Mary and Elizabeth

As the Girl Parade joined the first practice of our parish's Nativity re-enactment this year, the Director of Religious Education exclaimed, "Oh, we have a Baby Jesus!"

"Baby Jesus is probably going to climb out of the manger," I laughed. Monkey3, at nine months, is an expert crawl-er and enjoys pushing chairs and boxes across our wood floors, her own self-discovered version of a walker. I highly doubted she would put up with holding still in someone's lap for a short version of the Christmas story.

All the kids at the rehearsal drew for the speaking parts. They drew lollipops; the person who pulled out a pop with a colored stick got the part, and handed it back, while the unlucky ones got to keep their pop. Some kids tried for several parts and ended up with six lollipops. Monkey2 (age five) landed Mary, while Monkey1 (age seven) drew the cousin Elizabeth part. So I did let Monkey3 loose from the wrap for the Baby Jesus bit. She did not scream. She did not cry. She did not get away from her sister. She did shoot me plenty of "Save me!" looks as she wiggled mightily and unsuccessfully to escape. She was definitely past the lump in swaddling clothes stage.

To the next two rehearsals Monkey2 brought a baby doll, who was much more cooperative. Monkey2 also made a new best friend, Joseph who played Joseph. Monkey1 kept her nose in a book, only coming up for air to deliver her one line, and then retreat back to her pew. The littlest king yanked off his costume and sat down in the aisle, refusing to go any further. Caesar Augustus had to double up as a shepherd, running around the back pews stripping off his purple in order to dive into a plush brown bathrobe. The choir of angels half-circled around the Holy Family but all seemed to stand next to Mary.

 
(Since Monkey3 was not a good Baby Jesus, Monkeys1&2 tried to make her a lamb. Also not successful.)

The evening was billed as "Cookies and Carols," with the choir and handbells airing all their Christmas best, with the Nativity re-enactment occurring towards the end. Out in the church gathering space it was a flurry of angel wings and halos being re-bobby-pinned while shepherds battled each other with crooks and walking sticks as swords.

And of course it all turned out perfectly. The microphones were traded back and forth without being dropped. The angels came in on cue. The shepherds did not act like jedi knights. The littlest king completed the journey. And they all enjoyed the cookies afterwards in the parish hall.

(Big sister as cousin Elizabeth, "How is it that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" while Monkey2 played Mary.)