The theater at the Hansen Planetarium was filled with families. The heavens swirled and the lights pulsed and music surrounded them. The occasion? Nothing less than Laser Christmas in 3-D.
The new 3-D version of Laser Christmas is only slightly different from previous versions. You wear cardboard glasses that make some lights look closer than other lights but that also make a shiny band across the heavens, so you might end up taking the glasses off. Either way, you'll enjoy the show.Teens in the audience were amused by the roller-coaster effects of the Digistar machine, which casts stars upon the dome and then spins them. Only the most stern of stomach can keep their eyes open without getting seasick.
The children were tickled by the colored laser lights bursting like fireworks above their heads. They also liked the songs, especially "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer."
And as for the parents in the audience, they enjoyed the peace. Maybe peace is a funny word to use to describe a laser light show, but when contrasted with the rest of life in America during Advent, 3-D Christmas was peaceful. Sitting in the dark, watching the stars and pretty lights, listening to Bing Crosby and Brenda Lee and to children giggling all about us - we oldsters in the crowd actually felt kind of calm.