Church’s 14th annual Christmas festival slated for Dec. 8-9
HUNTSVILLE — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will once again work to bring a little Christmas spirit to the community through their 14th annual Christmas celebration at their Huntsville Stake Center Dec. 8-9.
The big event, which has regularly seen more than 1,000 attendees in years past, is a collaboration between both the Huntsville and Madison stakes of the church that will feature Christmas concerts and live nativity scenes.
Two concerts will take place each day beginning at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. featuring an 80-voice choir and 40-piece orchestra to perform Christmas music for all to enjoy. Each concert is expected to last 45 minutes.
Jennifer Peel, of the church’s Madison 1st Ward, said Christmas music works wonders in bringing the Christmas spirit into her own life, and she is routinely impressed with the performances of the choir and orchestra.
“That choir is so amazing,” she remarked. “You can tell they put a lot of preparation and time into it. I always, when I have attended, gotten chills. It just really sets the tone for the holidays.”
Attendees will also have the pleasure of taking an inspirational walk through an indoor live nativity that will feature four different scenes from the Bible’s nativity story, with a total of eight sessions over the weekend. These sessions will take place directly before and after each concert performance and last about 30 minutes each time. “They always have a real baby to play Baby Jesus,” Peel added. “That’s always such a sweet scene.”
Following each live nativity showing, attendees will also have a chance to reflect while viewing a small display of nativity sets, handmade quilts and Christmas decorations.
“So many people put so much time and effort into [the festival],” Peel said. “I’m always amazed how willing people are to put in that kind of time and effort, especially this time of year.”
The festival celebration is free to attend and is open to the entire community. Because of this, the church will not solicit or accept offerings.
“We love this community, and this is our gift to the whole community, and we hope that they’ll come and enjoy it,” Peel said.
The church’s Huntsville Stake Center is located at 1804 Sparkman Drive NW. For more information on the festival or to make concert reservations, visit huntsvillechristmasfestival.org.
