Conquering Christmas

It's almost Christmas again, which means, among other things, that you have to come up with something to do with drama. Whether it's a pageant or a musical, or even a few holiday skits, this season of joy can become a nightmare if you let it. You can, however, conquer this hectic drama season if you follow a few simple rules.

Rule Number One: Pick the right gift

Since Christmas is typically the time for large-scale celebration, we often feel as though we have to choose the largest and most complicated production to celebrate effectively. Not so. Just as with any production your church attempts, choose a work that displays your church's greatest strengths. If you only have a few people who really want to do drama, consider using them to do a small drama on the Advent Sundays. If you don't have an orchestra (or even a good piano), consider having a night of a cappella Christmas carols with a staged reading of the Christmas story. Remember: God didn't use anything flashy to gift-wrap his Son. Just one star.

Rule Number Two: Round up the wise men (and women)

Whether doing a large-scale production or a small, intimate celebration, the task of organizing it all is a big-time job. Don't get caught doing everything yourself—Delegate. Get those who build to build the set. Get those who sew to make the costumes. Get those who don't do anything to help the others. People in the church usually want to help. They just don't know what you need. If you don't ask, they will assume you are taking care of everything. Ask! Now, all that said, notice that the rule calls for "wise men." Don't fall victim to leaving all of your hired help to their own devices. You'll end up with a manger the size of a car and neon pink shepherds' robes. Make sure that you tell your help exactly what you want.

Rule Number Three: Save your receipts

Christmas comes and goes. But you would never think of letting a family Christmas go by without taking an album's worth of pictures. In the same way, make sure you get an adequate record of the productions you plan each Christmas. Don't get caught each year trying to remember what you liked about last year. Take pictures. Make videos. Keep a journal. A journal is one of the basic needs of any artist. Write down any ideas that you have during the process so you can remember them when the time is right to use them. Also, write down the problems you have so you can remember what to avoid next year. A video can also offer an objective look at what you may have considered to be a hit. However you do it, make sure that you document the process so you have a reference you can use for years to come to make each drama that you produce better than the ones before.

Rule Number Four: Don't forget to unwrap the present

Many times we get so caught up in trying to make the presentation as polished as possible that we forget the message we are conveying. We are celebrating the coming of Emmanuel. Don't let that slip by as you worry about whether the live camels are going to eat the stable. Make sure that your actors understand the importance of the roles they play. If you are portraying the nativity, emphasize the importance of that night. If Mary needs motivation, remind her that she is portraying the mother of Jesus, the Savior of the world. That's pretty heavy stuff. If all of the flashy lights and amazing sets get in the way of God's simple message, then you have missed the point altogether. Strip all of the frills away from your production and make sure that above everything else, God is glorified.

Let that be the goal of all of your drama, for any season.