The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

One of my favorite Christmas stories is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which was written by Barbara Robinson in 1972. The book was adapted into a television movie in 1983, featuring Robinson's teleplay and starring Loretta Swit.

I recently bought the DVD version of the original movie, and we watched it over the Thanksgiving holidays (my granddaughter Avery and I actually watched it three times!).

It tells the story of six delinquent children known as "the Herdmans," who were infamous around the community they lived in. Among other things, they lied, stole, hit people, ignored and/or cussed at their teachers and other people in authority, set fire to things, and, in general, caused trouble. All six also smoked cigars. I know that sounds like a terrible beginning, but remember the title of the movie is "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," and I promise you will have a lump in your throat and tears in your eyes before it's over.

The Herdman children go to church for the first time after being told that the church offers snacks. Despite protests from other church members, the Herdmans are given roles in the Sunday School's Christmas play, in which they tell the Christmas story in a very unconventional way.

It is such a heartwarming story, and I highly recommend it. A note on the cover states it is appropriate for ages 8 and up, but, as I said, Avery (who is six) and I watched it three times, and she loved it. The little Herdman girl, Imogene, who played Mary in the pageant, was my favorite, and Avery liked Ella Herdman best, who portrayed the Angel of the Lord.

I look forward to making The Best Christmas Pageant Ever part of our Christmas traditions, and I'm sure Avery and I will watch it again at some point during the holidays this year.

You can purchase the DVD on Amazon. Be sure you buy the original version starring Loretta Swit.

Christmas Keepsakes

One of my favorite decorating projects, not only for Christmas, but for every season, is the Welsh dresser, which is the focal point in our breakfast area. It doesn't seem that long ago when I was decorating it for Spring ...

Then came Summer ...

And Fall ...

And now, here it is all dressed up for Christmas with some of my favorite Christmas keepsakes ...

Apple candles and Avery's little Lefton Christmas plate ...

Christmas Owl hiding amongst the holly vines ...

We bought this little Santa's workshop when our children were little, and, even though it's gotten a little battered through the years and has been glued several times, it is still one of our most treasured Christmas decorations.

Another very old and much loved decoration is this set of brass Angel Chimes ...

Lighting them has become one of our granddaughter Avery's favorite Christmas traditions ...

Christmas Candy Centerpiece on the breakfast table (another one of Avery's favorite decorations) ...

And Joey, Avery's "Elf on a Shelf," enjoying the decorations from his perch high on the chandelier ...

The two little squirrels you see on the dresser are Ralph and Cindy, named in honor of our son Benjamin's imaginary-friend-robots when he was little ...

Best wishes to you for a week filled with your favorite Christmas Keepsakes, sweet memories of Christmases Past, and lots of wonderful memories-in-the-making.

Christmas Lagniappe ...

After I posted this, I went out to blow some leaves off our patio (in 20-degree weather), and was delighted to see this rose blooming on my arbor ...

To think that that little rose could "weather" the cold and bloom one more time, was a "How Great Thou Art" moment, and I wanted to share it with you ...

Christmas Traditions: A Christmas Chain

Two Christmases ago our granddaughter Avery (who was two at the time) and I made a paper chain for our Christmas tree. I used heavy construction papers in pastel pink, green, and white and cut them into strips about an inch-and-a-half wide by about 9" long, and Avery and I glued them together to make our chain. I wrote the date on one of the links and we hung the chain on the tree ...

Avery was so pleased with it, and I decided we would start a new tradition and add to our chain every Christmas.

Last year, we used double-sided scrapbook paper for our chain. We used Elmer's Washable School Glue which is great to use with little ones. It's purple and in stick form and is easy to wash off hands and doesn't stain clothes.

Avery loved the gluing part and did several links by herself ...

We got a little carried away and our
chain ended up being about 15 feet long!

Next, we linked the two chains
together and hung them on the tree ...

What started out as just a fun project, has become a tradition for Avery and me, and yesterday, we made our chain for this Christmas.

I wanted to use Christmas-patterned scrapbook paper, but both of the scrapbook shops close to me have closed (a sign of the state of the economy these days, I guess, which is sad). We went to Wal-Mart instead and I let Avery pick out the paper for our chain herself. Also, for some reason the glue didn't work as well this time, so we used scotch tape which worked great.

I love traditions and think they are important for children, and this is such a fun tradition for little ones (and for mommies and grandmamas, too!). I hope to continue it for as many years as we can, and perhaps one day, she will want to share it with her children.

I created a slide show as a keepsake of some pictures I took of Avery as she worked on the chain yesterday. You can click on the "play" button if you would like to see it, and be sure your sound is turned up if you'd like to hear the music.