The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will once again be putting on their live Nativity pageant on December 17 and 18.  While this month has been full of Christmas activities to get the community in the festive spirit, most of them have been related to Santa Claus, rather than the historical and religious basis of Christmas.

While the Santa related Christmas activities are great for the community, Nativity pageant director Loralee Laycock is happy that the church can bring some religious events for the community to celebrate as well.

"That's something that we feel is still a really important part of the Christmas season, and it (the pageant) allows us to celebrate it and share it," she said.

The retelling of the Nativity story takes a lot of effort for the church, as Laycock explained they have members of the congregation acting, a full scale recreation of the barn where Jesus was born, as well as real animals like donkeys, ponies, sheep, and goats. While it does take a lot of planning and work, Laycock says it's all worth it to be able to share in a Christmas celebration with the community.

"The main reason why we do it is because in many Christian faiths people like to celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas time, and it's a way for us to celebrate that and something that we believe strongly in, but also a way for us to share that message with the community and spread a little bit of that Christmas spirit with the people of Strathmore and area" 

"Basically we set up Bethlehem right there on the front lawn of our church."

While celebrating with the community is of course the main reason the church puts this Nativity pageant on, Laycock added it's also a great way for the actors and families to celebrate too. Both adults and children are acting, so Laycock says it's a wonderful way for the family to spend time together and have fun, while also celebrating Christmas and telling an important story.

The performance is approximately 15 minutes long and will start at 6:00, 6:30, and 7:00 PM on both days. After the performances, Laycock invites people to go inside the church to warm up and enjoy some cookies and drinks!

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