Christmas Eve Children's Mass

I was so happy to be in town for Christmas this year, for SO many reasons! And one of those reasons was so that we could attend & participate in the Christmas Eve Children's Mass. Nate got asked to be a "shepherd," and at the last minute, Abby was donned the "star." I knew Nate would be fine because some of his school buddies were shepherds as well.... and these were non-speaking parts, so really, it was just about being well-behaved. And that is Nate to a tee.

But then there's Abby Reece.

All the "star" had to do was walk up, stand behind Mary & Joseph, and protect Baby Jesus. She was good at this, but I was waiting for her to grab Baby Jesus out of Mary's hands because she wanted to hold that doll so so bad!

Nevertheless, rehearsal on Saturday went much better than expected, and Abby was thrilled when she saw her costume - an old priest's vestment that was remade into a gold and beautiful gown, as well as a glittery star headband. So I was hopeful that the actual program would go smoothly.

During mass on Christmas Eve, I sat on the front row with Abby, as well as some of the other "characters." I was supposed to keep them quiet/well-behaved during mass, but I had my hands full with just Abby. She told me her costume was making her hot 30 seconds into mass, and since her gown didn't have arm holes, it was like she was in a straight-jacket. So I hiked up the gown - exposing her tights & polka dot underwear (oh yes, super classy) and let her arms free for a bit. About 5 seconds before she had to go "on stage," she started to have a minor meltdown about her headband hurting. We powered through it and she did a.m.a.z.i.n.g!!

 Click here to view Abby making her entrance.

During mass, Nate was in the very back row with all the other shepherds. I took a video of him making his entrance down the aisle, but have had issues uploading it. All the shepherds & sheep kneel halfway down the aisle because Angel Gabriel appears and they were "terrified." It it too cute and of course Nate was the only one that stood up on cue.

 This last video is of the whole group. It's a bit of a hot mess, but nonetheless, a proud mommy moment for me! (It's hard to see Nate, but if you located Joseph & Mary, and he's two to the left of them.)

Click here to view the second video.

I am so proud of my little shepherd & star, and look forward to participating in this mass for many years to come!