Grace McWaters plays the role of baby Jesus as Mary (Emma Noyes) and Joseph (Alex Cadman) look on in last year’s pageant.(Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
There has been a Christmas pageant in Harvard since the 19th century. In the early days, it was a simple affair, with carol singing and candle lighting held at the Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church. All that changed in the 1960s when a pint-sized revolution took place.
It all began when a few of the town’s children asked the Unitarian Universalist children’s choir director, Ann-Marie Arnold, why their friends and neighbors who attended the other town churches couldn’t be in the pageant as well. Arnold, who was well known for her ability to organize things, felt the children had a valid point. She quickly gathered a small group of friends, including Teddy Coffin, Mary Lou Lerner, Emily Coolidge, Joanne Kronauer, and Beth and Gid Hill. It wasn’t long before a union among the Unitarian Universalist Church, the Congregational Church of Harvard, and St. Theresa’s Church was formed and the interfaith Christmas pageant was born.
Eleanor Toth, who was a choir director for the pageant in the 1970s, remembers the genesis vividly.
“Once everyone joined forces it all came together smoothly,” she said. “The ladies of the alliance sewed shepherds’ costumes and choir robes. Different children and parents were assigned various roles. It was a real collaboration.”
The pageant has evolved over the years. Baby Jesus was originally played by a doll. That role is now filled by one of Harvard’s newest residents under the age of 6 months. Another change is that the pageant is open to all the town’s children, even if they don’t attend one of the three churches.
Even with the changes, many things have remained the same, like the traditional choral hymns that were chosen by pageant founder and 53-year Harvard resident Arnold. Although she died in 2009, her legacy lives on in the pageant’s music. Her son Tim remembers the dedication and energy his mother put into the event.
“My mother was always good at organizing things,” Tim Arnold said. “Every year she put a great deal of energy into the pageant, especially the music. She was from Norway, and many of the hymns are from her childhood.”
Over the years, trumpets, a harpsichord, and flutes have been added. Since there are no speaking roles, the musical additions enhance the event and allow older Harvard children to share their musical gift with the town.
Along with the hymns, many of the original props and costumes are still being used today.
“The kings’ robes were purchased by the Hills from a theatrical costume shop,” said co-founding pageant organizer Teddy Coffin. “They were quite stunning and still look great 40-plus years later.”
The strong foundation of the Christmas pageant can be credited almost entirely to a long list of volunteers. St. Theresa parish member Janice Kennedy is one of them. She is a long-time pageant organizer whose six children have each played a role in the event over the years. One of the things Kennedy is most proud of is that the pageant has remained true to its mission.
“The founders had a goal for it to be ecumenical and inclusive to all the children of Harvard in terms of participation, a gift to the town to come together to see the reenactment of the story of Jesus’ birth in a way honoring Biblical references,” Kennedy said. “The fact that children in grades one through 12 participate is truly unique and keeps the pageant going.”
Kennedy also credits the strong alliance of volunteers, which includes a planning committee made up of an equal division of members from the three churches.
“The way the work and roles are divided was established long ago and carried in binders that are updated every few years,” Kennedy said. “We wanted a way to make it more user friendly for future volunteers so Erin Ash Sullivan developed the website last year. The objective is to make it more accessible to all volunteers, families, and a way to easily introduce it to new community members, so as to preserve the future of the pageant.”
Their efforts have been successful and have allowed the holiday tradition to live yet another season. This year, performances will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Sunday, Dec. 9, at 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. At the conclusion of the 4:30 p.m. performance, pageant attendees are invited to the annual tree-lighting ceremony on the Common. There will be hayrides provided by Chris Green of Westward Orchards and the Harvard Parks and Recreation Commission. The Nashoba Valley Concert Band will be on hand for music and carol singing followed by the lighting of the tree at 5:15 p.m. There will also be cocoa and cookies for all in the Fellowship Room of the Harvard Congregational Church.
