Home for the Holidays

Home for the Holidays

Mormon Tabernacle Choir: Featuring Alfie Boe
Narration by Tom Brokaw

CD/DVD

FTC FYI: Received a CD/DVD from Deseret Book in exchange for an honest review.

Product Description

As seen and heard by more than 80,000 people in the LDS Conference Center, Home for the Holidays is the live recording of The Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s 2012 Christmas concert. This year’s release features internationally acclaimed TV personality Tom Brokaw and Tony Award–winning Les Miserables tenor Alfie Boe.

The Choir also welcomed surprise-guest Gail “Hal” Halvorsen, the renowned Candy Bomber of World War II. Together with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, these three special guests delivered an unprecedented excitement to the stage that brought all in attendance to their feet more than once during the night.

Hailed as the performance that “may have topped them all” (Catherine Reese Newton, The Salt Lake Tribune).

My Review

I was lucky enough to be in attendance last year at this amazing performance.  Alfie Boe did a beautiful job vocally and the choir, of course, was at their best.  This DVD/CD captures the moment of the performance perfectly.  I was extremely touched by the story of The Candy Bomber.  I loved how the parachutes came from the sky as there was children looking through a fence.  I was especially moved when Lt. Halvorsen himself made an appearance.  I had a feeling he was going to attend since I watched the news the day before and suspected he would come out again.  But those I was with did not know he was going to be there and the looks of surprise on the their faces was priceless.  We listened to the CD while were decorating our house last weekend for Christmas and it definitely got us in a holiday frame of mind.

Purchase Links - CD

Deseret Book / Seagull Book / Amazon 

Purchase Links - DVD

Deseret Book / Seagull Book / Amazon

Christmas From Heaven - Blog Tour and Biblical Names of Christ Ornament Set

Christmas from Heaven: The True Story of the Berlin Candy Bomber

As read by Tom Brokaw

Illustrated by Robert T. Barrett

Published: October 15th, 2013

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

ISBN13: 978-1-60907-700-6

FTC FYI: Received a hardcover copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Inside Book Jacket Summary

From little things come big things.

Christmas from Heaven is the story of the humble beginnings of what became a beacon of hope to a war-torn land, the story of Gail Halvorsen, a young pilot in the US Army Air Corps who was assigned as a cargo pilot to the Berlin Airlift, in which US forces flew much needed supplies into a Soviet blockaded Berlin.

As he performed his duties, Lt. Halvorsen began to notice the German children gathered by the fences of the Tempelhof Air Base.  Knowing that they had very little, he one day offered them some chewing gum.  From that small act, an idea sprang:  He would "bomb" Berlin with candy.  Fashioning small parachutes, he and his crew sent them floating down as the approached the Berlin airport, wiggling the wings of their C-54 as a signal to the children that their anticipated cargo would soon arrive.

Lt. Halvorsen became known by hundreds, if not thousands, of children in Berlin as "Uncle Wiggly Wings" or "The Candy Bomber".  Word soon spread, and donations of candy and other supplies poured in from sympathetic American.  Lt. Halvorsen's small idea became a great symbol of hope, not only to German children in a bombed-out city, but to all those who yearned for freedom.

My Review

I was able to attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas performance last year, Home for the Holidays (which I will review this week) I was extremely touched by story of "The Candy Bomber".  And to top it off, Lt. Halvorsen made an appearance as well.  That was very touching.   I know I wasn't the only one with tears in my eyes.  This book beautifully expresses Lt. Halvorsen's story.  I loved how there were actual pictures along with the illustrations in the book.  It added a wonderful real factor to this beautiful true story.  My favorite thing was the note on the very last page, written by a young girl, thanking the Flyer Uncle for the sky food.  Very sweet.  What an amazing story and an amazing man.  This book will be a welcome addition to our family Christmas book library.

Purchase Links

Deseret Book / Amazon / Seagull Book / Barnes and Noble

The Biblical Names of Christ Ornament Set

These beautiful ornaments depict the biblical names of Christ.  My family and I decorated our tree over the weekend and put these lovely ornaments on.  On the back of the case they came in, there are scriptures that reference each of the names on the ornaments.  My family and I had a Family Home Evening and read each of these scriptures.  These ornaments are beautiful and a great addition to our decorations.

Purchase Links

Deseret Book