What is the point of nativity plays?

Around about this time last year, I posted a blog about Milly's nativity play (in which she was a frog!). I included several links to other websites with nativity plays for sale/for free.

This year, I want to start a discussion on why we do them. Of course, there is the obvious - it is Christmas and we tell the Christmas story. Yet, when I was telling my sister about Milly's triumph as an angel in this year's performance (she was an understudy who  got her moment of glory when the 'real' angel was ill - or had I actually chained her to the school gate?), I began to think that it was about a whole lot more than that. In fact, the Christmas story was a very small part of the hour-long production (yes, Milly is only in Year 2). The majority was singing, dancing, acting (in the loosest sense of the word) and entertaining. After the performance was over, I went 'backstage' to the classroom where the children were changing out of their costumes. They were so excited and proud of themselves. This had also been an exercise in getting them to the edge of (and in some cases beyond) their comfort zones. It had increased their self esteem immensely. It was about teamwork, about practising and being committed, about listening to and watching others perform, about taking part (every single child in the year group performed in some way) and about enjoying being applauded for a job well done.

Of course, it was also about marketing the school (lots of people from the local community had been invited, along with the local press photographer) and it was about bringing a tear to the eyes of parents. It was also immense amounts of work for the staff involved, and for that I thank them.