Children's nativity play and Christmas show mishaps: please share your favourites

[GeraldineMumsnet]

Hello,

We're busier than Santa's elves putting together some new content for Christmas. And we'd like your help, please.

What we're after are stories of your children's performances in Nativity plays, school Christmas shows, pantos etc, that didn't go exactly according to plan.

So outright disasters or just mistakes, bloopers, wardrobe or script malfunctions that made you giggle/blush/strangely proud, please share them here.

Thank you :)

Church Nativity Play where one of the angels stole one of the toy sheep from one of the shepherds. A second shepherd then used the crook he had been given to hook round the angel's belt as she tried to escape up the aisle and dragged her back.

Then 2 years ago my dd fell asleep in front of the altar while the play stopped half way through for the sermon .

When my DS was in Yr 2 he played a rat/coachman for Cinderellas Coach (they didn't do a Nativity that year).

Little bu**ger spent most of the time with his hands down the back of his trousers-despite my trying to give him the Evil Eye- until one of the teachers swiped his hands away.

Baby Jesus's head fell off and rolled slowly down the 2 steps from the stage.

Last year at dd's school the reception "camels" who were riding a version of a hobby horse had a bit of a scrap in the aisle, the headteacher who is a very mild-mannered man had to break it up.

DS was 3 and his nursery cast him as a lamb, they said this was "white clothes" which seemed reasonable. On the day (21st Dec) he wore, white t-shirt, linen trousers, cricket tank-top. When we got there the other four lambs were all in full sheep outfits with masks etc and DS looked like he was about to play cricket. They had found his sheepskin gloves and turned them inside out in a desperate attempt to, presumably, make him more "sheeplike" it was too funny for me to be which is a first

Child (age 4 or 5) bouncing at side of stage - fell off into wee shepherds who were kneeling on the floor

glosses over memory of being the mother of the nose picker in the back row

When I was 5, and cast as the angel Gabriel, it became quite apparent to my parents, and the entire school hall, that I was badly in need of glasses after doing a graceful trip/slide across the stage mid speech narrowly missing a sheep.

That and the weird squinty blinky thing that they videotaped. Cheers Mum

We were so proud watching Ds1 in the starring role of Joseph in the Reception class Nativity...until he picked the biggest bogey out of his nose and wiped it all over Mary's shoulder!

Not really a mishap but when I was in Reception I was chosen to play Mary. An unheard-of honour. I cried and stamped my feet because I wanted to "be a weary traveller and trudge to Bethlehem with Jason!"

My Mum brings this up every time we go to a Nativity play with one of the DGC. She still hasn't forgiven me.

I said this on another thread but DS is convinced and immovable that it's 3 wisemen and three "chefs" rather than shepherds and if not why hence "shepherds pie?" He can't believe that they put a baby in a horses feeding bowl "the manger" and told me just yesterday that the "sparkly guy" (Angel Gabriel) had a Hula Hoop (halo) on his head.

DS was cast as Joseph when in nursery so he was 4. He was sitting with Mary when the 3 Wise Men arrived with their gifts. Gratefully received the frankinsence and gold but exclaimed loudly when the 3rd Wise Man offered his gift: "Myrrh? What's Myrrh then". All heads swivvelled to where his Dad and I sat, bright red .

A few years later he was an angel. Suitably dressed with a tinsel headdress. He absolutely loves music and singing and got into being part of the choir of angels with much enthusiasm...so much so he fell off the back of the stage (not very high) and all the audience could see of him were the soles of his shoes.

When ds2 was in nursery he was cast as one of the 'stars' dressed in decorated white t-shirts with no trousers. All looked really angelic until they lifted their arms up and the whole audience realised that DS2 had also taken off his pants!

at the last two. Brilliant!

When my eldest was 5, he had 1 very vital ( I am building up his part here) line to say at the Christmas nativity.

Before his grand moment he was sat at the side of hall by the sliding doors in his outfit awaiting his cue. He got abit bored and started to twist himself into the full length curtains next to him.

He was so good at the twisting thing he completed disappeared into it and was not able to untangle himself in time to utter the vital line "look at the shining star."

The teacher doing the nativity was sat at the front hissing "PancakeflipperSon, where are you?" After a few anxious seconds she gave up and said the line herself.

He will never be anything but in the chorus for every school production now.

Friend of mine was given the great honour of being Mary when she was about 5. Unfortunately her and her older sister had a bit of an argument the night before the big day which resulted in said friend ending up with a black eye. No amount of make up could successfully cover it up!

my son was angel gaberiel and he just stood there stamped his feet and started crying .. wonder wat he will be this year :)

A fight broke out over who was going to hold the baby Jesus.

Joseph pushed Mary off the stage and one the three wise men wet himself in all the confusion.

DS was in the front row of the choir last year, so that everyone could see that he was quite desperate for a wee.

He jiggled and held his willy, ignored my hissed instructions to jump down so that I could take him to the loo, all the while still singing his heart out.

We have it on video so that we can embarrass him when he is older

One of the boastful playground mums was preening last year that her PFB had come home and told her he had got 'The Head Part'.

Which he had, there were two DC playing the Donkey and he was the donkey's head

ds1 was cast as a shepherd in the preschool play. He was sat with his dressing gown and tea towel and looking cute and angelic as mary and joseph make their little tableaux. Then he spotted his dad, who had been away a lot the previous 2 weeks.

In that lovely LOUD tot voice we hear: "THATS MY DADDY OVER THERE. LOOK OLLIE, THERES MY DADDY! HELLO DADDY! (frantic waving and pointing) DADDY! HELLO! I'M A SHEPHERD. WHY ARENT YOU TALKING TO ME DADDY? (repeat)

There were many that came up to us afterwards to say hello to the famous daddy....!

The same year, we attended a nativity in the church where my dd was singing. I was sat with ds1 (4) and ds2 (1 year). turned around to find ds1 had climbed onto some random ladies lap, snuggled up, stuffed his thumb in his mouth while twiddling the collar of her fleece under his nose, and promptly fallen asleep. SHe was enchanted and bemused!

Meanwhile, ds2 (who had been sat quietly chewing a toy, decided he would like to follow the three kings down the aisle with said toy in his mouth crawling away at great speed. - to grab him would have meant disturbing the whole proceedings, so frantically gesticulated to head teacher and she grabbed him on his way past.

They must have thought us a strange family.

DD was a star when she was around 3. Her speech had never been clearer than when she said sod this and walked off the stage.

@ rips DD

My brother was absent on the day they sorted out the costumes so on the day of the performance, alongside the donkey, sheep & camels, was a rather disgruntled looking lion.

I took DD out of the Catholic "beacon" school (which is a whole other thread) and sent her to the local one. The Nativity included references to the shepherds having consumed magic mushrooms and made much of the fact that Joseph thought that Mary had "cheated" and even mentioned Jeremy Kyle

Oh I forgot this one!

Christingle service:

DD set light to her hair. The smell was about for weeks.

Blimey, looks like DDs wasnt' the worst thing.
I can't blame her it was dull and I should have been engaged. The funniest bit was people approaching DH for weeks after the performance and commenting on it. He was assistant principal of the school.