For Laura Stevens, and the cast of The Heart of Christmas Show, the months leading up to Christmas are orchestrated chaos. Countless hours of rehearsals, set building, choreography changes and long nights lead up to two weeks of exhausting performances. The group puts on shows for local schools in addition to performing for the public the weekend after Thanksgiving. But at the end of the performances, no one remembers the exhaustion leading up to the production of The Heart of Christmas Show. Instead, they remember the laughter and love that are the essence of the show. And that’s what they hope their audience takes away as well.

“When was the last time you really took a moment … stopped your hustle and bustle and took the time to celebrate the Christmas Season?” asked Stevens. “This show celebrates everything that is Christmas. From winter wonderlands to funny reindeer to tear-jerking songs of hope to the glory of the birth of Jesus Christ, the reason for the season, this show covers all the wonderful colors of Christmas!

It is her belief that in celebrating those colors, Christmas remains the magical time it is supposed to be. And in Fayetteville, The Heart of Christmas Show is integral to the magic of the season.

Celebrating its 14th anniversary, the show is a “full-blown, whistles and bells, Broadway-style production that has something for everyone!” If you’ve never gone to the show before, you need to fasten your seatbelts and prepare yourself for a full-on visual and auditory experience that will make you laugh and cry, all while reminding you that Christmas is really all about love.

The first half of the show is humorous, and you will find yourself laughing, and maybe singing along with the cast as they take you on a trip down Santa Claus Way. The second half of the show portrays the true meaning of Christmas through deeply moving and spiritual songs that are accompanied by dance.

Stevens explains that people come from all across the Southeast to see the show. For many, it is a family tradition, almost the starting point of their holiday season. For many, finding a show of this caliber in Fayetteville is mind blowing. The show has been compared to shows you will find in professional theatres in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and Branson, Mo. The show features a 36-member cast of singers and dancers. At its center are the beautiful and talented members of Voices of the Heart.

The group started in 1998 as a teaching outlet for Stevens, a vocal performance coach. That year, she picked eight of her students between the ages of 11 and 15 to start the group. The next year, the group entered a national gospel competition and won the best overall award in a competition that featured more than 200 adult acts. That was the impetus for the creation of The Heart of Christmas Show, which features young performers who use their talent to help sick and abused children in the community. The motto of the show is “Children helping children.” This is an ethos the girls who are chosen to be in Voices of the Heart live day-in and day-out, as they keep a heavy touring schedule singing at churches, patriotic events, fairs and large gospel venues. Most recently, they helped kick-off the Community Concert series opening for the legendary Gladys Knight.

This year is one of change for the group, which lost a veteran member last year. This year the group has expanded its core, and Stevens expects great things. The group is led by veteran performers Rachel Crenshaw, 17; Hannah Godbold, 17; Katelyn Godbold, 15; and Hannah Pritchard 14. Joining the group this year are Taylor Bridges, 16; Kaylan Sinclair, 15; and Ashlyn Hall, 12.

“These seven girls offer a rare thing ... beauty on the inside as well as the outside. No doubt this will be an exceptional group in talent but it will be remembered as a good-hearted and kind group of girls who showed love and expressed kindness to all,” said Stevens. “They all have relationships with the Lord in ways that I am excited about for this group and for each of them. It’s hard to live as a Christian teenager in the current society and it is very difficult to pass and maintain the requirements of a VOH girl. Very hard. I applaud these seven precious young ladies in their efforts to live a lifestyle that shines bright for the Lord!”

In The Heart of Christmas Show, the group is the central set of performers, but they are joined by other members of Stevens’ studio, as well as by dancers from the Linda Kinlaw School of Dance. Last year, more than 12,000 people came to see this fun, family event. And while many people come to the show for the entertainment, Stevens and her cast know it’s about much more than that. Last year, the show raised more than $32,000 to be distributed to different agencies that help sick and abused children in the community. In years past the children’s programs at Cape Fear Valley Hospital and the Child Advocacy Center have been among the many agencies that have benefited from the proceeds of the show. In total, since its inception, the show has raised more than $350,000.

Stevens knows that while people see the show as a holiday tradition, she has to keep it fresh and new every year. In 2011, the show had some new and exciting arrangements of traditional seasonal songs along with an unexpected but highly applauded Mary Poppins segment! As always, Stevens looks for ways to top the previous year and this year is no different, while the show will still contain some audience favorites, it will also offer some newly arranged songs and dance numbers.“

There are some really cool openers and closers in the show,” said Stevens. “It should be a really exciting show.”

The cast promises that you will “laugh, cry and be in awe of the beauty and wonder of Christmas.”

Stevens said that the show would not be possible without the help of the sponsors, who, even in the midst of economic hardship, have put aside money to continue in their support of the show. She noted that they have taken ownership of the show, and that without their generous giving neither the show nor the donations to charities would be possible.

The show is on stage for public performances two days only: Saturday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 25 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $12 and are on sale now at the Crown Box Offi ce, Hawley’s Bicycle World and Ticketmaster. For more information, visit www.heartofchristmasshow.com.