Tonight we had the MOST AMAZING Christmas concert at the Church of the Later Day Saints Conference Center. The center holds over 21,200 people and every seat was filled. We had a VERY early dinner (3:30 pm) in order to be in line when the doors opened at 6:30 pm. The Roof Restaurant is in a hotel in Temple Square and was the perfect spot to dine! We even enjoyed some local school choirs singing in the lobby of the hotel.
The Concert had two special guests ---the award winning tenor, Alfie Boe and Tom Brokaw. Th tenor sang beautifully, but Bill and I thought Tom Brokaw stole the show! He came out and told the story of Gail Halvorsen, a WWII bomber pilot whom, at Christmas time, ended up,organizing the dropping of chocolate rations to the children in Berlin by handkerchief parachutes. Brokaw relayed the story (I'm sure it's in his book , The Greatest Generation) of this wonderful man who really embodied the spirit of Christmas giving in war torn Berlin at the end of the war. It was a very moving story. The surprise was that the 92 year old Halvorsen appeared on stage and was briefly interviewed by Brokaw! He is quite spry for 92 and still fits in his original flight suit he wore when making those "candy drops"! This truly is a magnificent concert in a magnificent setting. If you ever get the opportunity to attend this glorious concert, you MUST do it! There can't be a better Christmas concert in the US!
While we had a beautiful evening, it was marred by the sadness of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary. I know in the moment of silence that was called for in the temple, there were 21,200 people praying for all those that have been affected.....God bless them all....
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