The Mormon community is a very close-knit organization. We have our regular Sabbath meetings as well as different meetings during the week. The women’s organization has a regular weeknight meeting once a month. The organization for young women ages 12-18 meets one night a week; same for the young men ages 12-18. Once a month the young men and young women will combine for their weekly activity. The Cub Scouts (boys ages 8-11) also meet once a week. The girls ages 8-11 meet twice a month. In the women’s organization, called Relief Society, women are paired up and assigned specific women to go and visit once a month. Men are also paired up and asked to visit specific families once a month. There are all great opportunities to get to know each other and spend time together.

We do have a health code. It’s called the Word of Wisdom and is found in Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants. There’s a good article about it here: http://www.mormonwiki.com/Word_of_Wisdom. The Word of Wisdom tells us basically what is healthy and then tells us what we should not put into our bodies. Those things include alcohol, tobacco, and “hot drinks.” Remember that this law was given by revelation to a prophet in the 1800’s. Shortly after, hot drinks were defined as coffee and tea. Later, science began to define the harmful substances in coffee and tea, and caffeine seemed to be the most harmful. But there is no law against eating or drinking things that contain caffeine. Some Mormons avoid soft drinks that contain caffeine, according to their conscience, but that’s not part of the health law. Most Mormons eat chocolate, too. Lately, when modern prophets have addressed members of the Church, they have counseled regarding the use of “recreational” drugs or the abuse of prescription or over-the-counter drugs as well. The reason is, that the Word of Wisdom is actually forbidding things that are addictive and change behavior. The Lord wants us to be free. Also, He wants our bodies to be clean and pure, so the Holy Ghost can dwell within us.

Hi Jerica! Thanks for the question. Santa’s obviously a non-religious figure and is associated with Christmas in various countries. I’ll have to answer from an American cultural point of view. Mormons use Christmas decorations, wrappings, and cards that depict Santa Claus, just like the public at large. American Mormons celebrate the typical American Christmas, and people in other countries keep those cultural traditions that don’t conflict with their beliefs. However, Mormons celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmastime and try to do what they can to center themselves on the true meaning of Christmas. This is difficult, since the secular trappings of Christmas celebration take a lot of time, energy, and resources. For more information, go to http://www.mormonwiki.com/Christmas and http://www.mormontabernaclechoir.org. In late November the lights go on at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, a real spectacle, and there are special celebrations and performances constantly until Christmas.

Cimi,
Thanks for your question. Our organization is comprised of ordinary members who are sharing our faith online. Your question is timely. We have just posted to the Internet a new site, where you can download free, hundreds of songs performed by members of the church, and get a good idea of the type of musicians within the church. It is still under construction, but it should help you. Check back regularly. It is even being enhanced as we speak and should have new components tomorrow.
Hope this helps!
http://www.mormonmusic.org

Best,
Jonathan