Holiday Pageant

A Baby Too

Jesus was a baby too

Round and soft and frail like you.

Mary cuddled him close and warm

while Joseph kept him safe from harm.

Shepherds came, Him to adore.

Wise men followed the shining star,

to a stable small and dim

and found the seeping babe within.

Gifts they brought for the baby small

for He was born to save us all.

~ By Annette Gagliardi

As luck would have it, my son-in-law had to work, so I got his ticket at the last minute. Seating was reservations only and pre-assigned. So, once again I was blessed to be in the audience: a member of the family of man.

What a gift to be reminded of the Christmas story, which has been told and retold again and again. The older we get, the more we love the story and the children’s voices that inspire and enchant us. The more poignant these programs become for us.

The students and staff all wore masks this year, as did the audience. The hard work of so many adults to meet the safety protocol that parents and grandparents adhered to in an effort to keep each other safe, was evident and honored.

I could not see the student’s mouths move, but the rise & fall of their chests, the hand and arm movements more than sufficed. The singers were as clear as any other year.

And the message was the same message as well:

Christ is born

Love one another

Rejoice in the lord

The first graders, with their enchanting voices sang one of my all – time favorite’s: Mamma Mary, which asks Mary “How did you feel?”—such a fascinating question to one of the most profound events of all time. How would you feel if an angel appeared to you? Would you so easily believe? And Mary said yes immediately. She was obedient without backtalk, without suspicion, without even thinking about it. I wonder how she felt to know she was the mother of God.

So, I ask you:

How do you feel when children pronounce the good news? When you hear that sweet message once again that you’ve heard your whole life from the mouths of babes?

How do you feel when you hear the familiar songs that bring you back to your own childhood? (These songs may be the Christian Nativity songs, the popular holiday songs of the season or other songs more specific to your religion or the region where you live.)

How do you feel when you think of all that you are blessed with-through no fault or effort of your own, just pure dumb luck, or in a Christian’s viewpoint by the blessings of God?

I just finished reading “The Stranger in the Lifeboat” by Mitch Albom which poses that very question. Would you believe a stranger if they said they were God? What would it take for you to believe? I think, during this dark time of year we are more likely to believe because we want the safety of belief. We don’t want to be abandoned, alone and lonely. That was a central theme in this story: “I will always be with you.”

Christmas pageants are a genre of their own.

Each grade needs to sing one or two songs. The youngest students always go first. The kindergarten or first graders do the pageant with older kids singing the more jazzy tunes. The older kids are more in sync with their arm and hand movements, but we love it when the little kids make mistakes. The highlight is the nativity pageant with a young Mary and Joseph. There is always a reprisal of an earlier song and everyone sings in the finale, when all the students fill the stage, the aisles and every extra space in the room. I was amazed that the large groups of kids could enter and exit the stage and file in and out of the auditorium so quietly. This is a concert of movement as well as song.

In years past I could never really see my own child. They were too far back or on the other side of the stage. Or they didn’t look at me when I wanted to take a picture. With the costumes , I was never sure if that was my kid or his best friend. Yet I could recognize the bathrobe from our house or the headdress I made—which isn’t to say my child was wearing it.

And this year as well as any other, my heart swelled up with pride and love for my child and all the kids as they did us proud.

Much like kitten or puppy videos, there is a degree of cuteness freely provided by the young children, who sing their hearts out. When they sing off-key, we love it. When they do the hand motions, in sync or out, we love it. Even the Sonny & Cher hit, ‘I got you, babe’ was cute and so touching. Yes, I’m a sap for a cute kids performance, as are their parents and grandparents. So, audience participation is an important element. the love in the room warms and fills the auditorium so that if staff were savvy enough to ask for money right after the performance, they would raise a fortune.

The kids retell the story told for centuries, with bathrobes on shepherds and paper crowns on wise men, with innocence and DIY decorations that reflect the humble beginning of Jesus and remind us of the value of humility.

The song, “Kermit’s Christmas Wish” ended the pageant this year and I left with a tear in my eye.

So, in the words of Kermit the Frog, “I don’t know if you believe in Christmas
Or if you have presents underneath the Christmas tree. But if you believe in love, that will be more than enough . . . “

The Christmas Wish

John Denver, The Muppets

I don’t know if you believe in Christmas
Or if you have presents underneath the Christmas tree
But if you believe in love, that will be more than enough
For you to come and celebrate with me

For I have held the precious gift that love brings
Even though I never saw a Christmas star
I know there is a light, I have felt it burn inside
And I have seen it shining from afar

Christmas is the time to come together
a time to put all differences aside
And I reach out my hand to the family of man
To share the joy I feel at Christmas time

For the truth that binds us all together
I would like to say a simple prayer
That at this special time
you will have true peace of mind
And love to last throughout the coming year

And if you believe in love, that will be more than enough
For peace to last throughout the coming year
And peace on earth will last throughout the year

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Danny Akken Wheetman

All Photos by Rachel Gagliardi.