By Miah Fox

On Wednesday, December 3, Hastings College students performed two shows of their yearly Christmas Pageant. This year’s shows were about ornaments, hoping to become part of the Christmas story, and learning that anyone is worthy of holiday love. This marked the first time that community members outside of Hastings College attended the evening show and the reception that followed. Hastings College Chaplain Doodle Harris brought the annual tradition back three years ago. “I love Christmas Pageants,” Harris said. “The best way to learn the nativity story is to be a part of telling it in a new way! It helps all of us reflect on our faith when we hear an old story from a new perspective.”

Harris went on to speak about her pride for Hailey Gifford, a Hastings College junior who wrote the pageant script. Harris said the story was mostly Gifford’s idea though Gifford claims it was a group effort. “We needed to figure out what message we wanted to share,” Gifford said, “that even those who are on the outskirts or are forgotten still have a place in the Christmas story.”

After picking costumes from the Hasting College Theater closet and selecting songs with her New Testament classmates, Gifford assembled a script that the Hastings College community successfully brought to life. Hastings Theater Professor Kathy Lorenzen directed the pageant and shared her thoughts about the performance. “I’m really happy with the students being able to come together after only two rehearsals,” Lorenzen said. “I look forward to seeing what fun and creative way we can tell the Christmas story next year.”