The Mainly Music Nativity

Our parish runs a program during school terms, called Mainly Music which is a music and movement based activity aimed at children under school age. And to end the year, the children and their parents take part in the Nativity...very low key due to the age of the main actors. 😉. The children are dressed as angels and shepherds and the baby Jesus is usually a doll. Last year however, the baby granddaughter of the lady who runs the programme played the part. Ivy was a bit too active to play the role this year, so the doll was expected to make a comeback. 

But a week before the Nativity, DH suggested that our Holly could play the role, so DD2 was consulted...and she said yes to the suggestion, but warned us that Holly probably wouldn't stay still. And so the day dawned when Holly would play her first starring role. 

But what does one wear for such a role...probably not the swaddling mentioned in the Christmas story when you are an active 7 month old! Lol

So DD2 went through the costumes box and chose a piece of white fabric ( which I suspect  was the headdress of a shepherd's costume! 😉) which she wrapped around Holly...

There were some shepherd's girdles left on the change table which Miss Holly thought she should perhaps wear too...😉

But DD2 wasn't so keen on that idea! 

Here's Miss Holly all ready for her debut performance...

As DD2 had been given the role of Mary and the Nativity started with no baby, Holly and I sat together for the start of the little play...

Here's Mary, the donkey and Joseph walking into Bethlehem after their tiring journey...'Joseph' also played the role last year when his little daughter had played Jesus. 

As the narrator ( Father Bruce our parish priest) told the story, I waited for Holly's cue. 

Some Angels came along...

and while the Carol, Away in a Manger was being sung, I walked up and placed her in the manger...it looked suspiciously like a cardboard box, covered with a cloth and filled with raffia...lol

My goodness! Did you notice in that former photo that the Innkeeper had whipped out a mobile phone and was taking photos in his stables???? Lol 😂 ( children's faces blurred with dispersion tool in Picsart) 

Holly was really good...even though it soon became obvious that she might have been a bit big for the manger! 

It wasn't long before some Kings came along...carrying 🎁! 

And pretty soon the little Nativity play was over...the children loved having a real baby playing Jesus! 

One of the little angels leaned in for a kiss...

Such joy! I've had to blur their faces but they were just so happy! 

Now some other photos.  These  are from the family archives. The year would probably be 1989 and it is the Sunday School Christmas concert in the old church hall in the same parish. DD2 played a galah ( in the middle of the photo) and DD1 played a wombat. The whole Sunday School performed the play, 'A Bush Christmas' and the Ladies Guild which I belonged to were the choir. Such memories. 

The junior classes played Aussie animals and the older children played drovers, cooks and stockmen.