We've removed the Memoriam cards and the sombre white candle from the window sill, and the sad, sweet hymn, Remember Those Who've Died, has been laid to rest for another year. Yes, we're now well and truly into the joyful spirit of Christmas.
'Tis the season to be jolly, and the children will not be denied. Songs, poems, stories, hymns, art, Gaeilge, nature study, Christian doctrine, history all seem to have conspired together to remind the whole, wide world that the festive season of Christmas is upon us once more. Every lesson has pictures of holly and ivy, angels and shepherds, kings and stars, Santa and reindeer, turkey and pudding, cards and crackers.
The PP, on his weekly visit, exhorts the children to ask Mammy and Daddy to get out the family Bible and read and reflect on the story of the birth of Christ. The CD books and copies urge them to prepare their hearts for the coming of the Baby Jesus.
They assiduously draw the Crib, and debate whether they should show the three wise men in the stable - or, like Patrick Kavanagh's whin bushes on Cassidy's hill, should they just silhouette them in the distance.
But, all the while their little hearts are buried deep in Santa's sack with Furby and Barbie, Nintendo and Gameboy. They remember clearly Rudolph's unfinished carrot from last year, and how Santa drank all the whiskey, but didn't eat all the Christmas cake.
Their minds are eclectic, they can tune into any philosophy if it's intrinsically good. Your average eight-year-old can pray at the Crib with the fervour of a mystic, and also write to Santa with the unashamedness of an Epicurean.
And, so, they embrace the annual Nativity Play with histrionic intensity. Each pupil is, at once actor, producer, stage-manager and critic. A prospective angel is taken aside and coached until she has acquired the required high-pitched voice; the kings practise tirelessly until they master the voice inflection perfectly, the costumes are positively authentic.
This is the one extra-curricular activity, which engages both pupil and teacher alike with equal enthusiasm. It's the zenith of our first term, at time for fun and for showing off our dramatic skills to the whole population of our own little world. And, with only two weeks to go to opening night, the heat is really on. Break a leg!
