Marilyn Bradshaw: 29 Years
W/ West Hill Christmas Pageant
By Cornelia Cesari

An old holiday tradition is alive and well in Chelsea, thanks to the dedication of Marilyn Bradshaw; but many residents may not know about it.

Bradshaw has directed the West Hill Christmas pageant for 29 years, and is now working with a second generation of West Hill children. She says she wants to make sure children know what Christmas is all about, now that it can’t easily be taught in schools, and enjoys staying in touch with the children of this small community within a community.

The pageant is always the same—an old-fashioned program based upon one from her childhood in Prosper, Vt. Indeed, to watch the pageant, one can easily imagine the date to be 1950, or 1900; or even earlier, excepting a few anachronisms.

When Bradshaw first started the pageant, it was held in the one-room schoolhouse, which is now the Parlin Bartsch’s house, but the event has long since moved to the West Hill Church. The children decorate the church and for the performance, the candelabra is lit, as well as all the wall sconces. The church is filled to capacity that one night a year and the format is always the same. The children recite poetry first, selected the first day from Bradshaw’s extensive collection. The pieces are separated by age level, and children are encouraged to memorize them rather than read.

Interspersed with poetry, depending upon the children involved, there might be performances: a recorder solo, a song, an ensemble—for a few years there was a whole West Hill Band—giving a holiday concert. Then the children disappear back into the kitchen, with a few adult helpers, and don their simple costumes.

Shepherds emerge in bathrobes, angels with their head wrapped in tinsel. In the candlelit church, they are all so beautiful, as the narrator begins, "…and it came to pass in those days, that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus…" The Nativity account is read from the Book of Luke, punctuated by traditional Christmas carols in all the right places.

After the pageant, the lights come up, and magically, even through the storm (the storm is part of the tradition—there’s always a storm), Santa Claus comes into the church with his helper. Presents for the children have appeared under the tree, the kitchen is full of cookies and cider, and West Hill is a close, old-fashioned community again. This year’s festivities will be held this Saturday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m.

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