Last year when Florence was at her school’s nursery she was chosen to play Mary. The most sought after role, or so I thought. When I’d been little I’d hankered after being chosen and never was so I was thrilled for Florence that for her very first nativity she was asked.

However, Florence was not so pleased. The angels all got to wear tinsel in their hair and compared to the tea towel (it wasn’t actually but in her mind it may as well have been) she said she was forced to put on her head it just didn’t compare. As soon as I saw her walk into the hall, just after I’d been ushered into the front row (well I was the Mother of Mary after all), I knew it was going to be tricky. I could tell from her face that she wasn’t happy about something and sure enough the ‘might as well be a tea towel’ versus tinsel had finally become too much for her…

The hall was in the big school and there were LOTS of faces staring at her sitting at the front of the performance area next to the boy playing Joseph. She got scared and what with hating what she was wearing she just couldn’t do it. Her teacher started speaking to prompt Florence to start performing her role but she shook her head. The teacher tried again but Florence simply said no, stood up and walked to sit with the lowly cattle. Everyone called it stage fright, which it was absolutely but… I reckon if she’d been wearing a bit of tinsel like she wanted then she’d have been much more confident!

So this year and in the big school this time, they have been rehearsing for their Christmas play again. Judging by the songs she’s singing at home ALL the time it is a mixture of the traditional but with lots of animals you wouldn’t expect… It is one of these animals that Florence has been chosen to play. She is… Bit of a come down from Mary but stilll… A goat!

Now as soon as I heard they wanted Florence to be a goat I knew she wouldn’t be happy. Goat doesn’t exactly scream girlie or tinsel and I felt her pain at not being an angel again… But I knew how to make it better for her. I asked Miss Pretty if she could be a sparkly goat with tinsel and Miss Pretty said yes! But how to make a goat costume let alone a sparkly one?

In step Gram! I called my Mum, as I always do when I don’t know how to do something and off she went to the charity shop to get the supplies she’d need for Florence’s sparkly goat. I think you will agree that my Mum has surpassed herself yet again, she IS a bloody genius and I love her so much for making this costume and posting it to us in just a couple of days. Florence is thrilled with it and I know this means she will be thrilled to go on stage and BE her goat!

All I can say is well done that Gram!

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