When we saw that Alfie Boe (Les Mis 25th Anniversary Jean Valjean) was the special guest for this year's Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert, we had no choice -- we had to go. Luckily, the lottery was on our side and we got just enough tickets for my family. We were so excited! Tom Brokaw narrated, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang beautifully as always, and Alfie Boe delivered an incredibly moving rendition of Bring Him Home. (Take that, Hugh Jackman.) (Just kidding, I actually liked his performance minus that song. Not prayerful enough, you know?)
The real touching moment of the night, though, came when Tom Brokaw told the Candy Bomber story. It's one of my all-time favorite war stories so I was thrilled when he began talking about the Lieutenant who hatched a little plan for the local children during the Berlin Airlift. (You can read a little summary
here.) When Brokaw got to the part of the story about candy being dropped from the sky in makeshift parachutes, dozens of parachutes carrying candy suddenly came floating down from the ceiling. It was magical. And then, to top it all off, at the end of the story, 90-year-old Ret. Col. Gail Halvorsen -- the candy bomber himself! -- came walking onto the stage. The whole crowd rose to their feet and wiped their eyes as they applauded a man who brought so much joy to children during such a difficult time. It's a beautiful story about Christlike love and little acts of service, and it really embodied what Christmas is all about. Such a wonderful night!
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| Hi, Krysta! I stole this picture from your instagram. |
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| Grandma came! She loved it :) |
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| Cousins! |
We loved this concert so much we came back the next day to be in the stand-by line so Camille and Kevin could go. The candy bomber is one of my favorite all time stories and such a highlight of the concert!
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