When you think of Christmas, what is the first picture that pops into your mind?

Is it this?

Or maybe this?

Or perhaps something more along these lines?

Or does the picture have something to do with this?

Today's Good Word is super popular and oft-quoted, but that doesn't make it any less true or powerful. Claim it as yours today. If there's a scripture that's been uplifting you lately, send it to us, and we'll prettify it into one of these images for posting, sharing, tweeting, etc.

It seems like life is always crazy these days.

Always having something to do, it is rare to have a moment when you can sit on the couch, breathe, and think, "What am I going to do tonight?" Most of the time, the things keeping me running around like a chicken with its head cut off are things I want to do.

In 1 Nephi 6, Nephi briefly describes the decision-making process he followed to decide what type of information to include in his own personal record, sometimes referred to as the "Small Plates of Nephi." According to the chapter, Nephi considered the following options:

• The genealogy of his ancestors (his family tree)
• A full account of his father's life and experiences
• General items of interest to any reader
• Spiritual accounts that would persuade people to come to God

Today, we're bringing you another Meet the Q12 interview! The objective is to help you get to know our brother apostles both as individuals and as spiritual leaders. Today, get to know Brother Frank Natoli, who was ordained at this past October General Church conference.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled Miracle Monday to bring you the November Kids' Question of the Month. We got a ton of responses!

It is not happy people who are thankful, it is thankful people who are happy.

That's the lesson that Madam Blueberry learns in one of my favorite "Veggie Tales" episodes.

Although it's been years since I watched it with our kids, whenever I hear the word "thankful" my brain instantly fires up this song in my head...

"Because a thankful heart is a happy heart,
I thank God for what I have,
That's an easy way to start..."

Click here to enjoy Madam Blueberry's "Thankfulness Song," and read on to learn what makes our little ones' hearts happy and thankful! (We told them they couldn't answer "my parents" — too easy!)

Today's Good Word is definitely something to be thankful for! We pray that you enjoy God's blessings during this weekend of gratitude.

Turkey, football, pie — oh my! We pray that wherever you are and whatever you choose to do today that you take at least a moment to thank God for everything He's blessed you with. 

When Nephi and his brothers returned to their father with the plates of brass, Lehi then had in his possession a valuable volume of scriptures. What do you think he did next?

a) Looked for a good spot for them on his shelves
b) Remarked how difficult they were to understand
c) Told his wife that he would plan to start reading them next year
d) Told Nephi what he thought was written in them
e) Told Laman & Lemuel that the writings would show them how wrong they were
f) None of the above

When I first got baptized, I was like, "Bring on the blessings!"

I couldn't wait for the Lord to bless me with an awesome career, an amazing spouse, loads of gifts and talents and rainbows and smiley faces and … you get the idea.

At 15 years old, I meant well. I knew that following God was the right thing to do. I believed in Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made for me. I wanted to hitch my wagon to His.

But, I'll admit, my focus was mostly on the blessings. I was primarily focusing on what was in it for me.

Today's Miracle Monday falls into this month's theme, which is "missionary work" because Brother Rich Nath was on a Youth in Action (YIA) tour when this occurred. But it also falls into last month's category, which was "fear." Enjoy this testimony of God's power over the enemy.

In the summer of 1998, I had the scariest experience of my life. Thankfully, it had a wondrous, happy ending.

We hope that today's Good Word inspires you to take a moment and ponder what the cross means to you — the cross representing the sacrifice that Jesus made for your sins. As we enter into a season of thanksgiving, we pray that you embrace an attitude of gratitude that springs from the symbolic cross. 

Have you ever gone fishing and had to cast a line? You can't just give it a weak toss or simply drop it at your feet. The act of casting is throwing "in a forceful way."

Psalm 55:22 says to cast our burdens upon the Lord, and Peter says to cast all our care upon Him (1 Pe. 5:7).

Nephi and his brothers had tried multiple ways to obtain the brass plates from Laban. They tried asking for them, and they tried trading their gold and silver for them. Both attempts failed miserably and ended up with Laban keeping all of their possessions and still not giving up the plates. After “trying their best,” it wouldn’t have been unreasonable for the brothers to return to their father and explain why they couldn’t obtain the plates. They certainly had a valid excuse. Laban had 50 armed men at his command — how could four brothers go up against that?

However, Nephi knew there was no way he was returning to his father without the brass plates, especially after stating in chapter 3: “the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” Rather than believing the lie that he had no choice, Nephi chose to trust in God and wound up obtaining the plates on the third attempt.

Today, we're bringing you a brand new column called Meet the Q12 where we interview our brother apostles. The objective is to help you get to know them both as individuals and as spiritual leaders. We're starting with Brother Paul Aaron Palmieri, who was recently called to become an apostle and was ordained at this past October General Church Conference.

Keep your eyes peeled for more interviews with the Quorum of 12 in the coming months! And … check upcoming issues of the Gospel News for additional interviews with our brother apostles. Learn how they met the church and other fun facts, and understand their heart for God's great work.