The Willow Glen Resident

Photograph by Skye Dunlap

Picture Perfect: Rachel Hansen, left, and Haily Blank work on a Christmas mural that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints will display throughout December.

Children's mural displays spirit of the holidays to community

By Cecily Barnes

On four brisk evenings this December, 300 young children, ages 3-11, will stand nervously in front of Cherry Avenue's Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and bellow the Christmas carols they've been practicing for weeks. Melodies might be off track and voices a bit wobbly, but the spirit of the holidays will be as strong as ever.

"It's just a fun, holiday kind of thing," said coordinator Susan Bingham. "There's no professionals, just a bunch of kids singing."

Although the LDS church has been a part of Willow Glen since it opened in 1959, church leaders decided this was the year to become more involved with the neighborhood.

"We thought it would be a nice touch for the neighborhood to have some actual caroling going on," said George Devine, director of public affairs. "We tend to lose sight of those good old-fashioned family and community traditions."

In addition to caroling, the LDS church will display seven large murals in front of the Cherry Avenue church, depicting the birth of Christ. Kids from the church painted the plates back in August.

"Many people come to Willow Glen to drive down the street and see the lights," Devine said. "We're going to put the murals up in front of the church, on the street, so that people driving around can get the real story of Christmas."

In addition to promoting community spirit, teens from the LDS church will throw a holiday dinner celebration for children and adults from the Santa Clara County Foster and Adoptive Parent Association. During the dinner, families will be entertained with caroling and food donated from Lucky, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Marie Callender's and Coco's. After dinner, the teens will lead a host of activities for the foster kids, including visits to Mr. and Mrs. Claus, crafts, video games and storytelling. While visiting Santa Claus, kids will be allowed to pick a gift from a stack donated by stores, groups and individuals.

"We have these mini-rooms set up," teen Lorna Glasgow said. "In some of them we have computer games planned, and there will be a room with Christmas videos. There's also a crafts room to make ornaments that they stick their picture in for the tree."

Teens from the LDS church have spent hours finding food donors, planning activities, buying supplies and sending off invitations. "It's been a lot of work," Glasgow said. "Every Wednesday night we spend planning."

But their efforts will be well appreciated. Mary Edghill from the Santa Clara County Foster and Adoptive Parent Association says the holiday dinner is a wonderful way to show the children some fun and thank those who've taken abused and abandoned children into their homes. "We see this as an opportunity to show gratitude to the foster and adoptive families who care for our community's children," Edghill said.

Members of the LDS church believe charity and holiday spirit are a way to spread the love of Christ.

"We have made a very determined effort to reach out to the community and do the ministering not just by words but by deeds," Devine said.

The murals will be displayed throughout the month of December, and the children will sing carols on Dec. 5-6 and Dec. 12-13 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is located at 1336 Cherry Ave. in San Jose.

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