Nativity Notes
Posted under People I love, Witterings
Just when you thought competitive parenting had reached its pinnacle…enter stage left ‘manger chic’. According to UK retailer Debenhams, parents are spending up to £150 to kit out their offspring for the nativity play as part of a trend they have dubbed ‘manger chic’. Begone teatowel on the head with a bit of rope! Away with thee tinsel garlands! Don’t darken our doors pyjamas and angel outfits fashioned from a sheet! These days you’re a nobody unless you’re wearing a pashmina (Virgin Mary…tush, doesn’t she know they went out with the ark?), a jewelled turban ([Not so] Wise Man], white bridesmaid dress and imitation jewellry (angel), grey duffle coat (donkey), white fur stole (sheep) etc etc.
It’s really come to something when a retailer goes on the record and criticises this new ‘manger chic’ as “silly”, encouraging its customers to go back to basics and shun designer clobber for the nativity in favour of more basic items. Presumably Debenhams are generally delighted when their customers have more money than sense, so this is quite a sensational move on their part and it attracted a huge amount of press interest.
Apparently the worst offenders are parents of children with minor roles who feel they have to compensate by dressing them up to the nines. Worse, it also seems to be being driven by some misplaced belief that a cracking performance in the Nativity is imperative for getting a place at a good school.
“Parents have told our personal shopping teams that they feel they have to teach their children to excel at everything from a very young age,” explained Watson [spokesperson for Debenhams].
“They have to possess an exemplary CV – including, it seems, a star role in the school nativity play – if they want to gain a place at a coveted primary or secondary school”.
What planet are these people on? I’m fairly sure the Lord is having a quiet giggle at the irony of all this…little children celebrating and recreating his birth in the most humble of surroundings, bedecked with bling and designer gear as part of some astonishing display of one upmanship. How very Christian.
It was Bertie’s nursery Nativity play last week. I’d love to share some photos, but it’s not fair to show pictures of other people’s children so publically. Take it from me…they all looked adorable and it was very sweet. No sign of designer wear, imitation jewellry etc etc, but very little sign of homemade costumes either. Joseph was a notable exception, in a very authentic calico type outfit and walking stick, all cobbled together the night before and held together with staples and safety pins. There was one angel looking very retro in something possibly made from a sheet and tinsel. Otherwise it was a full house of stuff from Tesco, M&S, Ebay etc etc. Bertie’s was from Ebay as I am incapable of making anything other than a mess.
But next year I’d like to take a shot at it, as part of a pledge to learn how to sew a bit. One of my earliest memories is standing on the coffee table for what seemed like hours as my mother pinned a skirt she was making for me, ready to hem. She was always making me clothes when I was a child, out of financial necessity for the most part. I feel like such a failure for continually throwing money at things like this. I’d like to make something for my boys myself, made with love and not delivered by Postman Andy in a jiffy bag.
The photo has nothing to do with this post. I didn’t send Diggy to the play naked but for a towel. I just thought it was a bit Nativity like…Diggy as the Baby Jesus with MrSpud as Mary. In drag.
why don’t you plan to start sewing in october? a real good fancy dress for halloween has to look crooked, torn, ripped, filthy, seamless. so you can really try out all your abilities and even become encouraged by each and every little failure ;-)))
“…to excel at everything…” WHY?, for god’s sake, why? why can’t we just be happy with “good enough”? School concerts and class parties drive me mad because there is so much pressure (from other parents and from school) to spend spend spend.
Love the idea of mrS being the VM in drag. LOL at blinged up angels… Would probably be guilty of that had our nursery bothered with a nativity.
Mr.Spud is a very good sport, and a good model too! I love the golden glow of the photo. It is fun to Christmas through the little one’s eyes.
i get the impression that it’s really hard to be a parent in the UK. i’m really happy it’s not at all like that here in egalitarian denmark. i just bought my child a white sheet and silver christmas tree garland for her st. lucia thing at the riding school. and i even botched up cutting the hole for her head so we had to pin it up a bit. but she looked so cute anyway and loved every minute of it. i have faith that you’ll learn to sew and make a perfect costume for next year.
xox,
/j
i am very happy to hear that you dont know how to sew and my vote goes to you not learning to sew ever. In Norway, in 6th grade, students pass the ‘sewing machine driving license’, which is supposed to be a fun way to make kids interested. except i didnt pass. I was the only student who didnt pass, becuase i had lived in morocco where there was no sewing, so i had 18 thumbs and no interest. So the mean lady looked me in the eye and said ‘sorry. you’re just not good enough’. So now, I totally boycott sewing.
Lets excel at NOT sewing.
Competitive parenting drives me mad. As an aside there also seems to be this great big effort for every child to be something in plays/nativitys etc.. (in fact I blame competitive parents for EVERYTHING including the existence of Simon Cowell ) a friend of mine has a daughter who had the leading role of ‘fridge’ in the nativity… ??????
Back in my day (get me being old) if you weren’t in the play you were shoved in the choir and in my case, very thankful :)