It is a tradition long established in any school, but particularly here at Framlingham College Prep School that Christmas only really begins when the youngest children in the school perform their magical re-telling of the old story.
The Pre-Prep nativity is always a highlight of the year and this year was no exception. Whilst we stick with the tradition of telling the story of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus we like to entertain too and this year the Pre-Prep children did it in style.
‘Straw and Order’ told the Nativity Story in the form of a dispute between neighbours (the cows and the donkeys) who looked to a grumpy no-nonsense judge to settle it. To discover the true facts in the case the Judge was taken on a special journey and introduced to a cast of many humorous characters who told the old tale in a new way.
All the children performed with humour and enthusiasm and the singing was, as always, quite beautiful. I am sure every member of the audience had their own highlight – for some it would have been the shimmying sheep, for others it could have been Mary’s confident composure, or it might have been the marching Roman soldiers or the very Wise Men. For me, a laugh out loud moment was poor Stanley [the innkeeper] being marched off by his bossy wife but my abiding memory as always will be of the final moment when all the children gathered around the crib to sing in harmony of the joy at the birth of a new baby.
