The Christmas Pageant!

The Christmas Pageant

Christmas Pageant 2013 (Manger Scene)

 In the midst of getting my Shop’s ready for Christmas, filling Custom Orders, etc., my main goal during the Christmas Holiday, is the preparation of our annual Christmas Pageant in our Parish Church.  I started organizing the Pageant about 23 years ago when my boys were very young. 

All the Children in the Pageant

Since that time, we have now grown to 70 children.  This year we had the largest group of little Angels and Shepherds. The planning of our Pageant begins in November and by the beginning of December, our little Committee of 3, my daughter, Kelly Baker-Wolfe, Jan DeLeo, and myself, start assigning the parts.  The children range in age from 4 to 12.  The older children, of course, have the main parts of Mary, Joseph, the Angel Gabriel, Wisemen, etc. Something our little Angels and Shepherds look forward to as they progress from year to year.  Once the parts have been assigned, without hurt feelings, and the comments from a few of the parents, who want their child to have one of the “main” parts, the Practices begin!

Angels

Shepherds 

The past few years, I have turned the Directing over to my daughter Kelly, while I concentrate on getting all the costumes ready for the children, making a few alterations here and there.  It is amazing to see how well Kelly works with the children - by the end of the first practice, all the children know exactly what to do, where to stand, and all their cues.  Even more rewarding is having my little grandson in the Pageant; he started about 4 years ago at age 2 mo., as the “Infant Jesus”.

Zachary (2 mo) "Infant Jesus"

The success of the Pageant is well noted as the Narrators (children grades 5-7) begin to tell the story of the Nativity, and you look at the smiles on the faces of each parent. Although our little angels, who range in age from age 4 - 7, completely steal the show; along with our little shepherds of the same age group, the other children are so professional, as they kneel so reverently portraying, Mary and Jesus from the time they are approached by the Angel Gabriel, to the birth of Jesus, and the arrival of the Wisemen.  Our youngest participant this year was just 1 mo. old, playing the "Infant Jesus."

 The final scene begins with the Children’s Choir singing “The Little Drummer Boy” (this year we had 2 Drummer boys, and one little Drummer Girl (who is also one of my students), all just 4 yrs. of age, walk so very slowly down the center aisle playing their drums while the choir sings.  The Little Drummer with the hat is my grandson, Zachary. The most adorable thing is not only watching them, but watching the little angels singing their hearts out - pa rum pum pum pum, I could continue talking about the beauty of the children in the Pageant, but the pictures tell it all.

Zachary as "The Little Drummer Boy"

A lot of the credit goes not just to the Director, but to the small group of parents, as well as a few students, two of whom, Olivia and Alyssa, who both portrayed Mary a few years ago; who dedicate their time each year helping with the Pageant.  They each automatically assume the various jobs that they have taken over each year; assembling the little Angels, Shepherds, and Wisemen, as well as the  Drummer Boy’s and Girl. It is this team work that makes this so successful.

I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures, visualizing each child in their part; as much as I enjoy working with these little ones, while already thinking ahead of next year’s Pageant!