Mary comes in to the living room on a bouncy hop ball with a fringed linen napkin around her head. Joseph walks beside her in a bathrobe. ‘He’ is sulking because Joseph is a girl, and wanted to be Mary instead of “his” sister. The nativity unfolds. The new baby in the family is taken out of the cradle, because she is fussing, and a doll is substituted in. One of the angels forgets her lines. When the wise men bring their “gifts” (best not to look to closely at them), a two-year old shepherd gets excited and starts squealing that Santa will bring presents for everyone tonight.

The audience is a father and a mother, an aunt and an uncle, and an older single sister the father home teaches. They are sitting on a couch and a few assorted chairs. The children’s nativity is happening between the Christmas tree and the wood stove.

After its finished, the father gets out the candles. The older woman passes them out and helps the father light them. When they are lit, they all sing silent night.

The father and his brother then take a small loaf of bread and break it. They kneel. The father prays,

O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

Each person takes and eats a piece of bread.

Then the uncle takes a platter that has a few cups on it. He also kneels, and prays,

O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this water to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen

All drink.

At the father’s request, the mother then prays. She gives thanks for the Christ child and for the victory he would give everyone in his life in the world.

The children are still excited, but more subdued now. They feel something solemn. They say goodnight. At the single sister’s insistence, they hug her. Then they go to bed. It is Christmas Eve.

I envy other churches their Christmas Eve rites. Christmas Eve and Christmas are wonderful and holy. Something more than just an improvisation is called for to mark them. But their holiness is family holiness. It would disrupt to drag the family down to church for a Christmas Eve service. It wouldn’t be in the Mormon style.

A family rite would. It would be perfectly Mormon. Better than thousands of repeated injunctions, it would keep front and center the meaning of the season.

The sacrament can be performed outside of church services.

The handbook has this to say :

Every member needs the spiritual blessings that come from partaking of the sacrament. If members are unable to attend sacrament meeting because they are confined to a home, nursing home, or hospital, the bishop may assign priesthood holders to prepare, bless, and pass the sacrament to these members.

Occasionally members may be unable to attend sacrament meeting because of distance to the meetinghouse. Under unusual circumstances, the bishop may occasionally give authorization for a sacrament service to be held away from the meetinghouse. He may authorize such a service only within his ward boundaries. The person whom the bishop authorizes to conduct the service must hold the Melchizedek Priesthood or be a priest in the Aaronic Priesthood. He also must be worthy to bless and pass the sacrament. The priesthood holder who directs the service reports to the bishop when the service has been held.

When members are traveling or temporarily residing away from their home wards, they should make an earnest effort to attend sacrament meeting and other Sunday meetings in a ward or branch of the Church.

Sacrament services should not be held in conjunction with family reunions or other outings.

Christmas could conceivably be an “unusual circumstance,” if you stretch a point. But this is an area where points should not be stretched. So those of us who long for a more formal and active family religion, for the sweet spirit of the sacrament on Christmas Eve or Christmas, will just have to wait.