A Christmas Carol 2016, Epilogue

 
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This year will be the eightieth first grade performance

of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”.

In 2001

I spray painted pennies gold

and put them in Grandma Maud’s tin box

where they made a wonderful metallic sound when shaken.

A white ostrich plume

picked up in the streets of Nassau

during the Junkanoo celebration

became Bob Cratchit’s quill pen.

The Ghost of Christmas Present

started with a Dollar Store elf hat

but now has a Father Christmas suit

with wreath hat,

fur-collared robe,

and long white beard.

The Ghost of Christmas Past 

now has a velvet medieval gown

and sequined wand.

Jacob Marley now has real chains.

Everybody gets some kind of costume

I have an IKEA bag filled with vests for the boys

and skirts of all sizes for the girls.

Casting is always interesting.

After telling the story and reading through the script

I have kids sign up for LOTS of different parts

so that they almost always get a part they were interested in.

Jacob Marley needs to be uninhibited

and say “Oooooooooooo!” really well.

Tiny Tim often goes to the smallest child

but we have had larger Tiny Tims 

because they were great limpers.

Scrooge needs to be able to remember lines and speak clearly.

One year Scrooge was the shyest girl in the class

but I knew she could handle the part

because one day during silent reading

she surprised the class--

and herself--

by shouting  “LET ME DRIVE THE BUS!!!!”

She was perfect.

Each year there are moments never-to-be-forgotten:

The Ghost of Christmas Present entering with a handspring.

The Ghost of Christmas Future blindly tripping on his long robe.

Scrooge falling off a large table while enthusiastically dancing—

the superintendent was present for that one--

and skirts falling off during Mr Fezziwig’s Christmas dance.

The Ghost of Christmas Past

ad-libbing, “Ebenezer! Think about what you DONE!”

This year I have my smallest class ever

so some kids have multiple parts;

the charity worker is also Mr. Fezziwig and a villager.

(He read his lines the first day in a British accent

but shyness has kicked in

and he hasn’t done it again.)

Bob Cratchit doesn’t know his lines yet,

but has a huge nice-guy smile.

Amy is Tiny Tim

who limps with the aid of a pebble in her shoe.

Joel may be the best Scrooge ever—

he thinks about EVERY LINE

and says it with such expression,

from “Bah! Humbug!”

to “Will the child live?”

to “Thank you Spirits! I will honor Christmas in my heart!”

As we get ready for our December performances

I think about the Scrooges over the years--

boys and girls,

black and white and multiracial--

and I think about how there are no boundaries

on who is cruel

or who is beyond redemption.

We thank God this Christmas season

for the incarnation,

for the baby

who brought the gifts of grace

and mercy

and the ever-present possibility of change.

Tiny Tim's self portrait

Epilogue:

“How did it go?” you ask.

They sang. Loudly.

Apparently Marley’s speech impediment

is worse than I realized

as few people could understand what he actually said,

but his oooooohs and chain-shaking skills

still carried the redemption story along.

The Ghost of Christmas Past got rave reviews

as she delivered her lines clearly 

with a huge smile

in her lovely velvet dress,

her hair poofing all around her sparkly tinsel headpiece.

Scrooge was wonderful, as predicted,

but during the afternoon performance

he had difficulty getting out of his bed

sending the Ghost of Christmas Present into a nervous giggle fit.

(Remember those?

I think they lessen near the end of adolescence.)

The Ghost of Christmas Future doesn’t talk

and didn’t trip,

so that was an easy one.

I saw no fingers in noses,

another reason to be thankful.

There were a few things I would have changed;

hindsight is like that...

“It was the best of times.

It was the worst of times.”

Another Dickens quote*

that is true for plays,

for teaching,

for many situations in 2016

and probably 2017 as well.

In 2017,

may the best of times

be frequent

and appreciated

and the worst of times be redeemed

as you feel the breath of God

on your life.

God, bless us, every one!

From our chimney to yours, happy Christmas!

*The opening paragraph of A Tale of Two Cities:

“It was the best of times,

it was the worst of times,

it was the age of wisdom,

it was the age of foolishness,

it was the epoch of belief,

it was the epoch of incredulity,

it was the season of light,

it was the season of darkness,

it was the spring of hope,

it was the winter of despair.”