Of course in much of
the world Christmas and Winter are synonymous, but as every Aussie knows, not
Down Under!
Sure, my friends and I
had a great time, but I did miss cricket on the beach; after all:
1. ...This city might have
plenty of salt, but its not coastal, and I haven’t seen any beaches.
2. ...Even ‘mad dogs and
Englishmen’ wouldn’t take the field when its covered with snow.
3. ...And to be honest I
don’t think these fine American folks know what tippety-run is!
So, if not cricket,
what did we do?
Well, the scene was
set with all the decorations and nativities, and the remarkable festivities on
Temple Square. As well as the
incidentals of potted Poinsettias and live piano music in every large foyer,
there were different singing groups many times every day in public places, and
then the formal evening concerts.
My first concert was a
Christmas celebration with music and dance in the Tabernacle, by the many
Spanish-speaking locals. Although the
dialogue was all Spanish, I had no trouble at all understanding the meaning of ‘a
good time’ as portrayed with the wonderful dancing and costumes, fine music,
and the kind and tender hearts of the people.
Cathy, the Aussie friend who took
me was on her second time, because she enjoyed it so much.
Next was the play
‘Saviour of the World’, in the small theatre of the huge Conference Centre
complex. Unlike every other Christmas
event I attended there was a small charge for this performance, but I enjoyed
it so much I didn’t mind paying to go a second time. The first half of the play focused on the annunciation
of the births of both John the Baptist and his cousin Christ; telling the story
in a light-hearted and humanistic way that made it so understandable. The second act moved to the period just after
the Crucifixion, and showed the reaction of the apostles and other followers of
Christ, as they gradually realized the reality of his resurrection and
ascension into heaven. As well as being
such a well-told story, the production used a minimum of sets and changes to
evoke such a wide series of locations and settings. Acting and singing were all so accomplished,
and in the more intimate theatre setting, the whole was inspiring.
Of the numerous other
performances and concerts in the weeks around Christmas and New Year, perhaps
the next most memorable for me, was the New Year’s Eve concert. Starting at 6pm, this was a non-stop
presentation of musical and some dance items, in such a range of styles that I
can barely remember the range. There
were classical instrumental performances, a humorous poetry reading with
instruments, folk music, Scottish and Irish dancing, popular show songs, a brass
band, and even the bagpipes for Auld Lang Syne. Some of the presentations were by musicians
who had started in Utah, maybe been in the Tabernacle Choir, and turned
professional, now home performing as a special Christmas treat. The fact that I nodded off a bit towards the
end was nothing to do with the performances, but just with my accumulating
years at such a later hour. What an
incredible show, all clean and professional, and thoroughly entertaining.
The fireworks,
however, were not a match for Sydney Harbour!
So, after all the fun and hoopla, what about Christmas Day itself?
Of course many of the American missionaries went home to spend a few days with their families, and many families came here to be with parents. But for those of us from farther afield, we spent the morning helping another Church at their SLC City Mission, serving food for the homeless, wrapping gifts they had organized, and helping distribute them. We met some lovely warm-hearted people who were down on their luck, and other wonderful leaders providing very generous help. Then in the afternoon three of us were invited to the home of one of our trainer couples for Christmas dinner. It wasn’t a traditional dinner as we might do in my home country, but it was a grand feast, and we had a great time together representing four or five nations and traditions from which we had come.
Lastly, on the New
Year holiday a group of us went to the picture show, ‘Saving Mr Banks’. It was a charming Disney feature, about the
making of ‘Mary Poppins’, and based largely on the life of the authoress, and
her intractability and eventual acquiescence to the charming Walt. Three in our group were Australians, and as
well as finding the Australian scenery particularly evocative, we were just tickled
by the exaggerated Disney refreshment menu … or was it?
