On the 10th Day of Christmas Past, Question: In this classic Christmas tale, how did two young boys get church bells to ring once again? 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. “Why the Chimes Rang” “The sun, though screened by winter clouds, was only partway across the sky when Pedro and his little brother Marcos began their evening chores. They sprinkled corn into the coup and raked straw so the chickens would have a warm place to sleep The cow left their shelter to follow the boys into the chill. The boys moved faster than usual. Their eyes were bright; their steps determined. Every footprint in the fresh layer of snow was evidence of their Christmas Eve pledge. They would be at the church before nightfall. They would see the luminaries, hear the choir, feel the organ vibrate their feet, and warm themselves on crowded benches. The boys had never been to the church on Christmas Eve before. Pedro and Marcos could see it far across the valley on a hill nestled in clouds. Sometimes when the fog cleared, they caught glimpses of the bell tower rising high into the heavens. Their mother had told them about the festivities, but she had not been able to go for a very long time. She told them that it was the custom on Christmas Eve for people to bring their offerings to the Christ child, and when the greatest and best offering was laid on the altar, the Christmas bells would ring out for all to hear. Their mother had told them that the bells were the most beautiful in the world. Some said that angels played them, others that a divine wind blew them to life. The boys had never actually heard the bells – they thought it was because they lived too far away. Pedro and Marcos didn’t know that the bells had been silent for years – years upon years. No one heard them ring anymore. It was said that the bells had stopped ringing a long time ago when townspeople became less careful of their gifts to the Christ Child, when they stopped giving keeping what they wanted for themselves. Then they started giving gifts for the wrong reasons. For years now, people brought glorious gifts to the church on Christmas Eve in an effort to get the bells to ring again. Like a procession of peacocks, the rich lined up inside the church, glancing over their shoulders to see if others noticed their new clothes, hoping to have something bigger and better they were giving than their neighbors. Magnificent gifts were given, even the king offered his crown which was no great loss to him to give away as he thought it outdated and uncomfortable. ...
Read More9th Day Christmas Past Winner & Answer
Answer 9th Day Christmas Past: The Lord blessed the hungry family by providing 5 geese for them during a winter blizzard. Congrats to 9th Day drawing winner, BONNIE COTTAM, who won a Holy Family star olive wood carving from Bethlehem, “It’s Not About the Bunny, It’s About the Lamb” booklet by Ron Millburn, two hand-stitched bags made by Bedouin women in Bethany, and MHA notebook, value $125! 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 More9th Day Christmas Past Question & Story
On the 9th Day of Christmas Past, Question: In what unexpected way did the Lord bless this family with a Christmas dinner during the Great Depression? 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. “Christmas Geese” “The black clouds were gathering as I stepped out of our winter shelter. The temperature had dropped a good 30 degrees in a few short hours, a sure sign the first big snow storm of the season was blowing in from Canada. Papa was waiting for us. “Hurry and change your clothes, boys, we’ve got a lot of work to do before the storm hits.” As I worked my mind went back to what it always seemed to lately. Ever since I’d overheard Mama and Papa discussing the bleak outlook for Christmas, I just couldn’t catch the spirit. Not because I thought I was going to get anything, we never did give one another gifts. But Christmas dinner had always been Mama’s gift to the family, and I felt bad for Mama. Every other day of the year, we ate beans, potatoes and bread, but on Christmas Mama always came up with something special which was the most welcome gift we could receive. I knew she felt she would be letting us down if she didn’t work her magic again this year. But coming up with a special dinner this year would require some real magic. Papa and done his best to make something of our farm in Utah, but the Depression and bad luck left us penniless. He heard there was land in Northern Montana that could be leased with an option to buy so he loaded Mama’s kitchen and his 10 children and we headed north. When we got back to the house, we were greeted by Mama’s handiwork. She had spend the entire day trying to bring a little Christmas spirit to the stick house. She had strung long strands of popcorn from corner to stove pipe to corner, and trimmed a small pine tree with painted pine cones. It wasn’t much, but to us kids, it transformed two old boxcars into a home. One of my brothers asked, “Why is Mama so upset?” I realized then that I was not the only one who felt that Mama was upset. “How would you like to try to feed 10 children a Christmas dinner with nothing but suet pudding and potatoes?” I answered him. Later that night the storm hit with 60-mile-per-hour winds. We milked the cows by lantern light, bedded them down and pushed our way back through the howling blizzard back to the house. Inside Mama was bent over the old Monarch stove fixing dinner. I couldn’t help but think how much she looked like an angel who had dedicated herself...
Read More8th Day Christmas Past Winner & Answer
Answer 8th Day Christmas Past: Ginger bread dates back to Greece and Egyptian times. Creating them into houses started in Germany and came to America by early immigrants. Congrats to 8th Day drawing winner, TERESA C. (from our blog), who won a Holy Family olive wood carving from Bethlehem, two autographed books by Karl Anderson: “Joseph Smith’s Kirtland” and “The Savior in Kirtland,” Savior of the World” ornament, and MHA notebook, value $75! 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 More8th Day Christmas Past Story & Question
On the 8th Day of Christmas Past, Question: What is the history behind the tradition of Christmas gingerbread houses? 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. “Gingerbread and the shapes it takes have a long history. An early form of gingerbread can be traced to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians who used it for ceremonial purposes. Ginger root was first cultivated in ancient China, where it was commonly used as a medical treatment. From there it spread to Europe via the Silk Road. During the Middle Ages it was favored as a spice for its ability to disguise the taste of preserved meats. Henry VIII is said to have used a ginger concoction in hopes of building a resistance to the plague. Even today we use ginger as an effective remedy for nausea and other stomach ailments. According to Rhonda Massingham Harts Making Gingerbread Houses, the first known recipe for gingerbread came from Greece in 2400 BC. Chinese recipes were developed during the 10th century and by the late Middle Ages, Europeans had their own version of gingerbread. Gingerbread made an appearance in Europe when 11th-century Crusaders brought back ginger from the Middle East for the aristocrats’ cooks to experiment with. The hard cookies, sometimes gilded with gold leaf and shaped like animals, kings and queens, were a staple at Medieval fairs in England, France, Holland and Germany. Queen Elizabeth I is credited with the idea of decorating the cookies in this fashion, after she had some made to resemble the dignitaries visiting her court. Over time some of these festivals came to be known as Gingerbread Fairs, and the gingerbread cookies served there were known as ‘fairings’ or tokens of love. The shapes of the gingerbread changed with the season, including flowers in the spring and birds in the fall. Elaborately decorated gingerbread became synonymous with all things fancy and elegant in England. The gold leaf that was often used to decorate gingerbread cookies led to the popular expression to take the gilt off of gingerbread. The carved, white architectural details found on many colonial American seaside homes is sometimes referred to as gingerbread work. Gingerbread is considered an art form in Nuremberg, Ulm, and Pulsnitz in Germany, Torun in Poland, Tula in Russia, Pest in Hungary, Pardubice and Prague in the Czech Republic, and Lyon in France where gingerbread baking guilds were sanctioned by the government starting in the Middle Ages. Gingerbread houses originated in Germany during the 16th century. The elaborate cookie-walled houses, decorated with foil in addition to gold leaf, became associated with Christmas tradition. Their popularity rose when the Brothers Grimm wrote the story of Hansel and Gretel, in which the main characters stumble upon a house made entirely of treats deep...
Read More7th Day Christmas Past Winner & Answer
Answer 7th Day Christmas Past: Any desires two boys had for themselves were quieted by their even greater desire to find vital gifts for others. Congrats to 7th Day drawing winner, ELIZABETH SADERUP, who won “It’s Not About the Bunny, It’s About the Lamb” booklet by Ron Millburn, Nauvoo Temple angel hanger, two Nauvoo Temple painting prints by Al Rounds, and MHA notebook, value $73! 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 More
Recent Comments