Nativity! (Part 1)

It was our 4 year old daughter's first Nativity Play this week.  

The thought filled me with dread.  Our experiences of earlier Nativity Plays with our son are best described as a mixed experience.

Both of our children are born in the latter half of the school year.  Summer babies in fact.  Our expectation therefore, upon them reaching Reception Class, was not for a leading role in their first Nativity Play.

In our son's case he was cast a sheep.  

In our daughter's? Well...

Arriving home a few weeks ago our daughter excitedly handed over a letter from there teacher.  "I'm in the Nativity Play!" She exclaimed excitedly.

Given that everyone is in the Nativity Play in some role this didn't come as too much of a surprise.  Nonetheless, exuberance and praise were called for.

"That's amazing darling!  Who do you play?" I asked.

"The LION!" She said proudly.

"The lion?  In the Nativity?  I don't remember there being a lion in the Nativity darling."

"Duh, Daddy.  Of course!  I'm the lion because I can ROOAAR the loudest!"

So that evening I found myself dutifully looking on Amazon for the least expensive yet most convincing lion costume for this year's Nativity play.

Our daughter's class performed their play to the rest of the village school on Tuesday.  

That afternoon our son had his 'best chum' to tea.  The two provided a critique of their junior peers' performance that was both scathing and touching.

"How did it go?" I asked from the driver's seat as we made our way through the country lanes home.

"Great!" Our daughter replied from the passenger seat next to me.

"Weird!" came a simultaneous, tandem answer from the two eight year olds in the back seats.  "Bizarre! Random!"

"Why?" I asked the boys.

"It was about thunder.  And the jungle.  And the animals being frightened by the thunder.  But then they all ended up in the stable with Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus." Our son explained.

"Yeah, and every time the animals were scared by the thunder they'd sing a song. Which was random!" Our son's friend chipped in.

"And they were on an island, but ended up in Bethlehem without pretending to swim.  That was odd!" 

"No donkeys!" Our son's bestie shook his head with severe disappointment.

"Sorry?" I asked.

"No donkeys," he replied.  "There were lions, zebras, giraffes, monkeys, but no donkeys.  And no sheep.  There should always be donkeys and sheep in the stable!"

"It was good when the zebra fell off the stage though." Our son is full of heart.

As is his friend: "Yea, that was the best bit, especially when he kept on dancing while he was lying down."

"How would you rate your sister's performance?" By now we had arrived home and our daughter had run into the house, I therefore felt it a safe time to ask the question.

"OK.  She kept chatting to her friends though.  And playing with her costume.  And picking her nose.  Then she kept sticking her tongue out at me."  Her brother was laying it on thick.

"Not that great then?" I asked.

"Well, she's the smallest lion but the one with the biggest roar.  I thought that was pretty impressive," our son left his praise until the end.

"So you wouldn't recommend I go and see it?"

"Oh no, you should definitely go.  The little ones are absolutely brilliant, the singing's amazing and you'll love it because you'll think '4's' cute in her lion costume!"  Our son replied.

So, Friday afternoon, off we trooped to the school hall....

(To be continued)