depreciate this man and his work—for in what age did the world ever recognize or appreciate a prophet of God and his achievements? But the people of this Church, the children of faith, the gathered Israel of God, cannot afford to take any other view than the one that they do take of this man and his mission. They cannot afford to place any man before him, or upon the same plane as him, in the pantheon of their affections, in the high and sacred temple of their reverential regard. . . .

It is the universal testimony of those who knew Joseph Smith—and his own utterances and works proclaim it—that he towered like a mountain among hills above all the giant spirits that surrounded him and helped him to lay the foundations of this marvelous work. Great as they were, the greatest were just as children sitting at the feet of the Master, learning from his lips the wisdom of the heavens. The world does not appreciate this man; for it does not comprehend him. In its sordid self-sufficiency, in its worship of gold and its neglect of God, it is unable to appreciate anything higher than those gifts and achievements which minister to the increase of its wealth or to the advancement of scientific knowledge—things that can be utilized for what are called the practical purposes of mankind. Joseph Smith’s genius was spiritual, and as such it comprehended, but at the same time soared beyond the comprehension of the temporal. He was too far above the worldly minded to be appreciated by them. “Among them, but not of them, wrapped in a shroud of thoughts,” often, it is said, he would beat himself upon the breast that treasured up his mighty secrets, and say, “Would to God I could tell you who I am and what I know! If I should tell you half the truth that God has revealed to me, blasphemy would be nowhere, and there are men among you who would want to take my life.”

The Deseret News of 23 December 1901 published brief summaries of commemorative services held by the wards of the Salt Lake Stake. For example, the News reported:

At the Eighteenth Ward an immense congregation assembled. The hall was prettily decorated with holly, streamers, and wreaths draped around a large sized portrait of the Prophet.

The Seventeenth Ward featured women speakers “who had been personally acquainted with the Prophet.” And the Sixteenth Ward’s memorial services were attended by ten people who had known the Prophet, “including two colored people, who were his household servants.”

Merry Smithmas!

He was prolific

On this Smithmas Day, I feel inspired to respond to some common criticisms of Smithmas by certain vocal critics who seem compelled to spend the holy day denying its existence and attacking its celebrants. I call them “Smithmas deniers.” Here are some common claims of Smithmas deniers, with my responses interspersed.

Smithmas denier:

Perhaps, had he not been born so close to the superholiday of Christmas, Joseph Smith’s birthday would have been widely commemorated among contemporary Latter-day Saints, more or less in the manner of, say, Pioneer Day. Perhaps. As it is, like a celestial object that’s positioned adjacent to the sun in the daytime sky, any thoughts of Joseph’s birth that might arise among members of the Restored Church are overwhelmed by the festival of Christ’s birth and the celebrations (and, let’s face it, by the frenzy of commercialism) that precede and accompany it.

It’s possible that Latter-day Saints would celebrate Joseph Smith’s birthday with more enthusiasm if it fell in, say, June or July. I would point out, though, that several modern apostles have suggested that Joseph’s birth in December was no accident and may have been foreordained. From an article published in the Deseret News in December 2008:

[President Monson] ... noted that he's always appreciated the fact that Joseph Smith was born in the season in which we celebrate the birth of Christ. "I think very little happens by coincidence," he said. And at this season, he's happy that our thoughts can be drawn to Joseph Smith. "He gave us everything.”

Smithmas denier:

To continue my astronomical metaphor, if Jesus is the sun, Joseph Smith is a moon. What do I mean by that? I mean to suggest that Joseph’s is a reflected light. He is not luminescent in and of himself, innately. Thanks to the sun, our planet teems with life on land, in the soil, in the air, and in the waters. The pale light of our moon cannot sustain life on its own. Earth would be sterile if lunar light were all we had. But, absent the sun, the moon itself would also be lost in utter darkness.

Elder John Taylor of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who was with Joseph Smith in his final moments and was intimately familiar with the Prophet, penned a hymn, titled “The Seer,” that suggested that, in fact, Joseph was luminescent in and of himself. From the first part of the second verse:

Of noble seed, of heavenly birth,
He came to bless the sons of earth, to bless the sons of earth;
With keys by the Almighty given,
He opened the full rich stores of heaven;
O’er the world that was wrapped in sable night,
Like the sun he spread his golden light,
Like the sun he spread his golden light.

Smithmas denier:

For many, I think it’s just a rather bitter and not particularly funny joke. Some, though, seem to take the claim seriously — or, at least, to want others to take it seriously.

I don’t find Smithmas to be a bitter or not particularly funny joke.

Smithmas denier:

The truth, of course, is that most Latter-day Saints don’t even know that 23 December is the Prophet’s birthday, let alone celebrate it.

Actually, the real truth is that no one knows how many or what percentage of Latter-day Saints know that 23 December is Joseph’s birthday. I am reasonably confident that no Smithmas denier has conducted a scientific survey to support this claim. (As an aside, I would note that one of my most influential grade-school teachers detested students’ use of “of course.” She would strike it out with a heavy red pen and instruct her students to make an actual argument rather than try to paper over an unsupported claim by using “of course.”)

In December 1997, President Gordon B. Hinckley said of Joseph: “His birthday will grow in recognition and in importance as the years pass and the Church continues to grow.” Note President Hinckley’s use of the word will. I suspect that he used that word intentionally. He could have said that he hoped that Joseph’s birthday would grow in recognition and in importance. He could have invited Latter-day Saints to celebrate Joseph’s birthday more widely and more often. But he didn’t. He said Joseph’s birthday “will grow in recognition and in importance as the years pass and the Church continues to grow” (emphasis added).

Merry Smithmas!

Posted from City Creek Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

Tom wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 23, 2025 5:45 pm

On this Smithmas Day, I feel inspired to respond to some common criticisms of Smithmas by certain vocal critics who seem compelled to spend the holy day denying its existence and attacking its celebrants. I call them “Smithmas deniers.” Here are some common claims of Smithmas deniers, with my responses interspersed.

Smithmas denier:

Perhaps, had he not been born so close to the superholiday of Christmas, Joseph Smith’s birthday would have been widely commemorated among contemporary Latter-day Saints, more or less in the manner of, say, Pioneer Day. Perhaps. As it is, like a celestial object that’s positioned adjacent to the sun in the daytime sky, any thoughts of Joseph’s birth that might arise among members of the Restored Church are overwhelmed by the festival of Christ’s birth and the celebrations (and, let’s face it, by the frenzy of commercialism) that precede and accompany it.

It’s possible that Latter-day Saints would celebrate Joseph Smith’s birthday with more enthusiasm if it fell in, say, June or July. I would point out, though, that several modern apostles have suggested that Joseph’s birth in December was no accident and may have been foreordained. From an article published in the Deseret News in December 2008:

[President Monson] ... noted that he's always appreciated the fact that Joseph Smith was born in the season in which we celebrate the birth of Christ. "I think very little happens by coincidence," he said. And at this season, he's happy that our thoughts can be drawn to Joseph Smith. "He gave us everything.”

Smithmas denier:

To continue my astronomical metaphor, if Jesus is the sun, Joseph Smith is a moon. What do I mean by that? I mean to suggest that Joseph’s is a reflected light. He is not luminescent in and of himself, innately. Thanks to the sun, our planet teems with life on land, in the soil, in the air, and in the waters. The pale light of our moon cannot sustain life on its own. Earth would be sterile if lunar light were all we had. But, absent the sun, the moon itself would also be lost in utter darkness.

Elder John Taylor of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who was with Joseph Smith in his final moments and was intimately familiar with the Prophet, penned a hymn, titled “The Seer,” that suggested that, in fact, Joseph was luminescent in and of himself. From the first part of the second verse:

Of noble seed, of heavenly birth,
He came to bless the sons of earth, to bless the sons of earth;
With keys by the Almighty given,
He opened the full rich stores of heaven;
O’er the world that was wrapped in sable night,
Like the sun he spread his golden light,
Like the sun he spread his golden light.

Smithmas denier:

For many, I think it’s just a rather bitter and not particularly funny joke. Some, though, seem to take the claim seriously — or, at least, to want others to take it seriously.

I don’t find Smithmas to be a bitter or not particularly funny joke.

Smithmas denier:

The truth, of course, is that most Latter-day Saints don’t even know that 23 December is the Prophet’s birthday, let alone celebrate it.

Actually, the real truth is that no one knows how many or what percentage of Latter-day Saints know that 23 December is Joseph’s birthday. I am reasonably confident that no Smithmas denier has conducted a scientific survey to support this claim. (As an aside, I would note that one of my most influential grade-school teachers detested students’ use of “of course.” She would strike it out with a heavy red pen and instruct her students to make an actual argument rather than try to paper over an unsupported claim by using “of course.”)

In December 1997, President Gordon B. Hinckley said of Joseph: “His birthday will grow in recognition and in importance as the years pass and the Church continues to grow.” Note President Hinckley’s use of the word will. I suspect that he used that word intentionally. He could have said that he hoped that Joseph’s birthday would grow in recognition and in importance. He could have invited Latter-day Saints to celebrate Joseph’s birthday more widely and more often. But he didn’t. He said Joseph’s birthday “will grow in recognition and in importance as the years pass and the Church continues to grow” (emphasis added).

Merry Smithmas!

Posted from City Creek Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

Merry Smithmas to all! And a huge thanks to Tom for the historical information. I had no idea that celebrating Smithmas had such a long and storied tradition in the church.

I worry about these Smithmas deniers. I can easily envision a future where denying Smithmas was ever practiced becomes grounds for excommunication, ironically joining the ranks of those now excommunicated for denying Joseph practiced polygamy.

I Have Questions wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 23, 2025 5:17 pm

He was prolific

You might say he liked them a little on the younger side.

This little article of mine went up earlier today in Meridian Magazine: “Christmas Solves the Ultimate Question: Is the Universe Friendly?” “Modern science raises the question of a friendly universe—Christmas answers it in the form of a Child. Joseph Smith was born on December 13, 1805...”

A prominent and outspoken Smithmas denier posted the following a few minutes ago:

The overwhelmingly probably [sic] truth, of course, is that most Latter-day Saints don’t even remember that 23 December is the Prophet’s birthday, let alone celebrate it. The charge that “Smithmas” is our most beloved and revered holy day rests on an obscure blend of ill-humored joking and, perhaps, flat dishonesty.

As I said above, no one knows how many or what percentage of Latter-day Saints know that 23 December is Joseph’s birthday. I am reasonably confident that no Smithmas denier has conducted a scientific survey to support this claim. This Smithmas denier employs “of course” as a substitute for an argument and insists that Joseph’s light is a reflected light. Smithmas deniers are, if nothing else, predictable.

Posted from City Creek Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

Strangely, one prominent Smithmas denier wrote about his own Smithmas tradition:

Back in the days when my wife and I used to host a little “birthday party” for Joseph Smith on 23 December, we would maybe tell a story or two about the Prophet—or invite somebody else to do so. (One year, for example, the late historian Scott Faulring participated in our small event.) Maybe we would express some appreciation for Joseph. Then we would enjoy potluck refreshments and sing Christmas carols.

Merry Smithmas everyone!!

Came across this old gem today. I don't know the author, but it was originally posted on a now-defunct DAMU board about 20 years ago by someone with the handle SL Slacker.

Merry Smithmas!

Twas the night before Christmas, in fair Zarahemla
Where two seons of gold won’t fetch half a limnah
Since the buildings all crumbled and smashed to the ground
Over dead, bloody people heaped up in a mound.

The children were strewn over sharp rocky beds
While visions of cureloms danced in their heads
And Mamma with her bleeding and my fractured thigh
Had just settled down to curse God and die.

When out in the rubble arose such a clatter
I strained my head up to see what was the matter
And peered o’er the stones – my eyes flew like a tapir
just stabbed in a battle with an iron-tipped rapier

The sky covered up by black clouds of debris
Hid the frenzied, cold wounded still trying to flee
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But a pinprick of light growing steadily nearer

From a man clothed in white, his robe open in front
Like a pimp-daddy lounge singer pulling some stunt
When a voice still and small wafted over the snow
That pierced to my soul, “Folks it’s time for the show!

“Come hear Jesus, my son, in whom I’m well pleased
Who helped ravage your cities with death and disease!”
So I looked and saw Him light down from the sky
Landing on top of and crushing some elderly guy.

I stared right into this holy hipster’s breast
Which was shaven as freshly as his chin, legs, and the rest
His eyes, how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

He was fit as a stallion, and smelled of chlorine
From that Heavenly hot tub where he stashed Ann, Meg, and Doreen
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He’d scarcely arrived when he went straight to work
Proclaiming himself emperor, the self-righteous jerk
Then he invited the young and the old not yet dead
To forget their own wounds and check his out instead

Then he quickly got bored and started to rise
Up and lecture us all on how to baptize
He laid out every detail as if I should care
About proper procedures when one missed a few hairs.

Then to prove that he wouldn’t leave us all in a lurch
He took care to expound on the name of his Church.
Then he healed some of the injured who had faith to heal
And suggested they forget dead friends who lacked zeal.

Now laying a finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up to heaven he rose.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he flew out of sight,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!