When we remember a special Christmas, it is not the presents that made it special, but the laughter, the feeling of love, and the togetherness of friends and family that made that Christmas special. ~Catherine Pulsifer
Sunday we talked about Candlelight Services, and how much those of us who had been to one of those services liked that worship experience. But another tradition for many years at our church was a Christmas program presented by our young people.
I was never part of the cast of a Christmas play when I was a kid, but my children did get that pleasure. They were shepherds and Wise Men and angels. I can’t remember them ever taking the lead Mary and Joseph roles, but those supporting roles were fun for them. Some years we branched out and had a different Christmas play where kids still learned the true reason for the season. In those, they had parts to memorize and sometimes Bible verses to recite. Of course, they always sang carols, usually with the help of the congregation. It was always fun and a little hectic getting the children in costume and where they needed to be when they needed to be there.
The picture is of one of the Nativity scene programs we had at our church. By then, my children were already adults and off to their own lives. More years went by and our church aged with few young people attending. The last program we had some years ago, the person in charge of getting the program organized recruited some adults to join in as the three Wise Men. Since then, we’ve had more adult driven programs of reading the Christmas story and singing carols. Still good, but nothing like those programs with kids in their dads’ bathrobes and angels with halos made from wire hangers and tinsel.
I used some of my memories of Christmas programs in writing a scene in my Hollyhill book, Summer of Joy. For fun, I’ll share a shortened version of it here for you. David is watching from one of the pew with Leigh by his side.
The church was nearly full. A children’s Christmas program always brought the people in. Mothers and daddies, grandparents, aunts and uncles packed the pews to see their little shepherd, angel or wise man in his or her moment of glory.
Up front Miss Sally and Lela Martin were shooing the shepherds in their bathrobes and towel head wraps out from behind the white sheet curtains toward where red construction paper flames stuck up out of a pile of sticks laid out in front of the podium. The pulpit had been moved to the side to make room for the hill where the shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks.
On the other side of the stage, Dorothy McDermott and Myra Hearndon pushed four little sheep out into the limelight. They crawled toward the shepherds slowly to keep from losing their cotton ball fleeces and ears. Two of the sheep, the Hearndon twins, at two and half had been prone to wander from the flock in practices. Myra had tried to talk Miss Sally out of putting them in the play, but Miss Sally insisted every child needed a part.
When Myra worried about her twins wandering down the aisles or crawling under the pews or who knew where, Miss Sally said that was why there were shepherds. To keep their sheep from wandering. And because those shepherds were out on that hill that night doing their job and keeping their sheep safe, they were blessed. David was thinking about using that thought for his sermon next Sunday.
Of course the little shepherds tripping on their bathrobes and stumbling over their wooden staffs toward the fire weren’t much older than the little lambs. Two of the little shepherds made it to the fire and sat down without a glance at the sheep milling around behind them. The other little shepherd, Jeremy Sanderson, shoved at the towel that had slipped down over his eyes and fell right over top of Eli Hearndon who was doing some kind of spinning sheep moves in the middle of the aisle with a full chorus of baas.
Jeremy fell into the campfire. He jumped back as though the construction paper flames were real, and the towel fell off his head. The other two shepherds tried to help him put it back on, because it was a well-known fact that nobody could be a shepherd without a towel on his head.
Meanwhile the sheep, seeing their chance, took off crawling up the center aisle. One of the little shepherds, looked around at the escaping sheep, put his hands on his hips, and announced, “I told Miss Sally we should have had cows instead of sheep.”
The congregation let out a roar of laughter, and Miss Sally, who had come out from behind the curtain to be sure Jeremy was okay, laughed so hard she had to sit down on the front pew and wipe her eyes.
“Here come the angels,” Leigh whispered as the play continued.
Cassidy Hearndon, Sandy Wilson, and Mollie McDermott stepped out from behind the sheet curtains up onto the back of the podium. Mollie started proclaiming the good news. “Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” She stopped to swallow and for a minute it looked as if she might have forgotten the good tidings.
Cassidy leaned over close to Mollie and loudly whispered, “Jesus. Tell them about baby Jesus getting born.”
Mollie picked up the angelic message. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you. Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”
Then the multitude of the three angels, the singers in the front pew, and the mothers behind the curtain said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” For a minute even the sheep stayed still as the angels held out their hands to sprinkle blessings down on the shepherds before they disappeared behind the curtains again.
Chad Everts, the shepherd who’d wished for cows earlier, stood up and said, “Wow! We’ve got to go see this. God told us to.” He turned to look at the sheep. “Come on, sheep. You can’t stay out here by yourselves. You’ll have to go too.”
Not exactly the way it was written or the way they’d practiced, but Chad had found an audience and was enjoying it.
While no shepherds in the plays at my church ever went off script, I liked it happening at the Mt. Pleasant Church in Holly County, Kentucky.
Were you or your children ever part of a church Christmas program?
Leave a comment to be entered in my end of the year book giveaway. Deadline to enter is midnight EST on December 30, 2022. I’ll pick three winners who will win their choice of one of my books. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. Each comment on a new post before the deadline will get you another entry. I look forward to hearing about your Christmas play memories or any Christmas memory you’d like to share.
Merry Christmas to you all!
Comments 48
I was in several as was my siblings, my children, and my grandchildren. Merry Christmas 🎄🎁
Author
Then I’m guessing you have a lot of good memories of those programs, Lucy, and now have fun watching your grandchildren. Traditions can be a good thing.
I will always remember when my son was the “grumpy Shepherd ” in a play,musical.
Author
The grumpy shepherd. I’m guessing he might have had fun playing that role, Lynne. I guess we should all do our best not to be that grumpy shepherd at Christmas time or maybe any time.
I’ve really enjoyed reading all the other readers’ Christmas program memories. Merry Christmas to all!
Always enjoyed our plays!
Author
So did I although it could be hectic when we were doing the practices and trying to keep all the kids engaged and ready to be a shepherd or angel, Janice.
I don’t remember how old I was, but I do remember a little about the experience. I was an angel with a white cape and a piece of gold sticky tinsel on top of my head. I think there was 2 more angels, we sang, Away in the Manger.
Author
Fun the things we can remember, Connie. You must have been very young and I’m thinking you were a cute little angel singing that song.
We always had a nativity program at our church when my kids were small but neither one of them participated. Maybe because they were both shy and didn’t like to be the center of attention. They were in kids choirs. I always loved watching the kids because you just never knew what might happen. Great memories.
Author
Those were always fun to watch and the kids were so cute, Linda. I’m sure the programs planted some seeds of the meaning of Christmas in their heads too. The best thing about the plays was that no matter what happened, things seemed to turn out right with the shepherds and wise men making it to see baby Jesus.
Two of my boys were wisemen and another was Joseph. He was glad Joseph didn’t have to speak as there was a narrator.
Author
Those non-speaking parts are the easiest to memorize, Maryann. LOL. Let the narrator do the talking. That’s the way we did the Christmas nativity programs too. A lot easier on the kids and the organizers!
The county church I grew up in always had a Christmas programs. Children would learn little poems or repeated Bible verses. I was alway involved. One year I did play Mary. I have a picture of me and Joseph with baby Jesus. Each year I put it on my Christmas tree.. Brings back fond memories. This was 72 years ago.
Author
Some memories are good forever, Norma. It’s neat that you put the picture of you being Mary on your Christmas tree. What a great way to keep a focus on the true meaning of Christmas.
I enjoyed being in Christmas plays as a child and love watching my kids now.
Author
I missed out on being part of the Christmas plays when I was a kid, but that was probably good since I was so shy at the time, Dana. But it was fun watching my kids do their parts.
no, wasn’t part of it
My kids were part of Christmas plays at our church when they were little. I think that the mistakes that were made by the kids were some of the best parts because everyone could laugh and feel joy together which is something that we should feel when we think of the birth of our Savior! Thanks for the reminder of the laughter you brought to this scene in your book, it made me laugh again! 🙂
Author
Glad you enjoyed re-reading the scene, Hope. I had fun writing about the Christmas program in Holly County. In the Christmas programs I’ve witnessed it’s always fun to see how hard the kids try to get everything right and those towel turbans just will slip off.
Thanks for sharing your pictures and memories.
I was as a child and my children had a little experience too. The Catholic school they went to didn’t do much with plays but there was lots of music.
Merry Christmas all! I am praying for a better year next year.
Author
I join with you in your prayer, Pamela, for a good 2023 heading your way and all our ways. May kindness and joy walk with us through the New Year.
Christmas music is great too, but some of those carols are hard to sing.
I never was in a Christmas play, but I made all of the costumes for the ones that were in the play. I even put junk jewelry on the crowns of the Kings. It was fun do be able to do this while my husband built the manger for Baby Jesus A lot of good memories.
Author
You might never have been one of the actors in the plays, but you certainly made the play better for everyone, Donna Jean. Love the jewelry on the crowns of the Kings. Thanks for sharing your memories.
Merry Christmas to you, Ann!
I loved reading the excerpt about the Christmas program from your book. It brought back so many memories of church Christmas programs in the past. I agree with you that watching the children perform was always the best part!
I also enjoyed reading the memories that your “blog friends” posted above.
When we lived in California, my husband and I sang in the church choir, which presented a Christmas cantata and an Easter cantata each year, sometimes having the choir members wearing “biblical” costumes. Happy memories!
Author
Glad you enjoyed reading about the Hollyhill Christmas play, Roberta. It was fun putting that in my story. In the book, Jocie is wanting to do something different and have the adults do the parts, but traditions are hard to mess with in an old church where it’s always been done a certain way. 🙂
My husband sang in a Christmas choral presentation by joining in with the choir in a bigger church in our county. It sounds fun that the choir members dressed in biblical costumes. That would add a special touch to the programs.
Thanks for sharing and giving me a smile.
May every reader have a Blessed and Merry Christmas!
May 2023 be kind to all of us.
Author
Smiles are always good, Loretta. And thanks for the sweet Christmas and New Year’s wishes. Kindness and joy and peace – wishing it all for you and yours.
Our church always has Christmas program a week or so before Christmas Day. I’ve taken part in the programs ever since I was at least 5 or 6. In the past 5 years, I’ve also taken a role in the program directing rotation (three of us ladies in the church take turns), and I’ve directed two programs that I wrote myself. The best part of the programs, in my opinion, is all the singing. I love telling the Christmas story through song. 🙂
Oh yes. We just had this at church last Sunday evening. 1 granddaughter and 2 great granddaughters were angels singing gladly. It is always good to see all the kids having such a great time although the donkey didn’t look to happy this year. After a while he just sat down and looked at everyone. My grandsons have been wise men in years past.
Author
It’s always fun to watch your grandkids in their plays and more, Birdie. I’m fortunate that I have one set of grandkids close by so that I can see those special events. The other set of grandkids I have to see pictures or videos since they live in another state.
I’m glad you get to see your grandkids and great grandkids helping demonstrate the Christmas story. Sounds like the donkey was being an Eeyore. 🙂
I’d forgotten that scene. Thank you for letting us relive it! It made me want to read the book again. I remember taking part in those childhood Christmas programs and my children did too. My husband and I even played Mary and Joseph once when our kids were shepherds in the play. Merry Christmas, Ann to you and your family.
Author
That sounds extra neat, Lee, to be in the program with your kids, Lee.
Glad you liked reading the scene again. I trimmed it down a little so that it just had about the Christmas play, but in the book, David is sitting there with Leigh and wondering how to pop the question as he watches the kids. 🙂
I do remember being in a Christmas program at the church where I grew up; however, I have no recollection which part I played since that would have been a long time ago. At our current church, the children often sing several songs for the congregation at Christmas time and then invite the congregation to sing one or two with them. That’s really nice too.
Author
So many ways to celebrate Christmas and to feel the joy of the season in our hearts, Suzanne. You must not have been nervous when you were in the Christmas play. I was in a church play once and I was so nervous I couldn’t make a sound come out of my mouth when I was supposed to say my very small part. LOL. Thank goodness I no longer have stage fright and love giving book talks now.
While I was growing up, I lived with my grandparents. Our church always had a Christmas pageant about the same as yours. I never was in the pageant, but my step sister was. When she was five she was supposed to sing a Christmas song and our mother was going to play the piano. Little one got up there to sing and she started but it was very quiet singing. Her mother played quietly so people could hear her and all the time she was saying sing louder sing louder. Finally little one looked at her mother. Put her hands on her hips and said if you would play louder, then I could sing louder. The church exploded into kind laughter and hand clapping something our church did not normally do. She finally got her song finished and then walked off the stage as if she was correct and her mother had goofed. After all these years. That’s still brings a laugh to me. Merry Christmas Ann.
Hilarious! Thanks for sharing that memory, Dusti. Gave me a good laugh to start the day.
Author
What a cute story, Dusti. It brings a smile to me too. Sometimes a Mom just can’t win but sounds as if the church people enjoyed a laugh.
I’ve thought something the same when I’ve watched Bible School programs when the teachers are whisper singing to help the kids out, but then that makes the kids think they need to whisper sing too. But no kid has ever called them out on it the way your step-sister did.
Yes I can remember when I was little going to church with My Dad and Mom and having a part in The Christmas Program! Blessing and Merry Christmas To You!
Author
Merry Christmas to you too, Sarah. I hope you have great memories of those times at church with your parents.