It’s that magical time of year again, the moment we’ve all been waiting for, where we juggle our jam-packed calendars with equal parts of excitement and anticipation. We know the songs (whether we meant to or not), we’ve witnessed the tired, yet heroic, Early Years staff marching around like tireless festive warriors. We’ve dutifully provided the obligatory coloured tights which are destined, inevitably, to be worn backwards. There can only be one explanation: Christmas has officially begun, and the Nursery Nativity productions are back in full, glitter-covered swing!

Every year, it never fails to amaze me how effortlessly the children make the whole spectacle appear. Their confidence is unparalleled; their commitment, unwavering; their unpredictability, unmatched. Yes, Baby Jesus will be dropped. The crowns will slide down over small faces until the Wise Men look like tiny medieval beekeepers. And someone, usually a sheep, will need an emergency toilet break at the exact moment the lights dim. But honestly, would we even recognise a Nativity without these trademark touches? Imagine a perfectly polished performance with no chaos at all. Terrifying. 

Instead, cherish the perfectly imperfect moments: the beaming smiles, the rosy cheeks, and the enthusiastic waving from the stage that makes you feel like a celebrity, even if it throws off the entire chorus line. These are the memories that warm us for years, the ones we replay long after the costumes are packed away and the last paper star has been peeled off the hall floor. 

This is the season when nostalgia is formed in real time, when our children bring our community together in the simplest, sweetest way. They make us laugh, they make us cry, and sometimes they make us do both at once. They remind us what joy looks like without effort, what celebration feels like without perfection, and what Christmas truly means beyond the shopping lists and the traffic jams. 

So sit back, soak it all in, and let the children take centre stage, quite literally. They may not remember every line or every step, but they’ll remember how it felt to shine. And long after the tinsel has been vacuumed up, we’ll remember it too. 

Here’s to the Nativity season: beautifully chaotic, endlessly heart-warming, and always worth the coloured tights. 

Mrs Stapleton 

Nursery Teacher