Santa Claus is anyone who loves another and seeks to make them happy; who gives himself by thought or word or deed in every gift that he bestows.
Edwin Osgood Grover, American publisher and educator, 1870 – 1965
By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org
Do you hear what I hear?
The annual GVSU Christmas Eve Carillon Concert will take place at 9:30 p.m. at the Pew Campus, 401 W. Fulton St., downtown Grand Rapids. Patrons are invited to drive-up and park in one of the lots near the carillon and listen to the performance by Carillonneur Julianne Vanden Wyngaard. The concert is free.
Look to the stars
The Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium at the Grand Rapids Public Museum has reopened and is featuring three different shows: “Let It Snow,” “Under Starlit Skies,” “Ice World,” and “Incoming!” which is narrated by “Star Trek’s” George Takei. For a full Chaffee Planetarium show schedule, visit grpm.org/planetarium. Also, the Public Museum will be open throughout the holidays. Visit grpm.org for the museum’s holiday schedule.
Bah-Humbug!
Get into the holiday spirit with the classic Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” currently being presented by the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre. The company is live streaming the performance through Broadway On Demand through Dec. 31. Tickets are $9.99 for individuals and $24.99 for families. For more information, visit grct.org.
Fun Fact: Bells in Space
In 1965, “Jingle Bells” became the first song broadcast from space when the astronauts aboard Gemini 6 decided to play a prank on Mission Control and performed the song on a harmonica and actual jingle bells they had smuggled on board. Another fun fact about the song is that was originally composed as a Thanksgiving song by James Lord Pierport who premiered the piece as “One Horse Sleigh” at his church’s Thanksgiving performance.
