Here it is, late Saturday night, and on KBYU television is a rebroadcast of a Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert from 2002. I had to rewind and listen again to Infant Holy, Infant Lowly, a Polish carol the choir sang, arranged by the incomparable Mack Wilberg, who was also conducting the choir and orchestra. Wow, Mr. Wilberg is a genius! I love his arrangements.

As I've commented elsewhere before, in recent years the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has really become better, dramatically better. Not that they were ever bad--on the contrary--they've just improved musically. And adding the Orchestra at Temple Square in 1999 was a brilliant, inspired idea. Together the choir and orchestra have a synergy that is wonderful.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir acquiring Mack Wilberg from BYU (also in 1999) as an associate director was another wise move. (*Laugh* It's funny phrasing it that way--as if the choir were a sports team that acquired a new star player.) It was fun to hear the choir sing arrangements I'd become familiar with at first from some of my recordings of BYU's musical groups.

I hope Mr. Wilberg doesn't mind if I just refer to him as Mack. I promise whenever I say or write "Mack", it's done so as respectfully as possible and with great admiration. I'm a Mack Fan!

In addition to Mack's excellent arrangements, let me add that I also enjoy the arrangements of Barlow Bradford. And, as the choir often sings the compositions of John Rutter, I admit to being a Rutter fan too. (Yes, I love Rutter's Cambridge Singers as well.)

Here's a list of some of my favorite Mormon Tabernacle Choir CDs that I own. They are populated with a wealth of Mack's and Barlow's arrangements as well as those done by others.

• The Sound of Glory - A Telarc recording (Telarc knows how to make a great recording), this one is full of inspirational songs, including the Battle Hymn of the Republic. This might be my all-time favorite MoTab CD.
• A Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas - An excellent Christmas CD, also released under the Telarc label. When I first heard the track Carol of the Bells, the Ukrainian Carol composed by Mykola Leontovych, I was astonished as it sounded nothing like I was expecting. The unique arrangement done by Barlow Bradford left me speechless.

Now on the television, the KBYU rebroadcast of the choir's concert is continuing with Walter Cronkite, who is finishing up his narration a story about Christmas in 1914 during World War I, the German soldiers on one side, the English soldiers on the other, how the bitter enemies united briefly at Christmas, and even held a Christmas service together, praying together, and singing together. An amazing story!

I love the Christmas season! I love singing Christmas Carols with my family. I love the colored lights adorning homes and yards. I love the spirit of giving, of care and concern for one's fellow men. And I love celebrating the birth of Christ, of Him who condescended below all things to lift all of us and give us opportunity to return and live with Heavenly Father through Christ's marvelous resurrection and atonement.

I guess I agree with the opening line from an old vinyl Andy Williams Christmas album my mother used to play each year while I was growing up, "It's the most wonderful time of the year!"