I believe that everyone has traditions at Christmas time. DH and I chose early on to celebrate Christmas Eve with my family. My siblings and their children, and now their children have gathered at my second sister’s home on Christmas eve to share a buffet style meal, and participate in a gift exchange. This year we met late in the afternoon because one of the children was going to be participating in an 11:00 service at his church.
\nOne of my nieces has led a group of teenaged puppeteers at her church. I didn’t know what to expect before my first visit to see them perform, but I was awed at what they created. The complexity of the issues presented was astounding, and the staging was incredibly entertaining.
\nSo, when I had the chance to see my nephew participate in one of these presentations, I asked DH to go with me. I’m so glad I did. We had a wonderful evening, and it added another layer of Christmas memories that make the quilt of our lives.<\/p>\n
\nWe didn’t realize that the puppet performance was going to be part of a church service (I know….Doh! After all, it WAS Christmas Eve.) For the most part, this service seemed to be youth oriented. We were treated to a trio, a quartet, a sextet and a choir of teenagers performing a wide variety of music. The theme of the evening seemed to focus on not only the birth of Jesus, but also his death.
\nThe puppeteers carried this idea out. Their props were simple wooden sticks. One person held a white stick which represented Jesus. All the others held brown sticks that were used to create angel’s wings, stars, weapons, and a variety of other visual effects. The performance was very strong, and perfect for Christmas Eve. I’m incredibly proud of my niece and her son for bringing something so wonderful to their church.
\nThere was one other part of the service that I have to tell you about. A woman, the mother of several of the teens who were performing, played a violin solo. I suspect that she is still a student because this was not the most polished presentation I have ever heard, but she gets the award for being the most determined.
\nShe started out a little wobbly, and then gained confidence. She was about halfway through the song when a piercing trio of beeps repeated again and again from the back of the hall. I wasn’t sure if it was a smoke alarm, or some type of timer, but it was incredibly distracting. Our soloist slogged on totally disregarding it. Right then I gave her an A+! Then, some one tried to end the noise and inadvertantly turned on the speakers, blaring pre-recorded music out over the beeps and the violin.
\nAbout five seconds later peace returned, and the violinist came to the end of her solo. From the back, came a loud “AMEN!” and the entire congregation errupted into applause! The pastor commented that he had been trying to think of a way to praise the violinist and move into the next segment of the service, and he felt that we had done that for him.
\nAll told, the entire evening will be a night to remember!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I believe that everyone has traditions at Christmas time. DH and I chose early on to celebrate Christmas Eve with my family. My siblings and their children, and now their children have gathered at my second sister’s home on Christmas … Continue reading