The large card was one of our scene markers.

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I’ve written several original pageants for our church. A few years ago, I decided the children of our church should help write the pageant and we focused on Christmas Cards. The group of ten elementary school kids and I met three times for thirty minutes in October to discuss these images as if they held real people.

I asked questions like “What did the Shepherds feel like on the hill at night? What did Joseph think as shepherds walked in?”

The kids’ were shy for a while, but got into calling out responses, and spontaneously acting out the scene. My job after the question was to be a reporter and note what they did and said.

I took those notes and the Bible and wove the narrative around the existing story. This part of the play was easy. We already basically knew the plot. We just didn’t know the attitude and motivation of all the characters.

After I wrote a basic script, we tried it out. The kids opted to change a line here or there. I listened for the original intent to stay the same — since the person suggesting the change was not always the person who had written the original line.

After Thanksgiving we went into production. We froze the script, with one exception. We thought everyone would recognize these scenes, since we had picked the most basic of Christmas card images. But we needed an introduction to invite the audience to think as we had. We wanted them to wonder what the shepherds felt, or if the angels were happy with their job.

The play Christmas Cards, is a 20-minute pageant with four scenes. The show is logistically easy on both the performers and the parents assisting. But it is also funny and charming, showing the people in the cards to have real hopes and fears that aren’t usually mentioned during the Christmas narrative.

Here is a sample from a scene.

“SHEPHERDS”

[Walk shepherd card across the stage and place on easel]

Narrator:             On that night, shepherds were watching their sheep.

Or at least some of them were watching.

This one slept. [Narrator points at sleeping shepherd then faces front again]

Well, it was late.

Shepherd 1:             I’m cold [Shepherd 1 pulls cloak tighter]

Narrator:            Yep, it was cold too.

When suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared

[Enter angel with bright light if possible]

[All shepherds dive for cover]

Angel:                         Do not be afraid.

Narrator:            The shepherds, however, were not convinced.

Hearts raced. Hands shook.

Some ran to protect their sheep.

I think this was one of the most successful of our pageants. And I’m looking forward to working with the kids again on a new one.