Christmas 2012 Part 2: Donkey vs. Poinsettia

We drove back to San Antonio and made it home in time for the Christmas Eve service at our church.  This was the first year we've been in town for it, so we were excited to go.  Our church's service is fairly laid back and involves the children.  They had costumes available for the kids who wanted to participate in the live nativity.  Will picked out a donkey costume, and while Claire didn't want to wear a full costume, she did want an angel halo.

The Donkey


We sang Christmas songs, and then Pastor Kirk began reading the Christmas story.  The children designated to be Mary & Joseph came up, and then as Kirk got to different parts of the story, the kids wearing the appropriate costumes (shepherd, lamb, donkey, cow, wise man, angel, etc.) were invited to come up.  Before Will went on stage, he was "helping" Kirk narrate the story.  Loudly.  "The WISE MEN, Mommy - they came!"  "The BRIGHT and MORNING STAR, Mommy."  Fortunately we were sitting near the back and mostly surrounded by people we knew, so they just laughed.

Then it was time for Will to go up.  He wasn't 100% sure about being on stage, so I stayed close by, but he was okay with being up there.


Claire went up shortly afterwards with the angels, and they were sitting quietly, until...Will accidentally hit the poinsettia in front of him with his mask.  A few dead leaves fell off, and he found that interesting.  So he hit it again.  More leaves fell off.  He started hitting it repeatedly, and it fell over.  Claire was looking at me with this "Mommy!  What do I do?" expression, and I was frantically gesturing at him to stop.  Someone on the front row jumped up and righted the poinsettia for him, but he just thought that meant to go at it again.  I was turning red and sweating, trying to figure out what to do, when our pastor noticed Will, laughed, and said something like "In case you were wondering if donkeys eat poinsettias, they do!"  He wasn't actually eating it, but close enough.  Glad that Kirk found it entertaining!  Will finally stopped beating up the poinsettia with his mask, looked around, and realized that so many kids had come up during the story that he didn't have a clear exit off the stage.  He got up on his knees, yelled "MOMMY!!!", and I took that as my cue to snatch him off the stage and head to our seats.  We made it through the rest of the service without further incidents.

Claire giving me the "What do I do?" look, and Will behind the demolished poinsettia.  Yes, I took photos.  :)


The lesson learned:  2 years old is too young to participate in the live nativity.  Maybe next year will go more smoothly...

Although slightly embarrassing, it was a Christmas Eve service we will never forget!