Description

December 1914 was grim for the thousands of soldiers who had dug into the frozen trenches on either side of Flanders Field. What lay between them in the early months of the First Great War was a field of sorrow—No Man's Land—littered with barbed wire and decaying corpses.

But somehow, amidst the fear and anger, a miracle occurred. As Christmas Day approached, the weapons of war fell silent, men ventured out of the trenches, gifts were exchanged, and the sober duty of remembering the dead was commenced. For two days, the spirit of Christmas filled the air, and a remarkable "Christmas Truce" brightened spirits. When night fell, and that memorable Christmas slipped into the past, one last sound broke the silence: a chorus, from either side, singing, in native tongue, "Silent Night."

Nearly a century later, this remarkable story was retold by Walter Cronkite and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square to thousands of concertgoers at their annual Christmas concert. Silent Night, Holy Night is a commemoration of that presentation. Beautiful illustrations from award-winning illustrator Robert T. Barrett are accompanied by the text of the evening's program—a story you can read aloud or listen along with—and a CD that includes Walter Cronkite's incomparable narration of the story and the Choir's stirring rendition of "Silent Night."