December 12th 2022

Celebrate!

The celebrations have begun! Nauvoo had a Christmas walk on December 9th (Happy birthday to Emilie) where they give out cider and doughnuts in the Living Center, tell stories in the Print Shop, have a choir with live nativity in the Visitor's Center, wagon rides with jingle bells and continual musical performances from 6 to 9 pm in the Cultural Hall. It's a pretty wonderful event. All communities were invited!

Our friend, Diane Coffman was in charge of filling up those three hours with performers and she asked Dave if he would take 15 minutes playing the piano. We work in the temple Friday night usually until 8 but our sweet shift coordinators let us go a little early, so we were able to enjoy a few of the other things before he was scheduled to play. It was such an enjoyable time! 

When it was his turn to play, I went back with him at the piano to turn pages and he started his first song, Winter Wonderland and the audience started singing! It was delightful! Then he played Silver Bells and they sang again. They sang every song he played. When he didn't need me to turn pages I went on stage and lead Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer which the kids loved and then he played The Nativity song from the Primary songbook. This is the song we would sing as a family at every Christmas party. I would get nativity stickers from Oriental Trading and give them a piece of construction paper and as we sang to story they would put the stickers on to make a nativity scene. Most of them have gotten a little old for it but we have three little ones still that we'll do it for a few more years, I hope.

When we were on our mission in Guyana on Christmas day, Our son Nate and his wife Brianna and their four children Facetimed us and sang the whole song to us! We were both in tears. It is a gift and memory that we treasure. So, I got a wee bit emotional when I was leading that song, plus it was impromptu so I wasn't prepared for the feelings it would stir in me. It was such a sweet experience. 

The surrounding community puts on The Messiah, so we went to Carthage for that. There were a handful of temple missionaries and district workers that worked so hard to be able to share that with all of us. It really was a beautiful and amazing program. 

We have some more celebrations to attend during this month of remembering our Savior's birth. We love the baby Jesus and are filled with gratitude that He grew up, lived a perfect life and died for us. He lives now and has conquered death and sin because He loves us. So much to celebrate!

We went to Burlington, Iowa to see The Chosen with a few of our fellow temple workers and enjoyed a meal together.

We stayed so long chatting that they closed down the mall...

it was only 7 pm though...

Beauty is everywhere even in the dead of winter

At the Living Center Dave played the piano 

while people came to get their treats

One of the musical numbers was this amazing sister that lives in Nauvoo. She makes all her instruments and plays them beautifully. We were happy we got to see her.

Impromptu leading music because the audience wanted to sing!

Everyone loved Dave's playing!

The fireplace is the piano so you can't see anyone play, 

so this is the after picture

This is the concert with live nativity performed in the 

Visitor's Center

Our darling Sister Cook (right) played a piano solo and duet with Sister Wilcox, a site missionary

It was even a very mild temperature to enjoy a wagon ride

The fabulous group performing The Messiah

Keokuk, Iowa, just across the river has a Christmas town 

every year that you can drive through

It was lovely!

A home in Keokuk that is so beautifully Christmas!