How to Plan a Christmas Program

**UPDATE** I am so surprised that 8 years later, I am still getting requests to share this program! Though I’m proud of that program, I’ve organized several since then that I feel are much more centered on the Savior, Jesus Christ, and His gospel, so I would like to share the most recent of those with you. Nearly all of the text is taken from the scriptures. You could easily adapt this to be done with one narrator, but I found that by inviting several people to participate we were able to help nearly our whole ward feel known and included. The congregational hymns are taken from the book Hymns, from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I hope that this helps you bring the spirit of Christ to your Christmas celebrations this year. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U6kxZx_BtF-rU-8iX8tTawWfJLjD2wQaJPf7z7FSr2M/edit

Original Post

This year I was in charge of putting together the ward Christmas program. It was a lot more work than I expected and I couldn't have done it without the wonderful people who helped with the readings and music, and of course, the Savior. Overall I think it turned out really well, and I'm excited to keep working on and improving this program.

For anyone looking to write their own Christmas program, let me just say, keep it simple. For text, use the scriptures. For music, look to the hymns before going elsewhere. A pattern that I've noticed in other programs and used for the one I wrote is to have one or two readers reading from the scriptures, with some commentary thrown in if you like, and musical numbers and speakers intermingled throughout as they correspond with the text.

Make sure that you ask people who you would like to participate, especially soloists, well in advance. This way they can have time to practice and feel comfortable with everything, plus it's just polite. Most people can't sightread their way through a complex piece. Give them time to learn it.

If you would like to borrow mine, or use it as a reference, you are more than welcome to! Here it is:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3PBFcn4jMuMNjBWTWtla0lNcGM/edit?usp=sharing

The text I used comes mostly from the King James Bible. The hymns I used can be found here. "Come, Lord Jesus" is from a program that the LDS church puts on at the Conference Center every year called "Savior of the World," and can be downloaded here.

Have a very merry Christmas!

Here Comes the Sun

I love being in Women's Chorus. It brings so much joy to my life. I love the power of music to be a force for good in the world when there can be so much negativity and hardship. Life is not easy. It's not meant to be. But it is meant to be enjoyed! Don't worry, no matter how difficult your situation is, the Lord loves you, he is there for you, and there is sunshine just ahead! Just keep holding on! I promise that you can get through it.

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

In Women's Chorus we're singing "Come, Thou Fount" at our concert this coming week. I am so excited! I love this song. The music is so beautiful and the lyrics are so sweet. Until this past week I'd always felt the spirit in this song, but never had the words stand out  to me so clearly, especially during one particular line.

"Jesus sought me, when a stranger wandering from the fold of God, came to rescue me from danger from the downward path I trod."

Due to the King James-y English and poetic grammar, I rearrange the words in my head to make more sense and they come out something like this:
"Jesus sought me when I had estranged myself from him and was wandering away from God's fold. He came to rescue me from the spiritual danger in which I was placing myself." He came for me. How powerful is that message?

I have been the sheep that has wandered from the fold. There have been far too many times when I have turned my back on my Savior. I am so sorry that I have done this, and I keep trying to be better, but I am human and I make mistakes. I am proud, and I am selfish, and I ashamed when I let myself and others down. I often feel that when I am going through something difficult that I could have avoided if I had been smart and following the spirit, that I should take care of it myself--that I don't deserve the help and care of my loving Father in Heaven and the Savior. Yet the moment I fall to my knees, the very second I humble myself and ask for help and forgiveness, the Savior is there to sweep me up in the arms of his love. He takes away my pain, my sadness, my guilt, and my stress. He is always waiting to take care of me. No matter how far I wander, he follows me and waits for me to let him help and strengthen me. He leaves the ninety-and-nine for my sake. (Luke 15.)

I am so grateful for the love of my Savior, and for his amazing atonement which allows me to repent and be cleansed so that I can move forward, and upward, without being hindered by my past mistakes. I know that the Lord loves each of us. He will always, always accept and forgive us as we repent and try our best to change. He doesn't expect perfection, he only asks that we do our best. I am so grateful for this knowledge. I am grateful for music. I am so thankful for the way that music and singing can soften my heart when nothing else can, and give me a way to bear my testimony when my own words don't seem like enough.

I love my Savior. I know that he lives and loves us, that his atonement is perfect, and that he wants so much for us to come home to him. I have felt the spirit testify of this to me, and I cannot doubt that.

BYU Women's Chorus

I love being in Women's Chorus. It fills me with so much joy! It doesn't matter if we're singing beautiful hymns, crazy chord clusters, fun pop songs, or if we're going super crazy nuts having fun together and pigging out, it's always a fun and uplifting experience.

Here's the commercial for our upcoming concert. Hope you can make it!!!

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zV-J_nDeFOw

The Engagement

Cameron and I have known that we want to get married for a while. He asked (well, tried to ask, but that's another story) my dad for my hand almost two weeks ago and we pretty much immediately started working on picking a date and colors and things, but we didn't want to go around telling people that we were engaged before he'd officially asked me. Let's just say that by the time he proposed I was more than ready to say yes.

On Thursday night we were just hanging out and he asked if I would like to go on a date next week. I thought for sure that's when he would propose then. When he was leaving he VERY casually asked if I'd like to go hiking with him the next morning so he could build up stamina for his Elders Quorum activity on Tuesday to hike the entirety of Timpanogos. I said yes before he told me that he'd be picking me up at 6:00 am. Good thing, too, because it was going to be the best hike of my life.

Friday I woke up at 5:30, after a whopping five hours of sleep. I thought vaguely as I was brushing my teeth that he's a pretty sneaky guy and might be trying to throw me off by asking me on that date for next week. I quickly brushed it aside, not because I thought I was wrong, but because the last thing I wanted was to get my hopes up only to be disappointed when we got back and I still had no ring on my finger. At multiple points throughout the hike I stopped him to point out the view and give him a hug and a kiss, and I'm sure he was getting frustrated with my dragging pace, but he didn't show it. I didn't know we were trying to do anything but get to the waterfall and turn around.

The hike was absolutely beautiful. *(I LOVE nature, especially trees and animals so this hike was perfect for me. As my mom puts it, if a woodland fairy would like it, so will I.)* Almost the entire trail was covered by beautiful green trees, there were hundreds of butterflies and honeybees, we even saw a family of wild turkey, a few chipmunks, lots of birds, and a doe! So, needless to say, I was having the time of my life.

We finally got to Stewart Falls it was an amazing. The sun was out, the air was warm, the water was cool, and the view of the river and canyon was spectacular. In the back of my mind I thought, "this is such a romantic spot, he should just propose to me right now."

He must have read my mind because a moment later he sat me down on a giant rock and handed me an envelope. Inside was this: 

Each page was a dated journal entry of memorable days we'd spent together (all written on staff paper.) *(we love reading books together)* The second to last page was this...

And that's when I was sure he was going to do it. The last page, though I wasn't quite sure what it was at the time, was lyrics to a song he had written for me, and they were so, so sweet. Then he asked if he could ask me a few questions, the first of which was, "may I have this dance?" *(we tend to spontaneously slow dance to non-existent music)* 

As we were dancing he asked if he could sing a song for me. *(We love singing, especially together. We met through choir.)* He started singing a beautiful song, the one he wrote for me, and I started... well I'm not sure what to call it. It was somewhere between laughing and crying, but I didn't have any tears. My shoulders were definitely shaking though, and I just had my face buried in his shoulder. Then he finished the song, pulled back a half step, and walked me backwards the few feet to the rock where I'd been sitting before. He sat me down and reached behind me without me noticing, and pulled the ring box out of his back pack. 

As soon as I saw him on one knee holding the little wooden box I started really crying. When he opened it and I saw the ring my hands flew to my mouth and I started sobbing. It was the most beautiful ring I'd ever seen. I immediately noticed the leaves and vines and knew that he knew me and loved me. *(He picked the ring all by himself)* Then he asked me one more question:

"Will you be my wife?"

I, of course, said yes. Then he asked if he could put the ring on my finger, and of course I said yes again. He slipped it on and stood up. I kissed him and held him and told him over and over that I loved him. He was crying, too.

Then we continued to cry and and laugh and look at the way the ring sparkles in the sun. Then he looked at his watch, looked me in the eye, and said, "Dana, four months from today, at this very moment, we will be waiting in the temple to be married!" *(We'd already picked our wedding date, November 20th)*

It was the most absolutely perfect proposal I could have imagined. I am so in love with him and I can't wait to be married in the temple so we can be together, not just "till death do us part," but for all eternity, even after we die. I am so grateful for his kindness and faith and love. It is so wonderful to have this constant reminder on my hand of how much he loves me, and how we get to be together forever. 

I get to marry my best friend.

5 days down, 119 to go ;)

Pure Joy

I haven't been so happy in, well, ever. At least, not that I can remember. The funny thing I'm coming to realize is that I've always had the potential to be this ecstatic. My life has not gotten any easier AT ALL. I'm struggling to finish assignments well and on time, I'm losing things, I burned myself really badly, my credit card expired and my new one hasn't come yet, the list goes on and on. The only thing that has changed is my perspective.

Cue Boyfriend. ( I promise there's a point to this tangent.)

A little over a month ago an incredibly cheery guy decided to sit next to me when Men's and Women's chorus were singing together in a BYU devotional. I was having a really bad day but I tried my best to be nice. He asked for my number, friended me on facebook, but I didn't think much of it. Then a week later he asked if I'd like to go on a walk with him on Sunday afternoon. We got to talking and I realized that he had such a light! (see previous post.) He was so optimistic and we have a really similar way of seeing the world. I hardly stopped smiling the entire time I was with him. Something about his love of life and optimism was just contagious. So long story short we started seeing each other pretty frequently and going on dates until we decided that we didn't want to date anyone else and that's where we are now.

So, tangent aside, his light, spirit, and optimism have really made me want to be a better person. I saw how happy he was and when I realized that he wasn't ignoring sad things, they just didn't bother him because of how much he loved everything else, I decided "I want to be like that, too!" So, I have. I am utterly full of God's love, I do my best to recognize the little wonders all around me, and share my joy with everyone I meet. I must say, I feel fantastic. I haven't been more in love with life for such an extended period of time that I can remember, or been filled with so much gratitude.

On a side note, I've finally figured out why I couldn't go to Nauvoo! It's because, if I had gone, I would  not have had this wonderful life changing experience, or get to be dating this amazing man. Hallelujah. :)

A Heart Like His

A while back, in the middle of a rather emotionally difficult trial, I realized that I was closing my heart. I was trying to block out the pain and anger I was feeling, but all that the walls seemed to be keeping out was love and joy. I was utterly apathetic. I hate being apathetic. I'm a really emotional person, and so to feel nothing is strange and uncomfortable and depressing. I like myself best when I smile at myself in the mirror and sing no matter what I'm doing, not being the sullen, jaded, spiteful little girl I occasionally let myself become. The morning after I discovered this and decided that I needed to change my heart, a girl in Women's Chorus gave us a beautiful devotional. I don't remember what she said, but the spirit touched me through her words as she told us about her experience reading a book, A Heart Like His by Virginia H Pearce, and told me that I needed to open my heart, I needed a heart like my Savior's.

After the devotional we began to rehearse. We were singing an arrangement of the Hymn "Lord I Would Follow Thee," with two new verses.

Stir my heart with love's compassion,
When in weakness I withhold.
I would heal as thou hast healed me,
Comfort, strengthen, and enfold.
Stir my heart with love's compassion,
Lord, I would follow Thee.

Precious, fleeting is my time here.
Whisper wisdom to my mind,
Courage when my heart is aching,
Faith when fear is all I find.
Precious fleeting is my time here,
Lord, I would follow Thee.

As we sang them, tears started to flow as I felt for the first time the truth and importance of those words.   I could finally feel. I knew that my Father loved me, that I was the one that had pushed him away, and I needed to change.

It was difficult at first, to try to allow the walls to fall, because I was certain that the first thing I would feel was pain, but I was simultaneously given love and joy. I found myself smiling and singing again, and it was lovely. It was also hard, and I still felt rather hopeless at times. Although I felt that I should stay in Provo for the summer I almost gave up and went home, because it is so nice to be taken care of and surrounded by family, and so hard to feel alone, but God gave me the strength and courage I needed to do His will as I asked for it.

It has been a long road, and I know there is still a very long way to go before I can even come close to having a heart like the Lord's, but as soon as I let Him in, He has been with me every step of the way and giving me comfort. I love Him, and my Father in Heaven so very much, and I am so grateful for all that they have given to me.

Lost My Voice

Backstory: As a child in primary* I learned sign language for three different songs, only one and a half of which I really remember. I think it is beautiful to watch people "sing" in sign language, although I personally would much rather sing aloud.

Today I woke up and I could barely talk. Losing my voice is usually really disheartening for me. Not only is it hard to talk, but I can't sing. I considered staying home from church. It wasn't just my voice, I felt a little feverish and my nose was stuffy, but then I decided that if I was well enough to go to school, I should go to church. Only, not being able to sing along with the hymns is so terribly depressing.

Under normal circumstances I would try to sing though it even though it hurts and would leave my voice in worse condition , (I know, shame on me for being so short-sighted) but I have a choir concert later this week, and lip-syncing in a performance is even worse than in church.

All through sacrament meeting I was hoping and praying that we would sing one of the hymns that I knew the sign language for, but they didn't come. Disappointed, but relieved to not have to worry about it anymore for at least an hour, I went to sunday school. The teacher suggested we start with a song (unusual) and I was sad... until he picked one of the ones I knew in sign language! I happily mouthed the words and signed as gracefully as I could, considering I hadn't done it since I was ten.

When I got to Relief Society, I was grateful that I had gotten to sign one song, and opened my hymn book, prepared to sit silently. It was the second song that I knew the signs for! I was ecstatic. It was a happy, happy blessing for me to be able to participate even though my voice is in very poor quality right now.

*the explanation of "primary" is at the very bottom of the linked page.

Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go

1. I am so grateful for music and the power it has to bring the spirit to me and teach me the lessons I am to stubborn to hear when they are merely spoken. Last year in Women's Chorus we sang a beautiful number, combined with the other choirs, called "Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go," and today I was listening to it on my iPod while considering how I need to stop being so selfish in asking for what I want, and wanting it now. Last year, this song touched me so much, and now listening to it again, I feel that same peace and resignation and ability to press onward, not because of my own strength, but because of my Lord's power and the strength he grants me when I give myself over to him. I am so grateful for this love and knowledge that I have of my Father in Heaven.
2. 
   
3. O Love that will not let me go,
   I rest my weary soul in thee;
   I give thee back the life I owe,
   That in thine ocean depths its flow
   May richer, fuller be.
4. O light that follows all my way,
   I yield my flickering torch to thee;
   My heart restores its borrowed ray,
   That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
   May brighter, fairer be.
5. O Joy that seeks me through pain,
   I cannot close my heart to thee;
   I trace the rainbow through the rain,
   And know the promise is not vain,
   That morn shall tearless be.
6. O Cross that raises up my head,
   I dare not ask to fly from thee;
   I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
   And from the ground there blossoms red
   Life that shall endless be.
7. O Love that wil not let me go.

There's So Much to Be Thankful for

I am so blessed to have so many good friends around me when my life doesn't go as planned. It is seriously so nice to not be left alone to wallow in my disappointment (except for when I'm studying in the Library :P ) I was rejected for an audition that I had really hoped to at least go to callbacks for, and had been really excited for, and so I was pretty bummed to find out that I don't get to go. Despite my sadness, I seriously had someone supporting me from the moment I found out.

First it was the nice guy I sit next to in English who offered to let me borrow his computer to read the email when my AirPort quit, and then walked me halfway to my next class to make sure I was ok. After that class I ran in to two very good friends who I rarely see, who gave me big hugs and were totally sympathetic.

After that I had a break from class so I decided to go to the Creamery and get supplies for cookies, because baking is what I do when I'm sad. It was nice to be able to just go for a walk, and the anticipation for the cookies was quite exciting. My last class was latin, and I got to dance Cha cha with fun guys for almost an hour, which was fantastic and super fun.

Instead of going straight home, I talked to my family for a bit, and then snuck into the Men's Chorus rehearsal with a few friends, just to listen. Oh, how I love Men's Chorus! They always brighten my day.

When I got back to my apartment I was greeted by a BIG hug from my wonderful roommate Brianna, with whom I ate dinner, watched a CHEEZY Hallmark Christmas movie, and made cookies! As the rest of my roommates came home they were all so sweet and kind and kept assuring me that it wasn't because of my talent level that I wasn't accepted. I went to go to a friend's house and watch my favorite TV show, Psych, and my friends there were just as fantastic, giving me lots of love, encouragement, and snuggles.

This morning, I woke up with a package sitting in front of my door, filled with my favorite candy and snacks. Taped to the front was the sweetest card from my wonderful roommate Rachel and her boyfriend. It was a great start to my day.

I went to campus to study, and for some reason was having trouble being optimistic. I was down on myself, and low on faith. I texted my good friend Nathaniel and asked if he'd be willing to go get ice cream with me, and he said yes. He gave me the biggest hug and was working so hard to make me smile, and I really appreciated it. He payed for my ice cream, despite my protests, and then took me bowling. When we finished our game he pulled me out onto the lanes and started swing dancing. I think that was probably the biggest I've smiled in a while. I LOVE spontaneous dancing.

After we were done we went caroling with with some of the members of Men's and Women's chorus in Brigham Square, and it was super fun... and that was about the end of my happy related things for the day. I had to go back to studying and test taking after that, but I am still sooo grateful to all of the people who have been a part of lifting me up and not allowing me to sulk around feeling sorry for myself. I love you all :)

Men's Chorus

I just realized that even though I love them so much, I have yet to write about the wonderful Men's Chorus here at BYU. Why do I love them so much? Not only do they make beautiful music, often incorporate dance, drums, organ, cello, and other of my favorite things into their performances, but they have the spirit. And really ladies, what could be better than 200 righteous, singing men with beautiful voices and testimonies to match?

(me with the oh, so fabulous president of Men's Chorus,

wearing our respective choir t-shirts)

Women's Chorus

Once again, or I suppose as always, I am ever so grateful for Women's Chorus. I love the music that we make, the sisterhood we share, and the strength we can offer each other. I very, very rarely leave feeling down or upset with myself, although I'm generally kind of sad to leave. All of these are wonderful, but my very favorite thing about Women's Chorus is the spirit and the testimony that each girl brings that allows us to have the Holy Ghost with us as we sing, and to share our testimonies with others.

This past week we were blessed with the incredible opportunity to sing with all of the BYU audition choirs at devotional when Thomas S Monson, the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Prophet of the Lord came to speak. It was such an amazing experience. The spirit was so strong, and I received a stronger testimony that Thomas S Monson is in fact a prophet of God who receives revelation on our behalf and who loves us. I love him, although I have never had the opportunity to meet him in person. I am so blessed to be a part of this wonderful community at BYU, and to interact with the people in the choirs, and to sit at the feet of prophets and apostles and be taught the words of God. I am so grateful that I was able to get in to this university and Women's Chorus and to have all of these wonderful experiences.

Women's Chorus

I am so grateful that I get to be in Women's Chorus. It is a wonderful, wonderful place where I feel safe to drop my emotional burdens at the door and spend an entire every day stretching myself becoming a stronger singer, and also praising and drawing closer to my Father in Heaven. We are asked at the beginning of the year to promise to live our lives in such a way that we can have the spirit with us, not only during rehearsals, but in performances so that we can reach out to those listening, as well as each other. We are all sisters within our Choir, and it is such a phenomenal experience to be able to sing, and praise, and love with these beautiful women.

As long as we live, there is never enough singing

This past week I was a counselor at my high school's choir camp, and, oh my goodness, I had so much fun. We sang for about 6 hours a day, which I loved. In fact, I loved almost everything about it. I loved the square dance, the beautiful lake and woods, the people I was with, the music we sang, the girls in my cabin, my co-counselor and all the other counselors, spending all my time with friends, helping with the dance class, riding in the golf cart, making new friends, having all my siblings there, and did I mention singing? The only thing I did not like was the food. It was not very good at all.

One thing I really liked, but that most people didn't, was the presence of mice and chipmunks in the cabins. I have this odd fantasy thing where I'm Snow White and friends with all the woodland animals, and they sing with me and we have lots of fun. I thought they were adorable, but everyone else was kind of scared of them, which I thought was sad.

The weather was beautiful while we were there, which was a pleasant surprise as it is usually quite cold. At night the moon was always super bright which was fun, and you could see the stars very well. The lake looked beautiful in the moonlight, once you got out of the mildly creepy woods and on to the open path.

I was really grateful for this opportunity, and regardless of whether or not I get to do it again, I'll always be happy that I got to go this year.

Last Post for a Little While

I'll be going to choir camp tomorrow, and it should be super fun, but for some reason I feel like staying home. Its only about two weeks until I go back to BYU and I'm really going to miss my family, old friends, and new friends from the singles ward. I wish I could bring them all with me, because I really love BYU but I don't like that scary period of time where I don't know anyone in my classes or ward. I'm excited though, for camp and school. I'm really grateful that I got to come home for the summer, and for all the time I got to spend with my family, and that I have the means to attend BYU. Can't wait to see all my friends there :)