Christmas Pagent Blues

Tonight is the second Christmas pageant practice for this years play! This will be Chris' 4th time in the pageant. The first year, he could not wait to be in the pageant and got the part of a Shepard.

The second year he begged our Pastor to be Joseph and got the part. (picture) However, he became less than thrilled when he realized he had the part of a married man! When found out he had to sit close to Mary and put his arm around her, I thought he was going to die! I don't think he ever looked at her through the whole play.

Last year he didn't want to participate, remembering the girl thing, but I encouraged him to do it. I thought it would be great for his self-esteem to get on stage surrounded by loved ones and those who would not be critical. They ended up doing a contemporary play and he was the son in a dysfunctional family. One of only four speaking parts. He was actually pretty good in his part and enjoyed it.

This year when pageant news came up again, he gave me an instant answer of, "I don't want to be in the pageant this year." Remembering last year I told him, "Remember how you didn't want to do it last year? And you had fun didn't you? Go to try-outs and see what it's all about before you decide."

So grudgingly we went to try-outs last week and Chris made Child #1. He didn't say much and I was glad he decided to take a part. Over the week-end I picked up the script and began reading it...

Child #1 and probably all the Child#'s have to sing a line of 'Twelve Days of Christmas' over and over again throughout the play.

Here's where it got messy!!! I have a child who is amazingly bright, terribly funny, beautiful inside and out. But has put his foot down literally from day one refusing to sing! Very strange coming from such a musical mom. I played and sang music during my pregnancy, labor and all through his early years. He has always refused to sing!!!! Even in nursery school he flat out refused to sing 'Twinkle Twinkle" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and all the rest. I remember watching all the other toddlers bouncing to the rhythm, doing the cute finger motions and singing with abandon and there was Chris... arms folded in defiance!

When I asked him about the singing lines in the play I was secretly hoping he would tell me, "I've decided to stop defying you Mom and make you happy, I am going to sing in front of the whole church and all of our family as my Christmas gift to you!" Yeah Right!

He told me that he was very upset about it and didn't want to do it. I asked him why he didn't say anything? He said he didn't know! (typical) He said that he would take any part as long as he didn't have to sing! Knowing his background, it would have been cruel to make him take the part so I called the director and told her the whole story. She said that a lot of the kids complained about the singing and that she would not require them to sing their parts.

Not to worry, Chris will still be in the play, but no one will hear him sing!