This weekend, we had our annual church Christmas program. It was a complete hour-long musical cantata combined with our children's pageant.
Those who know me well know that I live for Christmas and all things Christmas-y. Now, take that excitement and multiply it by 25 (in honor of Christmas Day) and that's how excited I get about Christmas programs!
On Labor Day of each year, we celebrate our niece's birthday. The very next day, I start dreaming of a Christmas program that will leave the audience laughing and crying and full of goosebumps. This year was no different. When our pastor found a great cantata and children's program combined - well, it was as if Santa had come early just for me!
Part of the beauty and charm of any children's Christmas program is the utter magic and honesty that children bring to stage. They are beautiful creatures telling stories of the most wonderful time of the year!
Because our church is relatively small, we would certainly need to recruit some adults to help and take some creative liberties - as long as we stayed within a believable realm, right? In our church's case, our King Herod was a girls and the three wise "persons" were cute little girls wearing frilly Christmas dresses and tiaras.
I had all the parts cast but the shepherds. Their part was fairly comical while reminding the audience that God's love was delivered in the form of a helpless baby to humble workers in the field. We had two little boys who would be shepherds, but the major speaking parts would need to be adults. Laying in bed one night, debating on whom I could ask to be a leader to the boys and wasn't afraid to speak out, it hit me... I mean HE hit me. I nudged The Dad awake and pushed him back over to his part of the bed and, while he was still completely unaware of what I was asking him, I said, "Would you be a shepherd in the Christmas program?"
And he said, "I'd love to." (Actually, he said, "Sure, Baby... I'll be anything you want me to be." He assumes that anything I ask while in bed concerns mistletoe hanging from the ceiling and jingle bells, if ya know what I mean!)
Whew - that takes care of one shepherd. Now, I would need another shepherd. I know! The Dad has a poker friend who happens to have the same name as The Dad. So, I emailed The Dad 2 and asked him if he'd be a shepherd - the first to receive the news that a Savior had been born. He said, "Well...I guess." His enthusiasm was immeasurable!
Since The Dad and The Dad 2 are competent, intelligent, well-educated men, I didn't feel it was necessary for them to be at every single practice. I left them to their own abilities and trusted them to do what was best for their parts.
Yeah, I know. I should have known better. And when The Dad said he needed to go buy rope for his part on the day of the program, I should have gotten a clue. To say the least. I was too wrapped up in getting Daughter 2's tiara just right and assuring her that the purple plastic did, indeed, look princess-y enough and making sure that Daughter 1's - um... I mean Mary's - head wrap actually did match her robe.
Imagine my surprise when The Dad and The Dad 2 were to take the stage, and they emerged with preschool cowboy hats, shovels, rope suspenders and bare feet. And they were truly leaders ... the little shepherds looked much the same. During their first scene, they spoke in true Arkansas-accents. (I'm not sure why this surprised me too much because on a good day, The Dad sounds much like this anyway!) During the course of this scene, they switched to English brogues. And then finished in their normal voices.
At the end of this scene, they were to stand silently as the choir sang "Rise Up Shepherd And Follow." When the music started and the soloist belted out, "There's a star in the East o'er Bethlehem", The Dad and The Dad 2 and their two mini-me's turned their backs to the audience, donned sunglasses, spun back around, picked up their shovels and began air guitar. If they had grey beards, they would resembled ZZ Top, which I'm sure did a cover of "Rise Up Shepherd And Follow" on their Christmas Album. That is if they actually HAD a Christmas album!
Finally, the song ended and the shepherds were to go stand solemnly and reverently by Mary (cradling a Cabbage Patch Doll wrapped in a pillow case) and Joseph (who had long sense taken off his head wrap). Instead, The Dad and The Dad 2 parade all over the stage-area and when they finally arrived at the manger, they pointed ~ POINTED! ~ at the baby Jesus!
The rest of the pageant went off beautifully, and when we all retreated to the fellowship hall for cookies and cider, every church member (and visitor) complimented The Dad and The Dad 2 for their magnificent performance. They had indeed stolen the show and made it a program to remember for years!
I'm not sure this was their intent. I wonder if their intent was more along the lines of "Let's do it this way to make sure Momma never asks us to be in the program again." And I'll be honest... for a brief, fleeting moment, the thought of never asking them to do anything again did cross my mind...but it was all my fault: That's what I get for askin'!!
...Then I had a better thought: Next year's pageant would revolve around The Dads and their shepherd characters!! That's what THEY get for saying "Well, I guess!"
