Ten years ago we decided to invite local kids and their parents to a Christmas pageant in our church at 5:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve. We found a few narrative two-person dialogue Christmas stories and broke up the dialogue with appropriate Christmas carols. We put a costume trunk at the back of the church and invited the neighbourhood to come dressed up as a character in the Christmas story or to dress up as one as they entered.
The fun began with the usual unscripted hilarities. We expanded it to include an invitation to the Lord’s Supper a couple of years ago. What began as 20-30 regulars plus a few others who were invited, has grown into a yearly celebration of up to 135 people (our capacity).
It is the only time of the year we see some of the people but they seem to enjoy the chaos (as in the original story?). We continue to resist structure.
Last year a young lad appeared for the second year in a row to solo – a capella – “What can I give him poor as I am?”
Rev. Bob Baillie
Holy Trinity North Saanich
Diocese of British Columbia
