Advent: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Maya, Mary, and Ching-Tsae.
Elephants, angels, and dragons.
Angels, musicians, sages, immortals, shepherds, wisemen, counselors, unicorns.
Buddha, Jesus, and Confucius.

And the friendly beasts, including a hippo and a penquin.

Yep, we were in our first Christmas pageant today. And we didn't even know we were going to be.

Focusing on the miraculous births of these three great teachers, the pageant used volunteers from the congregation instead of rehearsed actors. Sis and Bud sat mesmerized for the first half of the show, watching the costume changes behind us in the back of the sanctuary (we always sit in the last row, which was taken up by props today) and by all the people we know acting silly. And Bud liked the hymns. When they called for volunteers to be the musicians, I asked Sis and Bud if they wanted to participate. A big no.

But when they asked for "friendly beasts" towards the end, they were ready to go. They didn't need the stuffed beasts they offered. No. They had their own. So we marched up the center aisle with Bud carrying his new penguin "Pengin" and Sis carrying her new hippo "Hippo," both adopted from FAO Schwartz yesterday and introduced to everyone we met this morning (they are so proud and excited). And they marched them up the aisle and held them tightly as we all sang "Friendly Beasts" (which, for coincidence's sake, was the song I sang a solo in for 5th grade choir. I was the dove)--Bud was busy watching his RE teacher play an instrument and sing while Sis was absorbed by the entire congregation in front of her. By the end of the play, when we sang "This Little Light of Mine," they had relaxed some and Sis even swayed some to the music. It really was the best pageant ever.

And when it was all over, like probably every young pageant participant in the history of Christmas plays, they rushed the food table.