One of our big traditions that typically takes about a day is going to Washington DC to see the lights on the Washington DC temple. This year they said there were a half a million lights. It is always beautiful and something that helps to bring the true meaning of Christmas (remembering the birth of our Savior) into our thoughts as we view the temple with all the various colored Christmas lights. They said that the lights start getting wrapped around the trees in August in preparation for Christmas and takes hundreds of volunteers. Wow!
Most years we go up as a family and spend the evening and day in DC with seeing the temple lights as the focal point. This year however we went up the day before and spent the night at a hotel and added a few other things and then went to the Temple lights in the evening on Tuesday. The ward was having a "temple lights" day too, so we got to see several folks from the ward that were there as well.
Seeing so many Christmas lights has always been fun and it seems reasonable that there would be such great beauty and excitement over the birth of Christ at the temple where the whole point is about Christ.
At the temple visitors center they always have a number of exhibits which includes creche sets from around the world. We always enjoy looking at those as well. This year they had one from Thailand! This is the first nativity made in Thailand that I had ever seen. Being a Buddhist country I wondered if there was someone who made them there. This set had some great cultural indicators that really made it enjoyable and distinctly Thai..
They also have Christmas concerts in the visitors center and we listened to Sandra Turley sing a few Christmas songs.
She sang a great song in a broadway tradition called Christmas Lullaby from Songs for a New World which was a song about women being like Mary which was very enjoyable. Here are the lyrics of the song:
I'll never have the power to control the land
Or conquer half the world
Or claim the sun
I'll never be the kind who simply waves her hand
And has a million people do
The things I wish I'd done
But in the eyes of Heaven
My place is assured
I carry with me heaven's grand design
Gloria, glory, I will sing the name of the Lord
And He will make me shine
And I will be like Mother Mary
With a blessing in my soul
And I will give the world my eyes
So they can see
And I will be like Mother Mary
With a blessing in my soul
And the future of the world inside of me
In the eyes of Heaven
My place is assured
I carry with me heaven's grand design
Gloria, glory I will sing the name of the Lord
And He will make me shine
And I will be like Mother Mary
With a blessing in my soul
And I will give the world my eyes
So they can see
And I will be like Mother Mary
With a blessing in my soul
And the future of the world inside of me
And I will be like Mother Mary
With the power in my veins
To believe in all the things
I've yet to be
And I will be like Mother Mary
And I'll suffer any pains
For the future of the world
For the future of the world
Inside of me...
If you are like me and have never heard of this before and would like to listen to a version of it on youtube go here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eywFNUYJ5-g
It was a great night and we had an enjoyable time. Naturally we missed having our oldest daughter Jaime and Mike with us but we did have Megan, Hilary, Haleigh, Jeremy and Matt with Lisa and I (a full van I might add). It was fun to share this tradition with our friends this time as well.
I love our traditions that have helped us build a family with many great memories.
Most years we go up as a family and spend the evening and day in DC with seeing the temple lights as the focal point. This year however we went up the day before and spent the night at a hotel and added a few other things and then went to the Temple lights in the evening on Tuesday. The ward was having a "temple lights" day too, so we got to see several folks from the ward that were there as well.
Seeing so many Christmas lights has always been fun and it seems reasonable that there would be such great beauty and excitement over the birth of Christ at the temple where the whole point is about Christ.
At the temple visitors center they always have a number of exhibits which includes creche sets from around the world. We always enjoy looking at those as well. This year they had one from Thailand! This is the first nativity made in Thailand that I had ever seen. Being a Buddhist country I wondered if there was someone who made them there. This set had some great cultural indicators that really made it enjoyable and distinctly Thai..
They also have Christmas concerts in the visitors center and we listened to Sandra Turley sing a few Christmas songs.
She sang a great song in a broadway tradition called Christmas Lullaby from Songs for a New World which was a song about women being like Mary which was very enjoyable. Here are the lyrics of the song:
I'll never have the power to control the land
Or conquer half the world
Or claim the sun
I'll never be the kind who simply waves her hand
And has a million people do
The things I wish I'd done
But in the eyes of Heaven
My place is assured
I carry with me heaven's grand design
Gloria, glory, I will sing the name of the Lord
And He will make me shine
And I will be like Mother Mary
With a blessing in my soul
And I will give the world my eyes
So they can see
And I will be like Mother Mary
With a blessing in my soul
And the future of the world inside of me
In the eyes of Heaven
My place is assured
I carry with me heaven's grand design
Gloria, glory I will sing the name of the Lord
And He will make me shine
And I will be like Mother Mary
With a blessing in my soul
And I will give the world my eyes
So they can see
And I will be like Mother Mary
With a blessing in my soul
And the future of the world inside of me
And I will be like Mother Mary
With the power in my veins
To believe in all the things
I've yet to be
And I will be like Mother Mary
And I'll suffer any pains
For the future of the world
For the future of the world
Inside of me...
If you are like me and have never heard of this before and would like to listen to a version of it on youtube go here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eywFNUYJ5-g
It was a great night and we had an enjoyable time. Naturally we missed having our oldest daughter Jaime and Mike with us but we did have Megan, Hilary, Haleigh, Jeremy and Matt with Lisa and I (a full van I might add). It was fun to share this tradition with our friends this time as well.
I love our traditions that have helped us build a family with many great memories.
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