After a 7-week stay in China, I returned home last week not sure what to do with myself and where to go for holiday celebrations.

I called a friend to see what was on her agenda, hoping to get some idea for me to do.  She had just returned from the special Christmas program with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir which is an yearly event at the Conference Center.  She could not stop telling me how wonderful it was.  

I did not want to miss this, and there was only one more night for it to play.  I had heard that there was a lottery on the Internet and one million people asked for tickets, while only 85,000 received them. Being an old New Yorker I was sure that there was a seat in the house somewhere when there are over 20,000 seats available.  

I talked my brother into going with me and winging it to see if we could find  tickets.  This is what I used to do when I lived in New York, and I do not ever remember not getting a ticket even when the house seats had been sold out for weeks.  I made two signs on the computer that said, "Need one or two tickets.  We were soon off to see if we could get a seat at the big show.  As we walked into the Conference Center, I pulled out my sign and open my mouth to begin the process of asking for any extra tickets.  Then I heard a man’s voice broadcasting, “Anyone need two or three tickets?” It was like magic. We got a ticket and soon were into the Conference Center and entertained to the most spectacular show I have seen this year.  

The stage and setting could not have been more beautiful.  We sat back and were entertained for over two hours.  

Natalie Cole, daughter of Nat King Cole was the featured singer.  Oh, what a lovely voice.  I so enjoyed her comments about the audience and her trip to Salt Lake City.  I loved it when she turned to the Tabernacle Choir and told how much she loved her back up singers for the night. The crowd laughed.  

All though that evening was one spectacular number after another. Organ music, special readings by world-famous historian David McCullough, dancers, bell ringers, along with children choirs enlivened the evening.   

When the program was over not one of the 20,000 wanted to leave.  What a wonderful evening to remember throughout the holidays.

As we left the Conference Center, we went across the street to join this couple that even brought their small dog to see the lights at Temple Square.  

The Tabernacle makes such a great backdrop for all the many trees that were lit to celebrate the holidays.  

Every way you looked at the temple, it was framed by tree after tree of lights.  I read in the Deseret News that it took over 75 part-time and full-time people to stage this spectacular 
show of lights.  They even figured that one tree had over 75,000 lights on just that tree.  If you live near Salt Lake City be sure to take and evening and enjoy one of the nation’s most spectacular light shows.