Christmas 2025

Yesterday I celebrated Christmas with my family and it was especially wonderful because my niece and her husband were there with us (I hadn't seen her since her wedding).  We met up at my sister Kristine's house to open presents at 8:00 in the morning (my nephew planned the whole day and he was really excited) and it was so much fun.  Since we open presents one at a time from oldest to youngest, it took us quite a while to get through all of them.  We also exchanged stockings (I had Marilyn and my nephew had me) and there were a lot of funny surprises.  I did very well and got some new AirPods and a photo printer along with a sweater, a book, and some stuff for my house.  After opening presents and stockings we had sweet rolls and juice which is a tradition that we have had since we were children.  We had Christmas dinner later in the afternoon with ham, potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, green beans, cranberry fluff salad, pasta salad, vegetables and dip, and rolls.  Everything was delicious!  In the evening we played Shanghai rummy and we all pretty much lost our minds (my niece's husband fits right in with the insanity of this game and it was so much fun to have him there with us).  We were all laughing so hard and, at various times, we were talking with accents, quoting song lyrics, and quoting from movies.  We had lots of treats and paused the game to have banana cream pie.  It was honestly the best day ever and I am so happy that we still have a few more opportunities to spend time together before my niece has to go back to Washington.  I hope you were able to spend the holiday doing things you love with friends and family!

Nathan Pacheco Christmas Concert 2025

It has become a tradition for me to tag along with my sister Marilyn and our family friend Kelli to the Nathan Pacheco Christmas concert. I am a relatively new fan (I discovered him when he was a guest vocalist for a Kurt Bestor Christmas concert) but they have followed him for years! The concert was last night at Abravanel Hall and, as always, I loved his eclectic mix of Christmas music as well as selections from the classical repertoire and from Broadway! He began with his new single "The King Emmanuel," which was quite stirring (he told us that we were one of the first audiences to hear it performed live), and then continued with the Christmas songs "Mary, Did You Know?" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." He is a classically trained tenor with a beautiful and clear voice so next came absolutely amazing renditions of "Questa O Quello" from Verdi's opera Rigoletto, "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's opera Turandot (this was especially fitting because it was Puccini's birthday yesterday), and "Time to Say Goodbye" (which gave me goosebumps). He concluded his first set with a heartfelt message about giving yourself grace during this holiday season and emotional versions of "Come As You Are" and "Forever." When Pacheco left the stage for a brief moment, his piano player Jared Pierce and his cellist Nicole Pinnell performed a cool instrumental mashup of "Sing We Noel" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." Pacheco returned to sing "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," "O Come, All You Unfaithful" (which I had never heard before), and "Silent Night." Next, his powerful version of "I Believe in Christ" with the Lyceum Choir just about brought the house down and his version of "God Bless Us, Everyone" from the movie Scrooge was lovely. He ended the concert with "O Holy Night," the song I most wanted to hear (it was worth the wait), and I loved it because he sings it better than almost everyone I've heard sing it live! The audience leapt to their feet for an enthusiastic standing ovation so he returned for an encore, including "The Greatest Show" from The Greatest Showman (apparently he auditioned for the role of Barnum in the upcoming musical adaptation but was the second choice), "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables (this was another favorite moment), and "The Prayer" which is one of his most popular songs. I really enjoyed this concert (I also enjoyed dinner at the newly remodeled Garden Restaurant inside the Joseph Smith Memorial Building before the show) and I am already excited to go again next year!

Note:  This was my last Christmas concert of the year so my final count for performances of "O Holy Night" is three (I was lucky enough to hear it at all three concerts I attended).

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!

Ballet West's The Nutcracker 2025

Yesterday I went to a matinee performance of The Nutcracker with Ballet West and I loved it!  It makes me so happy to anticipate all of my favorite scenes and the palpable excitement of the little girl sitting next to me made the experience even more magical!  I love how the backdrops are slowly raised, one after the other, to reveal the street outside Dr. Drosselmeyer's toy shop, the street outside the Stahlbaum home, the doors outside the ballroom, and then the ballroom itself because it heightens the excitement for the first look at the Christmas tree!  The party scene is so much fun and I loved seeing all of the children because they do a great job, especially Lauren Hildebrand, who dances the role of Clara, because her facial expressions are very emphatic.  I also loved the doddering grandparents (Jacob Hancock and Lillian Casscells) in this scene because they are a hoot.  I loved seeing the Land of Snow through the panes of a frosted window before the Snow Queen and King dance a pas de deux with their snowflakes.  Claire Spainhour and Robert Fowler, respectively, dance these roles beautifully and their lifts, especially, are incredibly graceful in the falling snow.  I loved all of the divertissements the Sugar Plum Fairy shows to Clara and her Nutcracker Prince in the Land of Sweets but, as always, my favorites were the Arabian dance because it is so exotic and the Russian dance because all of the athletic leaps and spins are so exhilarating!  I also loved seeing Mother Buffoon because her children are so adorable, particularly the little one who flips across the stage!  The Grand pas de deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier is always the highlight for me and Rylee Ann Rogers and Tyler Gum, respectively, are dazzling in the roles.  I loved seeing her leap into his arms and then lean all the way forward, almost touching the stage, without any support from him because it is quite spectacular (I'm sure there is a proper ballet term for this).  I love all of Tchaikovsky's music but the score for this ballet is a particular favorite.  I especially loved the harp in the "Waltz of the Snowflakes" and the clarinet in the "Arabian Dance" but my favorite is the Adagio from the Grand pas de deux because I think it is one of the most romantic pieces in the classical canon.  I loved trying to find differences from other productions (since I see it every year) and, even though I can't confirm this anywhere, I think that there are new costumes for Dr. Drosselmeyer and his nephew, the snowflakes, the Sugar Plum Fairy's attendants, and the Mirlitons (who now play reed flutes during the dance).  I love attending this ballet every year and I would definitely recommend adding it to your holiday traditions (go here for tickets).  It runs at the Capitol Theatre through December 27 with multiple matinees.

Thriller 2025

Last night I had so much fun at Odyssey Dance Theatre's Halloween-themed dance extravaganza Thriller.  It is one my favorite Halloween traditions and, even though most of the dances are the same every year, I eagerly anticipate every one of them.  My favorites include a group of the undead cavorting in a graveyard in "Thriller" (I love this because it incorporates the choreography from Michael Jackson's iconic music video), a breakdancing mummy and his maidens in "Curse of the Mummy," misbehaving pandas at their first dance recital in "Miss Alli's Nightmare" (I love the one that slowly removes his costume and the once that sits down and refuses to dance), a Pas de Deux that goes horribly wrong in "Frankenstein & Frankenstein" (I love the inclusion of Gene Wilder's overwrought monologue about giving his creation life from Young Frankenstein), tap dancing skeletons that glow in the dark in "Dem Bones," a trio of serial killers who wield a variety of weapons in "Jason Jam" (this is a huge crowd favorite and they seemed even more deranged because they chased a victim through the aisles), scarecrows that terrorize a group of teens in a cornfield in "Children of the Corn" (I love that the cheerleaders' uniforms are from a different school every year), a coven of condemned witches seeking vengeance from beyond the grave in "Salem's Mass" (this is my favorite number), demonic dolls that come to life in "Chucky-Rama" (this features a different youth cast from various dance schools around the valley every night and they are always fantastic), acrobatic vampires stalking an unsuspecting victim in "Lost Boys," and an elaborate costume parade in "Trick or Treat" (my favorite was the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man).  There were also a few new dances and my favorite was a sexy tango in "Gomez & Morticia" (this was especially fun after seeing The Addams Family earlier in the week).  I was happy that Bubbles the Clown once again appeared in between numbers because he is hilarious (I was equally happy that Giggle Girl did not appear this year) and I laughed out loud at a new short film by Scott Winn featuring a dance-off between the wizards from Harry Potter and the vampires from Twilight judged by Gandalf ("You shall not dance!").  There was a large and enthusiastic crowd (it was at the Grand Theatre once again) and I loved cheering along with them for every number!  I highly recommend this for some Halloween fun (go here for tickets) but act quickly because there were very few empty seats last night.  It runs at the Grand Theatre through October 25 and at Tuacahn from October 28-November 1.

Note:  Every year I try to avoid eye contact with the undead who roam the aisles before the show but this did not save me last night because one of them kept sneaking up on me to hiss at me (at one point I jumped a mile out of my seat which made her laugh).  It turns out I was sitting next to her parents.

Christmas 2024

Yesterday was a lovely day!  I celebrated Christmas with my family at my sister Kristine's house and everything was planned by my nephew.  We exchanged stockings (I had Sean and Trent had me) and then we opened presents while it snowed outside (it was quite magical).  I got a quilt, sheets, and pillows for my new bed, an air fryer (which I am really excited to start using), some new shoes, and the movie Dune Part Two (which I am really excited to watch).  We were all very spoiled this year!  After opening presents we continued the tradition started by my mom of having cinnamon rolls and orange juice (this year Kristine made the cinnamon rolls and they were delicious).  In the afternoon we had a wonderful dinner of chicken cordon bleu, twice baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, fruit salad, and rolls.  In the evening we ate lots of treats and played Shanghai rummy, which always gets crazy (I won), then had pie.  It was such a great Christmas and I hope all of you also had a nice day with family and friends.

Gingerbread Houses 2024

Last night we had our annual gingerbread house party and we had a lot of fun!  We always buy kits and this year we got ones that were pre-built (although we had to fix a bit of damage) which saved us a lot of time.  We also always buy more candy to supplement what comes with each kit.

Our gingerbread village

Sean's house

My house

Marilyn's house

Kristine's house

We have had a lot of fun doing lots of Christmas activities with Sean this season!

Ballet West's The Nutcracker 2024

Ballet West's wonderful production of The Nutcracker is one of my favorite traditions (it just wouldn't be Christmas without it) and I was really excited to see it last night.  I love everything about this ballet and I eagerly anticipate every scene and every note from Tchaikovsky's magnificent score (it seemed to go by so quickly last night).  My favorite scenes include the party revealing the Christmas tree to Clara, Fritz, and the rest of the children because it is enchanting, the nutcracker leading a group of toy soldiers in battle against the mice because it is thrilling, and the dance of the Snow Queen and Snow King with their snowflakes because it is dazzling.  When Clara and her Nutcracker Prince reach the Land of Sweets, the Sugar Plum Fairy presents a series of divertissements for their entertainment and I always really love the Arabian dance because it is so exotic and the Russian dance because it is so athletic (it received the loudest applause last night).  However, the scene I anticipate the most is the Grand Pas de Deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier because both Tchaikovsky's music and William Christensen's choreography are almost unbearably romantic (I love when she jumps into his arms and then leans all the way forward almost touching the stage).  I have to admit that I was disappointed because I specifically selected this performance in order to see Katlyn Addison and Adrian Fry in these roles and I was really looking forward to it but there was a casting change.  To be fair, Kristina Pool and Hadriel Diniz danced the roles beautifully and had great chemistry with each other but I was hoping to see my favorites and, unfortunately, I let that influence my enjoyment a bit.  I was, however, still completely caught up in the magic of the stunning sets, the opulent costumes, and the impressive special effects (the people sitting behind me gasped out loud when the nutcracker was transformed and when Clara's sled flew across the stage) and I felt like a child as I always do when watching this ballet.  It is a lovely tradition and I recommend getting a ticket for one of the performances through December 28 (go here).

Pumpkin Carving 2024

Last night we had our annual pumpkin carving party and it was a lot of fun!  I keep waiting for the day when Sean says he doesn't want to continue with these holiday traditions but I'm so happy that he wanted to carve pumpkins this year.  We all went a bit old school with our designs but my favorite one was Sean's "Pumpkin Pie."

I love this Halloween tradition!

Thriller 2024

After a one year hiatus ODT's Halloween-themed dance extravaganza Thriller is back and this news made me so happy because it is one of my favorite traditions this time of year!  I saw the show at the Grand Theatre (it moved there from Kingsbury Hall) last night and it was so much fun.  All of my favorite dances were back including a group of the undead cavorting in a graveyard in "Thriller," a breakdancing Egyptian mummy and his maidens in "Curse of the Mummy," misbehaving pandas at their first dance recital in "Miss Alli's Nightmare," a Pas de Deux that goes horribly wrong in "Frankenstein & Frankenstein," tap dancing skeletons that glow in the dark in "Dem Bones," a trio of Jasons wielding a variety of weapons in "Jason Jam" (this crowd favorite gets more elaborate every year and it was hilarious last night), scarecrows that are not what they seem in "Children of the Corn," a coven of condemned witches seeking vengeance from beyond the grave in "Salem's Mass" (this is my favorite dance), demonic dolls who come to life in "Chucky-Rama," acrobatic vampires who find an unsuspecting victim walking home alone in "Lost Boys," and a costume parade in "Trick or Treat."  Even though I have seen all of these dances over and over year after year, I still look forward to them with great anticipation and I cheer out loud (like everyone else in the audience) when they begin.  This year there were three new dances.  I really liked "Day-O," a spoof of the possession scene from Beetlejuice, and "Squid Skid," a dance competition with the same rules as Squid Game, but "Covid Cotillion," a dance featuring highly exaggerated performance protocols from the pandemic, wasn't very funny.  The artists from Aeris Aerial Arts joined the company once again and performed "Black Widow" (this was new and it was my favorite), "Full Moon," "Phantom of the Opera," and "Slytherin."  I think these numbers are so much fun to watch because I have no idea how the aerialists do what they do!  Bubbles the Clown was back performing in between numbers but, unfortunately, so was Giggle Girl (I think she is so annoying and needs new material).  There was a huge crowd last night so, if you are thinking about getting a ticket (and I recommend that you do), you need to act fast.  It runs at the Grand Theatre through October 26 and at Tuacahn Amphitheare in St. George from October 28 through November 2 (go here for tickets).

Note:  This is my usual warning to avoid making eye contact with the undead roaming around the theatre before the show.

Christmas 2023

Christmas was really lovely this year!  I was so happy that both Sean and Tashena were home and that we could spend the day together!  We woke up early to open presents with the traditional breakfast of cinnamon rolls and orange juice.  I got some new Doc Martens boots, some of my favorite perfume (which made me very happy because I was almost out of it), and physical copies of Barbie and Oppenheimer.  We all took naps in the afternoon and then had a wonderful dinner consisting of honey baked ham, cheesy potatoes, yams, stuffing, asparagus, pomegranate salad, vegetables and dip, and rolls.  After dinner we took a poinsettia to my parents' grave and then played Shanghai Rummy while eating dessert and treats.  We worried that Tashena's fiance Tucker would get overwhelmed with how crazy we get when we play cards but he ended up winning!

I hope that you had a wonderful holiday with the people you love!