FROM Mary and Joseph to second shepherd and third tree, everybody remembers their first starring role in the school nativity play.

And as Oxfordshire’s children don tea towels and dressing gowns for their big performance, tomorrow’s Oxford Mail Nativity 2010 supplement will capture the lowing cattle, flock-watching shepherds, and angels bearing glad tidings.

At Horspath C of E Primary School, where four- and five-year-olds perform a nativity play each year, headteacher Emma Coleman said it was a much-loved tradition among parents. She said: “Every child has a role to play, from Mary and Joseph through to the star.

“It feels like the start of Christmas, with all the children singing carols and playing their part.

“I sometimes think the parents don’t want it to be quite as slick as we would like.

“This year, the little boy playing the star had learned all the lines, not just his own and all the stage directions, but he also made sure the kings and shepherds knew what they had to say and when.”

Fifty parents and grandparents packed the school’s hall to watch the 22-member cast perform the timeless story on Tuesday.

Mrs Coleman added: “It really makes memories. All the parents remember what they played at that age.

“That is what is rather lovely, and that one key line that every child has to learn will remain special to them for a long time.”

  • Pick up your copy of tomorrow’s Oxford Mail for school nativity pictures from across the county.