….to be poorly! Having succumbed to the joys of bronchitis and sinusitis, my run up to Christmas has been far from jolly. That said, a couple of days in bed and some strong antibiotics seem to be doing the trick, as does my mum’s stew, the recipe for which has seen me through illnesses since early childhood.
Besides great stew, another benefit of being under the weather is the chance to catch up on daytime TV. This I have done enthusiastically – Deal Or No Deal, Escape To The Country, Countdown and This Morning have all received my undivided attention in the last few days. However, one programme in particular has been an absolute revelation, and dare I say an education. Loose Women has given me an insight into a world I knew existed but had never ventured to explore beyond its periphery. I now have intimate knowledge of the opinions, desires, joys, frustrations and expectations of a group of C-list celebrity ladies of a certain age, and feel I am a better, more rounded individual because of it.
What I found particularly insightful (and surprising) is Janet Street-Porter’s thoughts on Nativity plays in primary schools. Following a recent shocking and disturbing news story of a school who dared to modernise the traditional story, Miss Street-Porter’s outrage was on display for all daytime telly-addicts to witness. ‘It's a disgrace for schools to mess with the nativity story? Putting a spin on the birth of Christ surely constitutes the beginning of the end of civilisation as we know it.’ So vehement was her diatribe that I nearly spilled my stew.
Now, nobody mourns the decline of Hark The Herald Angels Sing and Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem more than I do. However, the likes of JS-P should put themselves in the position of those teachers upon whose shoulders rests the responsibility of making this year’s Christmas production a success. Christmas is a wonderful time to be in a primary school, but it’s also incredibly hard work to juggle all that the end of this long term brings. One particular pressure is how to take a story that has twelve characters, only one of them female (maybe two if you give the innkeeper a wife) and present it in a way that allows a hundred children to have their moment in the spotlight, under the often critical eye of parents who want to see their own little star shine brighter than the rest. If the Nativity story needs to be tweaked a little (or indeed a lot) to do just that, then so be it and good luck to you.
If I ever finish my antibiotics in time to have a drink this festive season, I shall be toasting all you wonderful teachers who continue to keep musical and dramatic performance at the fore of your children’s experiences at school…..however you choose to do it.
Happy Christmas, and cheers!
