Serving Arizona Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
November – December 2019 • Vol 45 • No 6 • Est 1975
Enjoying Christmas lights at the Washington, D.C. Temple visitor’s center. Photo by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Forgotten Carols Michael McLean Reimagines His Holiday Hit By Merry Gordon
“L
ook, Charlie, let’s face it. We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket,” says the Peanuts’ Lucy Van Pelt in A Charlie Brown Christmas. ‘Tis the season indeed. And when the same saccharine, pop-tacular Christmas carols assault shoppers
Photo by Danno Nell
from every mall speaker and car radio, it’s easy to agree with that sentiment. But Latter-day Saint performer, songwriter and playwright Michael McLean’s The Forgotten Carols reminds us that there are songs and stories we haven’t heard. McLean is always ready for the
season—“I put the tree up on Labor Day!”—and ready for a fresh take on his beloved musical. He acknowledges that Christmas stories can feel a little “emotionally manipulative,” as he puts it, “but the Spirit is way beyond that.” Rather than merely retelling the Christmas narra-
tive or focusing on the commercial pleasures of the season, The Forgotten Carols focuses on both the Holy Spirit and the spirit of Christmas and “gives us a chance to see how we choose Him.”
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