12 Days of Christmas: Day 5

A big deal on my mission was when we received portable DVD players. We were able to do all this missionary training that we weren’t receiving before, and we could watch church videos to prep for sharing them with investigators. My second Christmas, Mama sent me a series of “Advent DVDs,” with Mormon messages. It was four DVDs, with the first for December 1-6, the second 7-12, etc. I loved these DVDs, and watched them several times during that Christmas season. My two favorites? “In the Spirit of Thanksgiving” and the New Years “Look Not Behind Thee.” That’s pretty funny, given that those two focused on Thanksgiving and New Years instead of Christmas. 😉 I’ve attached them below:

I really treasured the first DVD, because it not only had those two videos, but the opening screen had a Christmas Carol that I didn’t know well, but that I thought was beautiful! It had a haunting melody, and I would play it on repeat so that I could listen to it over and over again. I distinctly remember putting the DVD player on our dining room table so that I could listen to it while making dinner. Here’s the carol if you’re interested in listening to it:

When I came home, I eventually figured out that it was called “the Wexford Carol.” It’s actually an Irish carol, and focuses on Christ’s Nativity. Whenever I hear it, usually when I’m listening to a collection of King Singer’s Christmas music or the Tabernacle Choir, it takes me back to my mission, and it’s one of those happy memories that I didn’t realize are so few and far between. 😉 Thanks for sending those DVDs, Mama, they sure meant a lot to me!

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