[This was accidentally left unpublished! Was scheduled for the 16th.]

Today, I’m sharing some of the songs that were shared in a virtual extended family Christmas “Songs and Stories” gathering on Sunday. My cousin had the idea and made it happen, and it was lovely. The songs and stories varied, including a favorite children’s book that a cousin and her husband both grew up with (Santa Mouse), another cousin singing “Silver Bells” to the ukelele, a family drum performance using glow drumsticks and utility buckets as the drums (that cousin is a music teacher), and so much more.

Because it was a private gathering, I can’t share the actual Zoom recording, but there are some videos out there of some of the songs that were shared, so here are a few of them.

This is an original mashup of three traditional Christmas songs, arranged by Stephanie Boyd: “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” “The First Noel,” and “Angels we have Heard on High.”

Stephanie has provided free sheet music for this arrangement, which is what my cousin and her family used. (My cousin’s daughter added violin to their version.)

“Where Shepherds Lately Knelt” is a favorite choral song I sang years ago with my ward (congregation) choir. I love how the flute complements the gentle message of the song.

“Gift of Love” is a favorite of my dad’s. I love the a’capella harmonies. My sisters and I sang this for my parents before they left the country for a three-year mission for our church, so it also holds a special place in my heart associated with that memory.

The post 12 Days of Christmas Music, Day 3: Songs from an extended family Zoom gathering appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

To watch the broadcast, you can go here. The live broadcast will be at 6:00 p.m. MST on December 6, 2009. But you can also watch the archived version anytime after the live broadcast at that link. If you are interested in live audio streams in a different language, look at the bottom of the live broadcast page for a list of languages that are available.

You can also listen to a live audio feed at Mormon Channel, the official online LDS radio station.

The 2008 First Presidency Devotional can be found here. It can be heard in the following languages: Arabic, Armenian, Bulgarian, Cambodian, Cantonese, Cebuano, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Fijian, Finnish, French, German, Guarani, Haitian Creole, Hindi (Fiji), Hmong, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Mandarin, Marshallese, Mongolian, Navajo, Norwegian, Papiamento, Pohnpeian, Portuguese, Portuguese (EU), Romanian, Russian, Samoan, Spanish, Swedish, Tagalog, Tahitian, Thai, Tongan, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.

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For another wonderful live broadcast, this of a concert by various choirs and the philharmonic orchestra at Brigham Young University, you can go to Classical89.org tonight at 7:30 p.m. MST. This concert, A Celebration of Christmas, includes a variety of music, including a few fun traditional Christmas songs like Sleigh Ride. But the true celebration is of the Savior, Jesus Christ, the focal point of our faith.

This concert will also be rebroadcast on Classical89.org on December 20, 2009 at 5:00 p.m., MST.

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If you get a chance to listen to either of these broadcasts, we invite you to share what you liked.

The post Links We Like: First Presidency Devotional; Christmas Concert Broadcast Tonight! appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Shawna writes this about her song:

It was only a few days before Christmas, and I was in the throes of the Christmas Crush — you know — that somewhat sickening feeling you have when you’ve spent way too much time at the mall, and you’re still not “ready”? And then I read an article written by President Thomas S. Monson, who said,

“[P]ersonally invited to undertake a search for the babe…did the shepherds concern themselves with….their possessions? Did they procrastinate their search for Jesus? The record affirms that…they came with haste.”

I felt a pang of conscience as I realized that I, too, had received a personal invitation to come unto Him, but had lately ignored it in favor of buying up worthless trinkets. I was the innkeeper, with no room for Him. I didn’t notice the star and I didn’t hear the angels sing.

I continued to read:

In these busy days there are many who have time for golf, time for shopping, time for work, time for play—but no time for Christ. Lovely homes dot the land and provide rooms for eating, rooms for sleeping, playrooms, sewing rooms, television rooms, but no room for Christ.

I sang it to my family on Christmas Eve, then filed it away in my music drawer and forgot about it. It might still be there, if it weren’t for my Dad, who regularly asked me, “Have you done anything with that song?”

After her father’s death, she did do something with that song. She made a video and posted it on YouTube and shared it with a half dozen other people.

I was reluctant to send it to anyone else, but my kids weren’t. Within a few weeks, I was getting  emails from people all over the world, and from many different faiths and walks of life. They shared with me their stories of struggle and tragedy; of courage, hope, and triumph. I answered every email–it was the season of a thousand new friends.

The post Sharing Our Voices: “Do You Have Room?” appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.