Epiphany Pageants vs. Christmas Eve Pageants
Christmas Pageants on Christmas
by Caren Miles
Christmas Pageants are so much work. Like, so. much. work. But worth it.
There are two times of the year we know our parishes will have heaps of visitors, or even folks who only come a few times a year. Maybe they are there because the grandparents are in town and they insist on going to church. Maybe they make a whole day of it - dinner, fancy dress, go to church, sing Silent Night, open one present before going to bed. Sure they might be a little distracted, or not familiar with the liturgy. They might be looking for some kind of meaning to teach their kids beyond the consumerism that seems to hit full-force at midnight on Halloween.
Christmas Eve Pageants, whether you rehearse for months ahead of time, just a few days before, or have no rehearsals, can center a hectic holiday in meaning, scripture, fellowship, sharing, kindness, and spirituality.
When I worked in New York City our pageant had just over 130 kids, live animals, fancy lights, and two shows. All on Christmas Eve. There were families who had moved out of town who still came to the pageant every year because it held so much meaning to them. We had families who only participated in the pageant every year, and nothing else. But all were welcome, all were included, and everyone got to pet a lamb. Opening the church doors wide that day, we gave the families a place in which they saw themselves welcomed as members and ministers sharing the story. No matter where they went or how long they stayed away, they knew they had a church home with us.
Will the kids be hyped up on sugar and promises of Santa? Yes.
Will the parents take flash photos at inappropriate times? Yes.
Will the donkey make a mess somewhere it shouldn't? Absolutely.
Is there danger in handing a lit candle to a 5-year-old? Totally.
Will one of the children burst into tears and run away? Most certainly.
For me, that's all part of the swirling, messy, noisy, joyful, glitter-covered, grace-filled, gloriously fun part of the holy spirit that joins us in our humanity on Christmas. Welcoming the folks who are just there for the cute photos is all a part of how well your parish is equipped to be kind, gentle, and full of grace.
Why I love Epiphany Pageants
by Amy Cook
I worked as the Christian Education director in a church that had two services on Christmas Eve – the early service with a pageant, and the late service geared to adults.
The pageant was always difficult. Timing meant that a lot of the kids were used to dinner time about midway through the service. They were also on a sugar high from all the sweets of the season. But most of all, on Christmas Eve, the kids could only think about what Santa Claus was going to bring them. Yes, baby Jesus is fun, but their minds were only halfway with us. It was often more about impressing the grandparents who just wanted endless photos and video rather than worshipping as a community. This may sound snarky, but I just remember being exhausted by the pageants rather than ever feeling deeply moved in any way.
A few years later, I took over the Sunday school at the small parish I attended. The pageant had traditionally been Advent 3; but one year we just couldn’t get organized in time for a variety of reasons and pushed the pageant to Epiphany. Suddenly everyone could breathe a little easier. The kids took the pageant more seriously and seemed to really focus on the complete story. The adults of the church realized that having the pageant on Epiphany meant that they could just focus on the kids rather than all the things they are thinking of before Christmas. For my liturgical brain, I was happy that the kings were waiting to arrive until Epiphany. And the whole church learned to celebrate twelve days of Christmas.
After that year, my church decided that they didn’t want the pageant before Christmas. Instead we added a lovely service of Advent lessons and carols on Advent 3 which helped to slow folks down and help them meditate on the season. On Christmas Eve we worked to create a Christmas service for all ages with the Christmas story but not a pageant.
In a society where Christmas commercials start on Halloween and the sales start before December 20th, we felt we were being counter-cultural to still have our decorations up until January 6. When kids are hyped about presents, parties and visiting relatives, it gave them more time to learn lines and focus on the story. I am strongly in the Epiphany Pageant camp now.