The Billings Free Press » Christmas http://www.billingsfreepress.com Anything and Everything about the Greatest City in Montana Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:16:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 en hourly 1 A Christmas To Remember http://www.billingsfreepress.com/2009/12/12/a-christmas-to-remember/ http://www.billingsfreepress.com/2009/12/12/a-christmas-to-remember/#comments Sun, 13 Dec 2009 03:08:43 +0000 Ken http://www.billingsfreepress.com/?p=1816 DSCN2505
This was an attempt to capture The Singing Christmas Tree with a small digital camera without flash so as not to draw attention to myself. We saw and heard this extremely good production on Saturday afternoon. If you have a chance it will be repeated on Sunday afternoon at Emmanuel Baptist Church on Shiloh. If you are going south on Shiloh from say Rimrock, you pass Grand and then Broadwater, where the really big Faith Chapel is, just keep on going past two roundabouts and then a little further, it is on the right.

This was a marvelous musical show with a lot of attention to detail. It was an inspired telling of our Christmas story with enough of the joy-filled mystery of the Incarnation to satisfy a theology professor and enough pure entertainment schlock to satisfy the ordinary Hollywood pagan. Wow. Check these folks out when you get the chance.

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]]> http://www.billingsfreepress.com/2009/12/12/a-christmas-to-remember/feed/ 0 The Bell Ringers of Billings Have Returned http://www.billingsfreepress.com/2009/12/12/the-bell-ringers-of-billings-have-returned/ http://www.billingsfreepress.com/2009/12/12/the-bell-ringers-of-billings-have-returned/#comments Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:20:32 +0000 Ken http://www.billingsfreepress.com/?p=1808 DSCN2484

I was starting to get a little worried that maybe global warming or our recent financial messes had, like the swallows failing to come back to Capistrano, caused the annual migration of Salvation Army bell ringers to move somewhere else. But I was wrong. I saw my first Bell Ringer at Albertson’s on Rehberg and Grand on I think it was St Juan Diego’s Day. The cheerful ringer told me he was from Arizona and he enjoyed the cold weather.

]]> http://www.billingsfreepress.com/2009/12/12/the-bell-ringers-of-billings-have-returned/feed/ 0 The Four Stages of Life http://www.billingsfreepress.com/2008/12/24/the-four-stages-of-life/ http://www.billingsfreepress.com/2008/12/24/the-four-stages-of-life/#comments Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:54:15 +0000 Randy http://www.billingsfreepress.com/?p=522 1. You believe in Santa Claus.

2. You don’t believe in Santa Claus.

3. You are Santa Claus.

4. You look like Santa Claus.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

]]> http://www.billingsfreepress.com/2008/12/24/the-four-stages-of-life/feed/ 3 More Holy Days Happenings http://www.billingsfreepress.com/2008/12/19/more-holy-days-happenings/ http://www.billingsfreepress.com/2008/12/19/more-holy-days-happenings/#comments Fri, 19 Dec 2008 06:11:46 +0000 Ken http://www.billingsfreepress.com/?p=495 img_87511

The Meistersingers, Westwinds, Vox Nova, and the Chamber Choir, all vocal groups from Billings West High School, together with their instrumental friends were in good voice Thursday evening at Mount Olive Lutheran Church. Parents, parishioners and alumni filled the sanctuary. This was billed as a Holiday Concert. And it was, and curiously enough the holiday celebrated was the Nativity, commonly known as Christmas. The brass quintet was a little too loud for the Chamber Choir and the Meistersingers had some trouble with entrances in the Hallelujah Chorus but these kids sang with passionate hearts and the audience knew it.

The numbers that really stood out were the comic Straight No Chaser arrangement of The Twelve Days of Christmas by the Westwinds; Elgar’s The Snow by all the ladies was splendidly mystical and musical; and What Child Is This? by the Meistersingers.

A nice touch was ending with Beautiful Savior by everybody including alumni. I noticed some recent graduates among the guys and a number of proud moms and maybe a few dads amongst the alumni. It takes a community to raise great kids.

]]> http://www.billingsfreepress.com/2008/12/19/more-holy-days-happenings/feed/ 0 Rejoicing in the Best Season of the Year http://www.billingsfreepress.com/2008/12/17/rejoicing-in-the-best-season-of-the-year/ http://www.billingsfreepress.com/2008/12/17/rejoicing-in-the-best-season-of-the-year/#comments Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:43:15 +0000 Ken http://www.billingsfreepress.com/?p=469 Of course I mean the Christmas Season, more accurately the Advent/Christmas/Epiphany Season if you are using the Church calendar or simply the Holiday Season if you are like most of us. Whatever bad things you may have to say about our schools, you must agree that they turn out large numbers of good singers and instrumentalists, many of whom get together at this time of the year to celebrate and they invite the community in to help them celebrate. Some notes and pictures from some of these are here.

First of all there is Thanksgiving with the Nutcracker Ballet, usually from somewhere in the Northwest, in late November. Then there are a heavenly host full of concerts by the Community Orchestra and Band, the Al Bedoo Chanters, the Magic City Singers, Rocky Mountain College Festival Lessons and Carols, the high school bands and choirs, Bellissimo, Messiah Festival, not to forget the offerings of Billings Studio Theatre and Venture Theatre, and then another Nutcracker, this time from Moscow, a trip down Memory Lane with the Kingston Trio on New Years Eve, Midnight Masses and all the other Christmas celebrations. Happy Holy Days.

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