• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Building Faith

Building Faith

A Ministry of Virginia Theological Seminary

  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
    • Who We Are
    • Our Writers
    • FAQs
    • Contact Us
    • Subscribe
  • ARTICLES
    • ARTICLES BY TOPIC
    • MOST RECENT ARTICLES
  • EN ESPAÑOL
  • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • Episcopal Teacher
    • Choosing Curriculum
    • Vacation Bible School
    • Signs of Life
    • Meeting Jesus in the Gospel of John
    • 5 Marks of Love
    • Growing a Rule of Life
    • It’s Time To…
    • #AdventWord
  • SUPPORT US
  • Show Search
Hide Search
Home/Christmas/Tips for a “Medium” Christmas Pageant

Tips for a “Medium” Christmas Pageant

“The keys are flexibility and fellowship; this is not about the production, but about the children being invited to step forward and bear witness to their favorite bible story.”

Multiple Pageant Models

There’s an ongoing conversation about ‘labor-intensive’ versus ‘easy to produce’ Christmas pageants; which is better for children and their parents, which offers a higher liturgical value, who should be ‘in’ the pageant, who should speak, and so on. Obviously, there are as many different ways to hold a Christmas pageant as there are Episcopal parishes.

I’ve written here before about our pageants at St. Barnabas, Denver: Pomp & Pageantry and The “Cuteness” of Children in Church (not). We’ve done published skits, a ‘traditional’ pageant (which is anything but tradition for St Bs), and twice now pageants we created and wrote. Whew.

So with pageant season once again upon us, I’ve painted myself into rather a scary corner. I keep upping the pageant ante, and the year will come when I have to backpedal. But I’m here to say that it’s all worth it when you sit your children down and they vehemently defend the pageant as an offering to their parents, the congregation, and to God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

But a good pageant doesn’t have to drive you or your volunteers any further to the brink at this most insane of seasons. Here’s what works for us:

Practical Advice for a Medium Christmas Pageant

When to start? We start the Sunday before or after Thanksgiving, depending on the year,

When to rehearse? We hold rehearsals during our formation time. Yes, we lose Sunday School lessons for those 5 weeks, but aren’t we delving deeply into one of the most important lessons we have to teach? And one that resonates so deeply with our children, drawing them back to God in the midst of all the commercial craziness.

Memorized lines? We do NOT ask nor expect children to memorize their lines. Instead, we place scripts, highlighted for each part, in black three-ring binders that the kids hold and read from during their pageant offering. In fact, over the years I’ve told kids who do memorize their parts, “Wonderful, good work! But keep your binder anyway so you know where everyone else is during the pageant.”

What about kids singing? For the hymns, we write lyrics on poster board which I hold in front of me while directing the kids. This takes the pressure off memorization, and also keeps the kids looking up and singing out loud for the congregation. Some years I have 4-6 kids who sing part of a hymn as a small group. The preschool and kindergarten class always sing Away in a Manger and play the Heavenly Host and animals.

Who gets which part? We do NOT ask kids to audition. Every child in 1st through 5th grade is offered a speaking part. They are certainly allowed to opt-out. We’ve done this with 10 kids and with 30. I divide script parts; I partner kids; I add silent shepherds and extra angels; I allow kids who are so inclined speak lines together. I do what it takes to make the pageant fun, fulfilling, and meaningful to each child at his or her own level. The kids love it. Mary, Joseph, Herod, and the Angel Gabriel are usually 4th and 5th graders.

Baby Jesus? We do NOT use a real baby! Several years ago when we couldn’t find the baby doll, we hastily swaddled Winnie the Pooh. It’s a lovely funny memory for the kids, and no one in the congregation ever knew. Another year we debated whether Mary and Jesus, given the opportunity, would have used a pacifier (that year’s baby doll had one glued to its mouth).

What about costumes? Costumes can seem daunting. I inherited a closet full of them, I admit, but they are neither fancy nor difficult to make. Yards of cloth, folded and with a cut out for a child’s head; no sleeves. Another smaller piece for a headdress. A rope or another piece of cloth for a belt, and one to hold the headdress.

We raided the vestment room for angel costumes, adding tinseled garland to the shoulders and neckline and a ring of it for a halo. My favorite are the sheep – a vest and a baseball cap covered with cotton balls (a hot glue gun works well for this), and felt ears glued to the cap. Last year we had a stable cat from one child’s beloved Halloween costume. Once we had a giraffe in the stable.

And the older kids? St Barnabas’ youth group graciously helps with the pageant from the background, and supports its younger peers without having ‘parts.’ They give input in the planning, assist with rehearsals, and also marvelously step in to take a part if someone is ill on pageant day, or to hold a nervous hand and whisper a line. They will tell you, they’ve had their turn, and love seeing their traditions carry forward with the younger kids.

Conclusion

The keys are flexibility and fellowship; this is not about the production, but about the children being invited to step forward and bear witness to their favorite bible story.

A little humor doesn’t hurt either.


Print PDF

October 8, 2013 By Tina Clark

Filed Under: Christmas Tagged With: Advent, children's ministry, Christmas, Christmas pageants, youth ministry

About Tina Clark

Christina (Tina) Clark serves as Director of Christian Formation at Saint John’s Cathedral in Denver, Colorado, and is the author of the resource book Arts Camp: A Creative, Customizable Alternative to Vacation Bible School and Beyond and of the novel Little Gods on Earth. Tina lives in Denver, has two teenage sons, and loves all things church, the Rocky Mountains, and the Pacific Ocean. Tina’s calling is to create meaningful formational experiences for all ages, from Godly Play for little ones about to be baptized to exploring all aspects of faith with teens and adults. A staunch advocate for social justice, Tina yearns to walk every day in the Baptismal Covenant to seek and serve Christ by striving for justice and peace among all people and respecting the dignity of every human being…even the ones with whom she ardently disagrees.

Primary Sidebar

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS

Subscribe to Building Faith

You’ll get new articles, plus free weekly updates in your inbox.

We respect your privacy. View our privacy policy here.

Search Our Site

Search by Topic

New Articles

New and Recent Lent Resources for 2023

If you’re busy organizing children’s, youth, adult, or parish-wide programs for Lent and Holy Week, …

Continue Reading about New and Recent Lent Resources for 2023

Black History Month Resources for 2023

February is Black History Month in the U.S., and the theme for 2023 is “Black Resistance.” According …

Continue Reading about Black History Month Resources for 2023

Resources to Learn, Pray, and Act This Martin Luther King Day

Every third Monday in January, around his birthday (January 15), we commemorate the life and work of …

Continue Reading about Resources to Learn, Pray, and Act This Martin Luther King Day

Footer

Keep In touch

  • Email
  • Facebook

Upcoming Webinars

Eventbrite Registration

Building Faith

Lifelong Learning, Virginia Theological Seminary
3737 Seminary Rd.
Alexandria, VA 22304

Copyright © 2023 · Building Faith · A Ministry of Virginia Theological Seminary

Design by Blue+Pine Creative, Inc.

Subscribe to Building Faith

Get Articles and Resources by Email

Privacy Policy