Today is December 1st!! That means it's time for all of us to start our countdowns for Christmas! I'm going to do my own bloggy version of a countdown here - if little Jonah lets me have the time. This blog is pretty random - a mixture of family life, recipes, crafts, and just some of my favorite things or random musings. So, that's what's going to be included in the countdown. I know most of you would expect nothing less! Heehee!
So here's the first item:
It's been a huge part of LDS culture at Christmas time ever since it was published in 1991 - but I have to admit, I've never read the book, and I'd never heard any of the songs until last year. For Christmas, Josh got me the DVD of the 15th Anniversary live stage performance, starring Michael Mclean himself and adapted and directed by his son. The cast also includes his wife and two sons, which i thought was pretty neat.
I CANNOT stop watching this movie! The songs are amazing, and so powerful! The performances are awesome, and the power of the message sinks deep.
It tells the story of Constance Chamberlain, an ICU nurse who lives a very lonely and empty life. She is assigned to pay house calls to an elderly gentleman named John Christian, who claims to have been alive for over 1900 years! He tells her stories of people he's met and their role in, or view of, the Christmas Story - the inkeeper who turned Mary and Joseph away, a shepherd boy, a WWII soldier, a man who dreamt he was an angel in heaven, etc., and each one has a special message, which is shared through the singing of their carols.
One thing I love about Christmas time is that it brings the faiths together - whether you're Mormon, Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, or whatever, the birth, life, ministry, death and Spirit of the Saviour Jesus Christ is universal. This story and these songs were written by an LDS man, and are produced by the LDS Church, but it is a theme that can be enjoyed by any Christian. Oh, how i wish i had the money to buy a hundred copies of this DVD and give them to all my friends and family! If you haven't seen it, please rent, buy, or borrow it. It is truly inspirational, and definitely worth adding to your collection!
Following are two videos from YouTube - one is the promo for the DVD (gotta love early '90s trailers - heehee - but it'll give you little view of what the play is like), and the other is a clip of one of the songs (called either "I Cannot Find My Way" or "Three Kings Found the Lord", i'm not sure which?)
Enjoy!
"... That's the thing about hearts: they don't care so much if it makes sense. Christmas is a perfect example of what i'm talking about. This story would have us believe that there were angels singing in the heavens. And there was this star, this magic star that guided wise men to a stable where a baby, born of a virgin mind you, would grow up and save the world! Now come on, who could possibly believe any of this if there wasn't something in our hearts that said "Yes, it's true!""
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