One of my duties as Christian Ed. Director at our church is to put on a Christmas program with all the children, preschool through 8th grade.  Today was the day.  Which means tonight I am reveling in the fact that I will not have bad dreams about angels refusing to go on stage or wise men horsing around in front of the manger.  After the dress rehearsal I always cry because I’m sure the play will be a disaster.  After the performance I always cry because the play, miraculously, was perfect.  Here’s what I mean:

In the preschool presentation, Mary smiled the sweetest smile you ever saw and waved to her parents.  The lamb knew every song by heart, but came in one beat before everyone else.  She had the prettiest little voice.  The wisemen had penciled in moustaches, giving them an oriental flair.  The angels couldn’t get their wings to stay on straight.  The shepherd’s head scarf fell off and he struggled to tie it back on while kneeling at the manger.  Perfect.

In the the big kids’ play, the soloists hit every note, and sang right into the mic.  Nobody missed their lines and everybody remembered everything I ever told them to do.  The 7th and 8th graders with the most lines delivered them all with expression.  The 6th grader who agreed to sing a solo at the last minute pulled it off without a hitch.  The quiet kids turned it up a notch and the loud kids kept it under control.  Also perfect.

I love doing this.  I’m also really glad it’s over for another year.