We adapted the Godly Play Liturgy for Christmas Eve, and instead of having children carry the pieces of the creche up, we had them dress as these characters and “be” the pieces!

Our tradition at St. Paul’s had been to use the organ and the 1982 hymnal arrangements of several classic Christmas hymns, but this year we had a lively bluegrass band play different arrangements, including Sufjan Stevens (Sufy, Christmas, very yes!!) versions of classic songs. It was a hit.

I used trifold foam core that I already had and cut it to match the shapes of the model of Bethlehem that we use in the Godly Play Advent stories, just to continue the association, and used the blue of the altar cloth as a backdrop for the window cutouts. I glued some black tulle over the window panes so that the light would be somewhat diffused.