Second Sunday after Christmas

We finally did the Christmas pageant and, contrary to my expectations, it was wonderful!  When I got the call last Monday from a woman at church who said that it had been suggested (by persons unnamed) that we do the pageant this Sunday, I was very hesitant.  Our rehearsal the 13th of December had still been pretty rough, and in the intervening weeks it seemed likely that things might have gotten even rougher.  But the other family with two children involved was game, and Travis and Katie wanted to do it, and it seemed like the Powers That Be wanted it done, so I agreed.  Only there was severe cold and wind forecast for this weekend, so I didn't know how many people might show up, or even if we would be able to.  So I've been feeling considerable pageant anxiety this past week.
But thanks to the wonderful people at our church, it all went beautifully.  It was about 8 degrees and windy on the mountain this morning, so not many were there, but of those who were, enough pitched in and took over roles that we had a full cast.  The Angel Gabriel didn't make it, and she had lots of lines, and two of our innkeepers, a shepherd, and Caesar Augustus weren't there.  But as I dithered and panicked, kind hearted members of the congregation cheerfully volunteered to fill in.  Some of them needed to hold scripts, reader's theatre style, but they put on costumes and did their parts with enthusiasm.  And Travis did not get tangled in the altar cloth and pull a candle down on his head, and he only crashed the wagon-in-a-donkey-suit which Katie, as Mary, was riding in, into a pew once, and not very hard at that.  We had fifteen people in the play and nearly thirty who weren't, so my 9:30 fear that everyone who came to church would be in the pageant didn't come to pass.  Everyone commented afterward on what a nice pageant it was, and how smoothly it went, and I feel so grateful to be a member so such a generous, cooperative congregation!  And, I'm now off the hook for next year!