Christmas Tidbits

It's quite a change going from warmth and beaches for Christmas to the cold and mossy streets of England. Though there's less light in the sky here, the Christmas Season Light still shines brightly. One thing I have enjoyed here is getting the scoop on some Christmas happenings. Here's a few things I've come across you might enjoy: -Silent Night was composed in 1818 in Austria. The organ broke down Christmas Eve and, unable to find an organ mechanic, the local band was invited to play the music and compased the song "Silent Night." Because it was a band, the original score was a lot more lively. I heard it played the other day. So much more happening in the base line that would have been played by the guitar. More like a dance of glee actually. -Mistletoe only grows during this time of year on certain trees. That's why it's magical.

-Some Christmas carols are sung here with different tunes. Carols actually used to be banned from Church and only sung in the pubs. "While Shepherds Watched their flocks by Night" was the first one sung in Church because it referenced the Bible. -The idea of Holy and Ivy being brought into the house was to show a place of refuge there until Spring. -The Yule Log was a large log that was supposed to burn for 12 days, through Christmas. -Figgy Pudding was stirred on "stir-up Sunday" and was always stirred from East to West, as a reminder of the Three wise men traveling from the East. It had 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and the 12 Apostles. -Christmas Cards came from the idea of Valentines Day cards and were originally sent only to family members and close friends that were not seen on a regular basis and not going to be seen during the holidays. Originally they were not decorated Christmas scenes. -The Christmas Tree originated in Germany. Lights on the tree did too. The idea came from a German man looking up into the night sky in the fir tree forest and seeing the stars through the boughs. The candles were attempt at recreating this stunning effect. Those flaming candles were actually quite safe as the wood was too wet to burn.They originally had a star on top. An angel was added to show that it was the star of Bethlehem. -Before the Victorian period there was no emphasis on the Children like today (which is a very fun part) but instead the general practice still important of "Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men."

Glass Art and a Mormon Temple

Thomas Holdman is an incredibly talented man. His glass art, a beautiful advanced form of stain glass windows, can be found in several of the Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Any of these magnificent edifices would be an honor to have a work of art placed therein, but to add to the specialness, his work is found in historically rich Temples such as Nauvoo, Winter Quarters, and one close to my heart: Manhattan. Every time I walk into the doors of the Manhattan Temple I am in awe of the beautiful art glass piece of the Savior that greets me there. I met Brother Holdman once. It was at the Annual Brigham Young University Banquet for the University Accessibility Center. The Center, which runs to assist those with disabilities in their studies, holds the banquet to honor those who have achieved great things despite great odds. I worked there for four years as an interpreter for the Deaf. Our speaker this particular year was none other than Thomas Holdman. In addition to his incomparable talent and gift for glass art, he has been graced with a significantly stuttering voice. Through his halting but captivating words he shard his story of preparing the glass art for the Temples. For some reason it was on my mind today. He had many volunteers working under him to create the masterpieces on the limited time schedule. One day, he had become really frustrated with the lack of quality and skill of the volunteers. As he stormed about in his fury of their imperfect work unworthy of a Temple, God spoke to him: "My people are more important than glass art." The true grandeur of the Temple wasn't in the building of the greatest quality edifice but in building the greatest quality and most beautiful people. God was molding them as they worked on His house. It was a powerful message in a powerful setting that has had a large influence on me. Never let the task at hand be of greater importance than the people it is meant to bless.