Page 51 of The Holidays with Dr. Mitchell
“Dad?” Addy questioned Jim, who was standing with his fake beard and wearing the purple robes of the Magi. “Who are you supposed to be?”
Jim remained solemn and as still as an authentic Nativity scene statue would.
“Answer your kid,” Collin said, the second Magi in this scene, kneeling where Jim stood at his side. “In song, of course.”
“No,” Jim muttered back to him.
“You blow this and?—”
“And what?” Spencer, the third costumed Magi, spoke.
“You’ll ruin everything for our lovely wives,” I said, proudly wearing the robes I imagined Joseph wore back in the day.
“I highly doubt that,” Jim said.
“I think they’re supposed to sing the answers,” my sharp-as-a-tack wife said, catching on quickly.
“Ah, that makes sense. I just thought Collin and Jake were singing because they love to jump at the opportunity whenever it arises,” Laney said, chuckling and playing along.
“That makes a lot of sense,” Nat chimed in on cue. “So, that means Jim’s got to answer Addy with a song like Collin and Jake did?”
“It’s an interactive singing nativity,” Avery said, chuckling and looking at Addy. “So, your dad’s got to sing his answers to you.”
I was doing everything I could to not laugh at this moment, which was working out so much more splendidly than I’d hoped to accomplish. When the ladies and the kids gained a vibrant sense of excitement for our nifty little Christmas play, the crowds gathered around. People looked inquisitively at us, speaking to each other in their native languages, primarily German, French, and Italian, with a sprinkling of British English here and there.
“Is it a musical?” an older woman with a thick German accent asked, realizing we had been speaking English and joining in.
“It’s a nativity. I see that,” her friend added. “But where’s Mary and the baby?”
“Away in the manger…” I rang out with all my holiday cheer.
“But you’re in a manger?” the first lady questioned while our wives and kids giggled.
“No crib for a bed…” Collin managed in his deepest baritone.
“Nice job, man,” I complimented him.
“Well, this is adorable,” a new visitor with a British accent said, walking up and smiling at the confusing scene where we sang interactively to our audience.
“What’s cute is I think they’ve intentionally left out characters from the story in the hopes they would be questioned so they could sing back their answers.”
“Wunderbar!” another lady said, looking like she’d dressed in a Christmas sweater she’d crafted from her crocheting skills. “I see Joseph,” she smiled and pointed at me. “Now, how are those guys called again?” she pointed toward our three Magi men.
Collin stood from where he was kneeling and walked to stand in between Spence and Jim. “Together,” Collin rang out in song, “We Three Kings of—” He paused and looked at Jim and Spence, who stood there looking like a couple of Grinches who stole this Christmas scene away from the crowd that was drawing in to be entertained by all of us.
“He’s got a beautiful voice, Helga,” our first visitor stated. “I don’t understand why the other two won’t sing.”
“Maybe because they’re afraid to?” Bless my wife for adding fuel to this fire.
“Oh, probably,” Helga’s friend answered Ash.
“My dad has a great voice,” Addy said, the only child in tow because Carmen and Mark had taken the younger ones back home after the sun set and it got even more frigid. “Sing, Dad.”
I couldn’t resist looking at my brother, who was threatening to ruin all of this for his darling Addy because he was being a stubborn dickhead right now.
“Sing, asshole,” I heard Collin whisper.
“Jim!” Avery snapped. “What the fuck are you doing?”
