WHAT: Christmas in My Soul, a multicultural holiday program with Mary Finley, Jeremy Scott and Lorrie Wilson.

WHEN: 1 to 4 p.m. Dec. 9.

WHERE: Lake House Health & Learning Center, 932 Lake Ave.

COST: Tickets are $10. Reservations are encouraged as space is limited.

INFO: Call (262) 633-2645 for reservations. For more about Lake House, visit http://www.lakehousecenter.com

As the Christmas season rapidly approaches, Mary Finley asks the question "Where is Christmas?"

"It's not in the mall, or in the many gifts we give and receive," said Finley, founder of the One Love Institute. "It is in the soul."

Finley, who is a theologist and an "edutainer," will share her vision of Christmas in a multicultural program called "Christmas in My Soul," which will take place Dec. 9 at the Lake House Health & Learning Center, 932 Lake Ave. In addition to Finley, the public event will feature the talents of saxophonist Jeremy Scott and alto soprano Lorrie Wilson. Together they will present an afternoon of sharing and song, including sacred gospel and secular holiday music, as well traditional and black Christmas spirituals.

The idea is to expand people's thinking about ways to celebrate holidays that can connect them with their cultures. People of all ages, ethnicities and faiths are welcome.

"I hope to start a new tradition where people can create new memories for themselves and their families, as we celebrate our shared diversity," said Finley, who has worked in the fields of community and church development for 30 years. "It will be a soulful afternoon."

Finley, who was born in Mississippi and grew up in Racine, created the One Love Institute - a community building and personal development organization - about 10 years ago, after returning to Racine from the East Coast and other parts of the country. Its purpose is to nurture the relationship between spirituality and social awareness. One Love uses holiday celebrations and rituals to effect social change and empower communities by creating educational awareness, unity and healing, explained Finley, who is also a member of the African-American Holiday Association.

The institute and its programs have grown out of her work with various faith and community organizations while living and working in Washington, D.C. It was in the nation's capital that the Alverno College graduate began her journey with global race and religion issues, working with the United Church of Christ, the Universal Sisterhood and other interfaith groups. That journey has been rich with inspiration from the many people Finley met along the way, including Nelson and Winnie Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, all of whom had a profound impact on her.

"These great leaders, along with Dr. Martin Luther King, played an important role in my growing awareness of what it means to be a global citizen," said Finley. "It is important to take time to reflect upon what they had to say. We can gain a lot from experiencing other people's philosophies."

One example she gave is the Ubuntu philosophy, a traditional African humanistic concept. Tutu explains as follows:

"A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs to a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed."

Such thinking, along with multicultural holiday programs such as Langston Hughes' "Black Nativity" (a staged re-telling of the classic Nativity story) serve as inspiration for Finley's "Christmas in My Soul" program, which will include seasonal readings and meditations, along with the music.

Refreshments will be served, and participants can tour the decorated Lake House as well.

"A lot of people travel to Chicago or Milwaukee for entertainment like this," Finley said. "I think it will be a nice thing for Racine."

It is also one of many things Finley hopes to share with the people of Racine County.

Workshops on prayer and healing, house concerts and the exploration of non-traditional holidays are all part of her plans for the institute's future.

"One Love is something that comes from my heart," she said.