Non-religious school Xmas play - refreshing or disappointing?

[Vickisuli]

Just been to my Reception daughter's school Christmas play and it was based on The Jolly Christmas postman with no mention of the nativity story. My husband and I welcomed this because we chose the school partly because it isn't church linked and we're not religious. But in past years my older daughter's play has still been a nativity so it's not like they never do that. We thought the play today was great, but I bet a lot of people will have gone home whinging that they wanted angels and shepherds and the baby Jesus. My older daughter's play is tomorrow and although it has a nativity within it there are other non-Christian aspects too, including talk of Diwali (my daughter is an Indian dancer).

Would you be relieved or disappointed not to see a traditional nativity play?

am I getting messages

Relieved. Much more original and no moaning and sulking from the parents that their kids didn't get the star part!

Cool with me. Our infants is doing non-religious this year too. Quite surprised as it is a church school (all the schools are round these rural parts) but then the children are doing churchy stuff too so hopefully noone will mind!

Dd's Christmas concert is based around Cleopatra this year last year it was fairies. They seem to get the nativity in somewhere though even when it was about the Wannawannapeepee tribe

Not ok with me, no, but that is because we are religious and chose a strongly faith based education! If you are not religios and it's not a faith school then I'm not sure what the problem is!

I did the Jolly Christmas Postman as my first ever Xmas play when I was in reception! So definitely nothing new. In fact I don't think I ever did a religious one at school, most of them weren't even vaguely Christmassy (Christopher Columbus, anyone?!)

I don't see the problem, there's not much, er, suspense in a nativity is there?

DD's was today. She too is in Reception so wasnt sure what to expect.

Their play was called 'How Santa got his job' and was about Santa trying different professions before becoming Santa. Included Sailors, clowns, postmen etc
Then at the end the Reception class did a small Nativity which was really nice.

DH and I aren't particularly religious so the play was fine for us.

I find them disappointing tbh

@ Mackarel - maybe they could change the ending of the nativity for once?

e.g. no one fell for the pack of lies Mary was spinning about the son of god stuff, Joseph left her and she ran off with herod instead?

I don't think there is anything better, to bring a lump to the throat and a tear to the eye, than little ones singing away in a manger with a tea towel on the head. Oh and all that talk of the baby Cheeses :o Ahh its so lovely and innocent.

I went to watch ds2 in his y6 panto last night which had absolutely no mention of religion. It was hilarious and the children were so talented. But I'm so glad I've got the lovely memories of watching them in the Nativity.

It's such a lovely special part of school life. Its a story of love and family and everybody coming together, which I suppose whether you're religious or not, most people love Christmas for those exact reasons.

I think I over used the word lovely in that last post. :o