My Very Own 'Wise Man'...

Saturday, December 7th, after the evening session of Stake Conference, the lady near us turned to Claude and said, "Would you be willing to participate in a live nativity this year? We need some people with beards. I have the costumes but I just can't make the beards."  Claude said he would.

This Saturday, December 14th, we went to Lexington in the morning for Claude to learn about his costume and rehearse.

Tonight was the Nativity Festival.  This is put on by our stake, the Lexington North Stake, and the Lexington Stake.  There were three large rooms with creche displays in them.  There were two large rooms with crafts for the children.  The stage in the cultural hall had a manger scene on it and the live Nativity would be acted out there at 4:30pm and 4:45pm. While this was going on different musical groups performed in the chapel. At 5pm a children's choir would do a performance and the live Nativity would move through as they sang about the different characters in the Nativity.  Then the finale would be the huge choir singing at 7pm.  Refreshments were served after this performance.  It is a very big deal and many in the Lexington community who are not members of our Church attend.

I wanted pictures of my own personal 'Wise Man'...and...here he is. My, he is handsome!! And, he is wearing purple!!

They went through this live Nativity twice.  There is a recording that tells the story interspersed with musical selections. The characters actually say nothing but come in when their music is sung.  They move on stage a bit.  It is all very touching and reverent.  Here are shots of my 'Wise Man' in each of the performances.

Now, for the truth of the need for these pictures.  Claude is running for Magistrate in 2014.  I just feel like I need to post on his Facebook page something about, "If you want to have the perfect 'Wise Man' as your Magistrate, vote for Claude Christensen."  There, I have totally burst that Christmas feeling. But it is going to be a great post.  And, if you could have seen those little children clinging to the stage and saying, "Look mommy, it is Mary and Joseph and the Baby Jesus" you would have felt that Christmas spirit.