On the 8th Day of Christmas Past, Question: What mischief happened in these two pioneer Christmas accounts? To be entered into today’s daily giveaway & FREE tour drawing- Read the story below; “Comment” & “Share” your answer on Facebook or our blog. “Kane County Caroling Band” “It was tradition in Kane County, Utah, for a band to serenade the citizens on Christmas Eve. The band members were often invited into the homes for refreshments. The story is told that one time they went into a home where they were served a dried-peach pie. The filling lacked sufficient sugar and the crust was very tough. When no one was looking, several members of the band slipped the remainder of their pie into the big bass horn. The owner of the horn, Nels Johnson, did not see them do this, so when they were about to leave, he said, “Let’s play one more tune for these good people.” “No it is too late,” the rest of them said. He persisted, but when he blew into the horn, no sound came out. Puzzled, he turned the horn upside down and out poured the pieces of pie. The band was never again received an invitation to partake of refreshments at that home.” Taken from: Christmas a Joyful Heritage, Susan Madsen, p. 13-14 “December 25, 1885” by Ariel Warren Perry “It was Christmas morning at 4 am in the year 1885. The ground was covered with snow and the moon was shining very bright. My brothers, Will, Jesse and I, thinking it was morning, got out of bed to see if old Santa Claus had been there and found our stockings. I found my first big doll and a small jewel box. The lid had a little Red Riding Hood figure with the big gray wolf attached to it. The boys found a tool box, and the baby found a little toy horse with a cart fastened to it – when the wheels went round a bell would ring. He would run and play with it and then we would all run with him. We decided we would take our baby brother for a ride in the snow. We went out in our nightgowns and took turns riding on mother’s rocking chair – one pushing the other. Mother prized the chair very much. It was made by Stephen C. Perry – an early pioneer. The wind began to blow and we were cold, so we went back inside and enjoyed eating our candy and nuts; then we began to run and play around mother’s kitchen stove. As we were running, my baby brother (2.5 years old) fell and cut his forehead on the bench. Mother woke up, bandaged his head, and put us all to bed until morning.” Taken from: Treasures of Pioneer History I (1952): ...
Read More7th Day Christmas Past Winner & Answer
Answer 7th Day Christmas Past: Handel’s “Messiah” was originally intended as an Easter piece. He was so inspired it only took 24 days to completely compose and orchestrate and needed very few corrections. Congrats to 7th Day drawing winner, SUSIE AMINI, who won an Olive wood carved Jesus with little children statue, Bethlehem baby blanket, and olive wood laser-cut Bethlehem bell ornament from Israel, valued at $85! Please contact MHA office 801-272-5601 or info@mormonheritage.com within 30 days to arrange for how to receive your prize. Story still available on yesterday’s...
Read More7th Day Christmas Past Question & Story
On the 7th Day of Christmas Past, Question: Handel’s beloved “Messiah” is performed throughout the world during Christmas, what is something from today’s story you might not have known before about this masterpiece? To be entered into today’s daily giveaway & FREE tour drawing- Read the story below; “Comment” & “Share” your answer on Facebook or our blog. Click here for contest rules. “Inspiration Behind Handel’s Messiah” “Handel’s Messiah was not originally intended as a Christmas piece. Librettist Charles Jennens, who was a close friend and collaborator with Handel, used the biblical stories of Jesus for the Messiah’s text. Jennens described his work as “a meditation of our Lord as Messiah in Christian thought and belief.” The first third of the work was about the birth of Jesus. The second act covers the death of Jesus and the third focused on his resurrection. As such, the piece was originally conceived as a work for Easter and was premiered in the spring during the Lent season on April 13, 1742, as one of a series of charity concerts presented at Neal’s Music Hall on Fishamble Street in Dublin. Because of the excitement surrounding the anticipated premier of “Messiah”, audience members were asked for certain consideration in order to increase the capacity of the concert hall, men were asked to leave their dress swords at home and women were asked to not wear their wide hooped skirts. By the 19th century, Messiah became a regular December staple particularly in the United States. If Handel’s father had had his way, the “Hallelujah Chorus” would never have been written. His father was a “surgeon-barber,” a no-nonsense, practical man who was determined to send his son to law school. Even though Handel showed extraordinary musical talent as a child, his father refused for several years to permit him to take lessons. When Handel was eight or nine years old, a duke heard him play an organ postlude following a worship service. Handel’s father was summarily requested to provide formal music training for the boy. By the time Handel turned 12, he had written his first composition and was so proficient at the organ that he substituted, on occasion, for his own teacher. Young Handel continued to master the clavichord, oboe, and violin, as well as composition through the years. In 1702 he entered the University of Halle to study law out of respect for his late father’s desire. But he soon abandoned his legal studies and devoted himself entirely to music. He became a violinist and composer in a Hamburg opera theater, then worked in Italy from 1706 to 1710 under the patronage of their music-loving courts. In 1712, after a short stay at the court of Hanover, he moved to England, where he lived for the rest of his life. Handel set to work composing on August 22 in his little house on Brook Street in London. He grew so absorbed in the...
Read More6th Day Christmas Past Winner & Answer
Answer 6th Day Christmas Past: We can “create” Christmas by reminding ourselves the spirit of Christmas is not about things, but about love, family, and traditions that have nothing to do with money. Congrats to 6th Day drawing winner, VICKI ECCLES, who won a Kirtland Temple collector’s plate, Kirtland Temple sun-catcher ornament, olive wood bell with Holy Family, and olive wood laser-cut tree ornament from Israel valued at $77! Please contact MHA office 801-272-5601 or info@mormonheritage.com within 30 days to arrange for how to receive your prize. Story still available on yesterday’s...
Read More6th Day Christmas Past Question & Story
On the 6th Day of Christmas Past, Question: How can we “create” Christmas like in this Cuban Christmas Memory, regardless of our pocket book? To be entered into today’s daily giveaway & FREE tour drawing- Read the story below; “Comment” & “Share” your answer on Facebook or our blog. Click here for contest rules. “Creating Christmas” By Denise Lindberg, Past Young Women general board As a child growing up in an upper middle class, professional family in Havana, Cuba, I enjoyed comfortable, even privileged, circumstances. My grandmother, Mamucha, was the family matriarch, and her home was the family gathering place. Each Christmastime she purchased a large fir tree for her living room, which the whole family elaborately adorned with lights, ornaments, and tinsel, topping it off with a star symbolizing the star of Bethlehem. At the foot of the tree, a nativity set reminded us of the Savior’s humble birth. On December 24 all of us—aunts, uncles, and cousins—would gather at grandmother’s table for Christmas supper. By 9:00 p.m. the children were tucked in bed with strict instructions to stay put. It was a magical time for us children, comparing notes and looking forward to the presents we’d receive from Santa Claus and, on the feast of Epiphany, from the three Magi. Those bountiful Christmases came to an abrupt end the year I turned 10. Because of political changes in the country, my mother, my brother, and I had to leave Cuba within three days, taking with us little more than the clothes on our backs. As a native of Puerto Rico, my mother had American citizenship. As her children, my brother and I also traveled with American passports. My father, however, was a Cuban citizen, so he could not leave the country. As we boarded a plane for Miami, Florida, we had no way of knowing when, or if, we’d see our father again. Hours later we landed in Puerto Rico, where my mother’s family could lend a helping hand. We lived with relatives for a few months until Mother secured a position with the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras. We rented a small apartment near the university so my mother, my 9-year old brother, and I could walk to school and work. The apartment was furnished with a few hand-me-downs from relatives and some odd-and-end pieces from a second-hand store. A talented seamstress, Mother turned old sheets into drapes and bedspreads and recovered old toss pillows in brightly colored fabric. Although a far cry from the comforts of our family homestead in Havana, our humble apartment was neat, tidy, and attractive. Mother made it a home. As Christmas approached, my brother and I kept asking when we would get our Christmas tree. The truth was, we could not afford one, so Mother made it a game for us to “create” our own tree that year. From a second-hand...
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