A friend invited us to their church’s live nativity. You know, live animals, people in costumes, a Bethlehem marketplace. We thought it a good way to celebrate the season. However, it was a mixed blessing; first, their church is in the boonies and we got lost getting there; what should have been a twenty-minute ride on main roads turned into a 45-minute ride in the dark, twisty, sometimes one lane dirt roads, with frequent deer crossings and one possum with fiery red eyes. After arriving, we joined a small group for a tour of the program’s scenes. The first two stops were fine, the CBW was interested in them, no problem. The third one was the Roman guard reading out the decree that all the world should be taxed (I never realized democrats went back that far!) he was really into his part, and the little group was “seeded” with actors asking questions like “how are we supposed to pay this? We already pay too much.” The guard got exasperated and turned on his really mean angry face, and yelled back at them to shut up or they’d be hauled to the prison and whipped for insolence. Then he drew his sword and pointed it at the crowd, growling in a gravelly voice, “move on, peasants.”
Well, the CBW lasted for the first couple of sentences with a look of consternation on her face; the grown-ups in her life did not act mean or loud, and they surely didn’t point long knives at people. She withdrew by backing behind Scott, then she wrapped her arms around his leg. He got down to assure her it was not really dangerous; it was make-believe, and that lasted until that last bit with the sword. She burrowed herself under Scott’s jacket and said, “He is being bad. He needs his naughty chair. Uncle Scott, put him in his naughty chair.” She was quite put out when we just walked by him to the next scene. Luckily, the next scene was the meeting of Mary and Joseph traveling, and after that scene, angels singing to Shepherds; several nice young ladies dressed in long, very white tunics, with gold tinsel crowns and black light shining on them to make them glow. The CBW was quite taken with them, waved and demanded to be let down to go play with the angels. We made our way past through the last couple of scenes and into the market, then back where our friend had her petting zoo. The llama was nice, the sheep fine, but the duck, now that duck. It perched on the fence and when you patted it, it wagged its tail. The CBW was delighted. She wanted to take it home, and she was quite unhappy when it had to stay. She rode a plastic camel, she ate olives and flatbread and grape juice, she bought a bead necklace and some Swedish gummy fish, she rode a hobby horse; all together, a most satisfying evening. However, every now and then she demands to know why no one put that bad man in his chair to think it over. The adults in her life may not act out or have bad manners; the grandma part of me wishes it could always be so in her life.
Our 99 cent special, You Couldn’t Make This Up; An Almost True Social Worker’s Memoir runs until Christmas eve, the 24th, so you still have time to download a copy and enjoy it.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CSF1H6CL
The giveaway was a grand success and the prizes have all been mailed out. The winners are listed on the giveaway page under gifts.
And before I go, I wish everyone a merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us here at Potpourri Publishing-watch for all the neat things we’ve got planned-and God bless!
