Gingerbread Houses 2025

Last night we had our annual gingerbread house party and we had so much fun that, at one point, we were all laughing so hard we couldn't breathe (mostly at all of my icing mishaps).  We normally use kits that we put together but this year my sister, who is an amazing baker, decided to make the gingerbread and royal icing herself.  She did such a great job and I absolutely love how they turned out!

I love this tradition with my family!

A Kurt Bestor Christmas at the Eccles 2025

I really love Kurt Bestor's arrangements of Christmas music so his annual concert is one of my favorite traditions.  I braved the crazy holiday traffic downtown last night (it was a zoo) but I am so glad that I did because it was such a lovely night.  He began with "Sing We Noel," "Joy to the World," and "I Wonder as I Wander" then said that he was performing "Let It Snow" next as a prayer that we would get some snow soon because he wants to ski!  He was joined by Alex Sharpe, a former member of Celtic Woman, for a beautiful performance of "In the Bleak Midwinter" (I really love Sarah McLachlan's version but this one gave me goosebumps). Sharpe has one of the clearest soprano voices I have ever heard and every note seemed to hover just above the audience so it was absolutely haunting.  She continued with her arrangement of "Sleigh Ride" which was incredibly chaotic (in the best possible way) with key changes and time signature changes meant to mimic riding in a sleigh through the snow.  It was really fun.  Bestor continued with "All Through the Night" and then he played my favorite Christmas song, "O Holy Night," on fugelhorn (I always hope that he will play this).  He concluded his first set with a rousing rendition of  "Ding Dong Merrily On High" with Mairead Nesbitt, another former member of Celtic Woman, on fiddle.  Her dynamic way of playing and moving around the stage was captivating to watch!  At one point, she performed really high kicks as she played and Bestor tried to copy her while playing the bodhran with hilarious results.  After the intermission, Bestor returned to the stage alone for "Coventry Carol" (another favorite).  He was then joined by his band for "Christmas Time Is Here" featuring Michael Dowdle on guitar, Carlitos Del Puerto on bass, Eric Valentine (who had a wild afro) on drums, and Todd Sorenson on percussion, and by his orchestra for "Deck the Halls."  I remember singing "Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella" every year when I was in the choir during college so I always love hearing it.  Bestor's version is very stirring.  Nesbitt returned to the stage for "Carol of the Bells" and then he continued with "What Child Is This?"  A big tradition at this concert every year is for Bestor to perform 'Twas the Night Before Christmas with his own amusing orchestrations and a narrator chosen from the audience.  This year he had Sharpe act as narrator because he loves her Irish accent.  To say that she was a hoot would be an understatement!  The concert concluded with a performance of "Silent Night" with Sharpe singing in Gaelic and Nesbitt accompanying her on fiddle.  It was ethereal!  Unfortunately, last night's concert was the final one but I highly recommend putting it on your radar for next year because it is always an amazing show!

The Housemaid

Yesterday my nephew and I went to a matinee of The Housemaid and I thought it was really fun and entertaining.  Millie Calloway (Sydney Sweeney) is desperate for a live-in position as a maid for a wealthy couple, Nina and Andrew Winchester (Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar, respectively), because she needs employment and housing as a condition of her parole (a fact which she omits from her resume).  She is excited when she is offered the job because the Winchesters have the perfect house and seem like the perfect couple but she is surprised when Nina's behavior becomes increasingly unhinged, particularly when Nina gaslights Millie about several requests after she complies.  Andrew continually apologizes for Nina and Millie feels sympathy for his situation after she learns from Nina's friends that she has a history of mental illness.  She eventually begins an affair with Andrew but soon discovers that things are not what they seem in the Winchester house.  This is a very twisty psychological thriller and, even though I predicted one of the twists, I was very surprised by several others (I haven't read the best-selling novel by Freida McFadden upon which this is based). I loved Seyfried's over the top performance, Sklenar's steamy and diabolical one, and Elizabeth Perkins's brief appearance as Andrew's imperious mother, but they all make Sweeney seem very bland in comparison (even Indiana Elle, as Nina and Andrew's young daughter CeCe, has more charisma than Sweeney).  Sweeney notwithstanding, this is definitely a guilty pleasure full of secrets and sex that is best seen with a big crowd (there were lots of book club girlies in our audience) and I recommend it as such.

Note:  The needle drops are so on the nose (especially one by Kelly Clarkson and the final one by Taylor Swift) that I frequently laughed out loud when they began playing!

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at the SCERA Center for the Performing Arts

Last night I went to see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at the SCERA Center for the Arts and now I can say that I have seen just about every Christmas-themed show this holiday season (A Christmas Story, A Christmas Carol, White Christmas, and Elf The Musical). I had never seen this musical before and I thought it was really cute with great performances from its young cast! The Herdman kids, including Ralph (Symon Livingston), Imogene (Summer Olenik), Leroy (Tristan Bush), Claude (Jackson Seaver), Ollie (Desmond Tolman), and Gladys (Scout Olenik), have the reputation of being the worst kids in the world. Their father left them and their mother works several jobs so they are on their own most of the time and lie, swear, smoke, steal, and bully the other kids at school. The one place the other kids feel safe is at church because the Herdmans never attend. This changes when Charlie Bradley (Lewis Anderson) tells them that they serve snacks during Sunday School. The Herdmans show up looking for food on the day of auditions for the annual Christmas Pageant and Grace Bradley (Natalie Merrill), who has reluctantly taken over as director for the injured Helen Armstrong (Angela Bradford), allows them to participate. The Herdmans force the other kids to let them take the lead roles but, when they disrupt the rehearsals, Reverend Hopkins (Steve Winters) decides to cancel the pageant. Grace has a change of heart when she and her family deliver a Christmas basket from the church members to the Herdmans and she sees how much they appreciate it so the pageant goes forward. Ralph, as Joseph, and Imogene, as Mary, treat the baby Jesus with love and tenderness, Gladys, as the Angel, announces the birth with real fanfare, and Leroy, Claude, and Ollie, as the Wise Men, bring the baby Jesus real gifts of food from their Christmas basket instead of useless gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The church members are very moved by the more realistic portrayal of the Christmas story and declare it to be the best Christmas Pageant ever! I really loved the messages about acceptance, charity, and the true meaning of Christmas and the songs are a lot of fun, especially "Take My Lunch" as Charlie finally stands up to the Herdmans at school,"Problem" when Helen tells Grace that she is ruining her show, "My Mother Said" (to the tune of "Carol of the Bells") as Beth (Zoe Morris), Alice (Virginia Seaver), and Ivy (Olivia Bradford) argue over which of their mothers has the correct opinion about the way the pageant should be run, and "Die Herod Die!" when the Herdmans react with compassion to the harsh realities faced by the Holy Family. Everyone in the cast does an outstanding job, especially the young actors who play the Herdmans, but I really loved Anderson because he has a lovely voice as Charlie and Bradford because she is hilarious as the overbearing Helen. The stage is configured as a church with beautiful stained glass windows and simple set pieces for the lunchroom, the Bradley home, and the hospital are brought on and off stage by the ensemble. My favorite costumes are those worn by the kids during the pageant (the Wise Men are especially fun). This is absolutely delightful and I definitely recommend it but there are only two more opportunities to see it and tickets are going fast (go here).

Note:  This was my final show of 2025.  This year I was able to see 85 theatre productions and my favorites were the Broadway touring productions of Suffs and Life of Pi at the Eccles Theatre, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, Macbeth at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and Twelve Angry Men at HCT.

A Christmas Carol at HCT 2025

I was only planning on seeing one version of A Christmas Carol this year but, when I was offered a ticket to HCT's production as a thank you for being a loyal subscriber, I couldn't pass up the opportunity and I went to a matinee yesterday afternoon. I am really happy that I ended up going because this show has been one of my favorite Christmas traditions for a long time (almost 30 years) and I thoroughly enjoyed it. One of the things I really love about this adaptation is the inclusion of music sung by an octet (Brett Myers, Cannon Hadfield, Ryan Withers, Michael Von Forell, Hanna Schneck, Corinne Brown, Luana Parkes, and April Kerr) and other characters. My favorite songs are "Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella" by Fezziwig (Mark Brocksmith) and his party guests, "Greensleeves" by Belle (Koryn Sobel), and "Wassail, Wassail" by Fred (Josh Durfey) and his party guests. I like seeing actors reprise roles year after year, such as David Weeks who has been portraying Ebenezer Scrooge for 21 years, but I also like seeing new additions to the cast, including incredibly sensitive performances from Alex DeBirk as Bob Cratchit, Adrien Swenson as Mrs. Cratchit, and Dylan Hamilton Wright as Marley's Ghost. Because I have seen this show so many times, I eagerly anticipate all of my favorite scenes and lines of dialogue (I always joke that I could stand in for any role) but this year there are some additions and changes that I found very moving. I particularly loved the expanded role of Charles Dickens (Josh Durfey) who acts as the narrator because he adds more depth to Scrooge's transformation, the dramatic entrance of the Ghost of Christmas Present (Aioleoge Lesa) with lighting effects and the use of a scrim because it is very festive, and an interaction between Fred and Bob Cratchit and his family on the streets of London shown to Scrooge by the Ghost of Christmas Present because it is so touching. Finally, I am always impressed by the elaborate sets, especially the attention to detail with the ledgers and papers in Scrooge's counting house, the opulent fabrics and furnishings in his bed chamber, the beautiful Christmas decorations for Fred's party, and all of the items on the shelves in the rag and bottle shop, and I loved seeing all of the new (and gorgeous) period costumes. It was a lovely performance and, whether you have been going for years or will be experiencing it for the first time, I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs on the Sorenson Legacy Jewel Box Stage through December 27 with best availability for the matinees.

Note:  I would also recommend Frozen which continues on the Young Living Centre Stage through February 14 (go here for tickets).