A week after the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's annual Christmas concert, Utah military personnel serving abroad will get a chance to see a bit of what they missed in Salt Lake City.

"Holiday Notes From Home," a Christmas concert filmed by the choir in the Conference Center last summer especially for the military, will air in 175 countries this weekend on American Forces Network television, which is available only to active duty personnel via cable and satellite. Specific program schedules for various parts of the world can be accessed on the internet at www.myafn.net.

Bob Matheson, director of broadcasting for American Forces Network in Riverside, Calif., e-mailed the Deseret Morning News after previewing the program on Thursday. "It's wonderful! Your readers with military friends and relatives overseas can e-mail them to be sure to watch. This is a very special holiday event not to be missed."

The 60-minute program combines Christmas music with a salute to the military, and features the Air Force Band of the Reserves along with Christian vocalist Sandi Patty.

Matheson, who served in Vietnam, praised choir director Craig Jessop and his musicians for their efforts to give troops in far-flung locales a taste of Christmas devoted especially to them.

He remembers his first experience on duty at Christmastime. "For the person who has never experienced it before, it's a real change. Your whole life you've looked forward to Christmas and what that means to be with family. Suddenly, there you are away — and it's hard for those experiencing if for the first time."

Matheson said the network "has been carrying programs from Temple Square forever," though none of the previous programs have been directed specifically toward military personnel.

A student at Brigham Young University had notified a friend of Matheson's that another of the choir's previous Christmas broadcasts was airing on PBS Wednesday night, so Matheson said he tuned in. "It was glorious. So I came into the office today and watched the 'Holiday Notes' program that we're airing. I thought I should tell you I'm watching and it's fabulous.

"We sincerely appreciate all those who made it possible. It's a very special tribute to a very special and deserving audience — our troops."

AFN is the only broadcast network that will air the program this season, and only those with an AFN decoder can view the program via satellite. The decoders allow AFN programming to be directed specifically to the U.S. military.

Mark Allison, chaplain at University Hospital, said the summertime Christmas concert was greatly appreciated by local soldiers. He gave away 100 tickets to the event and heard nothing but positive feedback, he said.