The Wonderous Gift of Christmas

I LOVE Christmas Music. I am a firm believer in not decorating for Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but the decorations always go up the weekend after Turkey Day! However, Christmas music can be brought out at any point after November 1st! I have been known to play Christmas music in the summer!

Tim, Mark, Tiff and I attended the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert on Thursday, December 10. It is really a gift of music to our community. The Church received more than 1 million requests for the approximately 63,000 free tickets available for the 3 night concert series. I guess we were lucky to get 4!

I heard the performance requires a full year of planning.

Natalie Cole sang both traditional carols and more contemporary holiday favorites. It must be wonderful to have the opportunity to sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir!

David McCullough, author and Pulitzer-prize winner, shared a historical look at a two Christmas songs, Oh Little Town of Bethlehem and I'll Be Home For Christmas. McCullough, speaking from his historical perspective, reminded us that “history is not only politics and military events, but also includes art, music, literature, drama and architecture. To leave out music and these other elements, leaves out the soul of the human story.”

I love the last verse of O Little Town of Bethlehem. It is a beautiful Christmas prayer:

"O Holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray.
Cast out our sin, and enter in,
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels,
The great glad tidings tell.
Oh come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!"

The Orchestra at Temple Square and the Bells on Temple Square are a wonderful addition. There was also a combined children's choir of 140 singers from American Fork!

The concert began with a processional of 85 dancers entering the stage through the aisles.

The stage was covered with hundreds of poinsettias; stained-glass windows, faux stone walls and over 7,000 glittered Christmas ornaments filled in the backgrounds. During the carols from around the world presentation, a 30-foot Christmas tree emerged center stage and served as the focal point for the German carol, “Oh, Tannenbaum.”

Mark was amazed to here that there are over 750 performers and technicians and that over 25,000 hours of rehearsal time are donated by the all volunteer cast!

We really enjoyed the organ solo performed by Richard Elliott. He played Good King Wenceslas and Tchaikovsky's music from The Nutcracker Ballet. His feet were literally dancing across the pedals, it brought the house down!! So much talent in one place.

Being stuck in traffic on the way to the concert, frigid temperatures, maneuvering around Salt Lake with the 21,000 people trying to get to the Conference Center ... and the other 19,000 headed to Energy Solutions Arena for a Jazz game did not dampen our spirits! Being with those you love keeps all things in perspective.

Thanks for going with us Mark and Tiffani!