It transpires that in order to fulfill the scholastic goal of giving every child in the Infants a role in the School Nativity Play, her daughter had been cast as an Alien visiting The Baby Cheeses. I am aware that his fame has spread far and wide (viz. The 3 Wise Men), but Aliens? Seriously?
I then re-ran my own chequered Nativity Play history in my head, vividly recalling the time I escaped school and ran for home on the day I was due to take the lead role. I remembered the year I upstaged everyone else as the little boy who knows "a man who can" in "Joseph". I am still scarred by the memory of the year I was consigned to "Tree 4" at the back of the stage. But an Alien? Seriously?
Today, as I collected Lastborn from school she pressed a plastic wallet into my hand. Inside was a wodge of papers with "Narrator 4" on the top. This is her role for the Infant Nativity Play at our school. A much more traditional way to ensure that everyone gets to say at least one line. And no need for a green papier maché costume, thankfully.
What are yours going to be this year?
