Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present

What a fun evening last night. I got to visit Christmases Past and Present when I attended my sisters-in-law's Christmas program last night.

It was all the fun with no commitment. I didn't have to prepare anything. I didn't have to make sure the costumes were ready, or the makeup wasn't smeared, and I didn't have to bake anything for the refreshment time after the program. I didn't have to sell raffle tickets, or hand out candy bags. All I had to do, was go and park myself in a chair, and watch.

Of course, there's always lots of drama at a Christmas program that has nothing to do with the pageant. There's the little baby sisters who wander away from the parents and make it to the stage, before anyone notices. And there's the discussion between parents who are worried that their camera batteries are going to make it through the whole program. And there are grampas and the grammas who don't quite fit on the wobbly chairs, but they give it their best shot [and provide a little entertainment on the side].

Of course, each family member is only watching for their own kids. The ones we were looking for were a little hard for us to see, because the videographer was standing in front of us most of the time. He didn't stand up until the program started though, or we would have made a different choice of where to sit.

So our vision was a little blurry. That's his elbow you see on the left side of this picture.

It's been a few years since I got to ooh and ahhh at the kindergarten kids waving at their parents, and enjoy watching the older kids trying not to look embarrassed about their costumes.

I must admit, I went down a few memory lanes as I watched. I've done a few Christmas programs in my time. There's always a kid fooling around with the itchy wig, or picking his nose. The director is usually stressed out, and has worn her voice out yelling at the kids in the dress rehearsal. All she can think about is that as soon as the program is over, she is going to find solace with a cold cloth over her head. [But then, it makes it all worthwhile when they give her the flowers at the end of the program to say thanks for all her hard work]

In the end, it is not the product that matters, it is the process. The parents usually get a kick out of it all, the grandparents are glad that they were invited, and the kids are happy because they get to take the antlers off.

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As I said to my mother-in-law: "I don't miss those days, but it is sure nice to have an opportunity to come and experience the Christmas program again".