The little stars of Herm school, getting the Christmas message across. (0685163)

THE festive season is finally upon us, marked as always by the island school’s annual nativity.

Titled It Was In The Stars, the play was a creative interpretation of the Christmas story.

Teacher Mary Carey has a knack for getting the religious message across, while producing a fun and interesting concert that the children enjoy performing as much as we enjoy watching it.

Christine Anthony MBE has been working with the Herm school for many years and, with only a couple of weeks of rehearsals, works wonders getting children as young as five to be word-perfect and adept on their percussion instruments.

Every year the nativity concert takes place on the altar step of St Tugual’s Chapel.

Yet again, as last year, howling winds battered the little church as we huddled together inside with just a small gas fire for warmth.

Naturally, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

This is a yearly event the whole island turns out for and several of the jokes were clearly meant for the adults, such as Mary assuring the Angel Gabriel she couldn’t possibly be pregnant: ‘I can’t have a baby. I’m only engaged to Joseph.’

We had to make do with one shepherd this year, but what he lacked in co-shepherds he made up for in attitude, asking the angel: ‘Will you look after my sheep if I nip down to worship him?’

Not having a huge pool of actors to choose from, a little artistic licence is forgivable and this year we had to have three wise queens instead of kings.

Complete with funky wigs and crowns, and shimmery silver dresses, they looked like a 70s backing group or a Mini Pops version of The Supremes.

Financial director Andrew Bailey, who has been to many of these concerts, having put three children through the Herm school, said: ‘It is always a challenge putting one of these productions together. You never seem to have enough children of the right gender at the right age.’

But yet again, our budding Thespians pulled it off, giving us another night to remember – and aching ribs from laughing so hard.