When people think of Mormons, one of the few things they often know is that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints abstain from alcoholic drinks. I’ve known a few people who seem to think that you can’t have fun without a little help from the bottle, and for them the idea of an alcohol-free Mormon party sounds really boring. And depending on what they look for in a party, perhaps they are right. Bill Cosby has a few words for those in that camp.
After Thanksgiving, my uncle, cousin, brother-in-law, brother, and various other Wilson friends and family came over to my parents home for a spontaneous jam session. We had a blast laughing and dancing and suggesting new songs. So I wanted to share our Good Ol’ Clean Mormon Family Fun with the rest of you. Here they are with a spontaneous, improvised rendition of Sing Sing Sing (with a swing):
[Watch The Video on Google Video]
Just because we avoid vice and sin doesn’t mean we don’t know how to have a good time. Brigham Young was known to encourage the Mormon pioneers, after a long day of pulling carts across the plains, to pull out their instruments and dance and sing. That is part of our heritage, and joy is central to our doctrine. Is everything perfect? No. We have real problems with lost jobs, no medical insurance, serious health problems, struggles with ADD, failed relationships, bankruptcy, sick kids, and on and on. But just like the pioneers dancing out in the middle of nowhere, we don’t let our troubles keep us from finding joy and having a great time.
Now, you might not find a party like ours all that fun. And that’s fine with us. But I expect that our stone-cold-sober Mormon parties are more fun and more memorable than the alternative. While we may get a brain-freeze head-ache from all the ice-cream, we probably wont ever wake up with a hangover the next day. And we might come away having lost at a dozen games of Uno, but we’ll never wake up in bed with a stranger having lost not only our memory of how we got there, but our virtue.
So, if you are tired of drunken hedonism and are looking for some real happiness, come talk to us. We’d be happy to let you and your family join the real party! Your problems wont magically vanish, but you’ll have a great time anyway.