I Miss Christmas

"...behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy..." Ah, those were the days...when kids were free to know the truth.

It wasn’t so very long ago that my own children were in elementary school.  Christmas programs were just that…Christmas.  They sang CHRISTMAS songs!  Some secular, some religious.  Always a nice mix.  The bulletins said “welcome to our Christmas Program”…not “Holiday” program…not “Winter” program.   I even remember some of the children in costume for certain songs.  Little angel halos or reindeer antlers.

Tonight I went to my third grade granddaughter’s “Holiday Program”.  It’s a big school and they did one grade level at 6:00 p.m., one at 7:00 pm. and one at 8:00 p.m.  They really had no choice, no way to fit all three grades and families in the gym or the parking lot.  They sang eight songs and it was over in about a half an hour.  These groups of kids are far to large to allow any kind of costumes.  (Side note: Gone are days of our smaller neighborhood schools.  We now have these ginormous mega schools with such huge classes that programs are too much work, so it ruins the FUN!)

They performed some creative winter songs, but then there was “Michael Finnigan” (you know, the guy who had to “begin again”) and Rockin’ Robin.  Really?!  Call it “winter” or “holiday” or whatever, but it’s still Christmas.  Can’t they come up with songs that at least pertain to the season?  So many simple seasonal songs in the world with plenty of secular (non-religious) Christmas songs to choose from.  But we get Rockin’ Robin & Michael Finnigan (which was an old song when I was a kid!).

Don’t get me wrong, the kids did a wonderful job!  My girl was in the front row and had all the sign language and motions down perfect!  She clearly enjoyed herself.  Oh, and I can’t even imagine being the vocal music teacher to a school district this time of year.  That’s a huge job.  But geez…give us chestnuts roasting on an open fire, or some silver bells at least.  The kids are clearly capable of learning a classic song, as they performed what they were given beautifully.

Just sayin’…I miss CHRISTMAS.

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  Luke 2:9-11

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