The Generational Noel

From the balcony of All Saints Episcopal Church, when the organ belts its grand intonation to mark the opening of Pageant, Lucy Steele ’62 gets chills — every time. The intensity of Steele’s response is deep and inexplicable, but she knows it has something to do with the past and how, as soon as the Pageant begins, she recalls her own involvement with the performance. “The fact the show is still going and the songs have remained the same is something that warms my heart,” Steele says. “It’s something I can still identify with. The whole show brings me back and reminds me of my time at Collegiate.” 

Lucy adjusts the silver tinsel halo resting on her head, given to her upon arriving at the Pageant luncheon, and looks around the table. Barbara Porter ’60 chimes in with her own warm memory of Pageant songs. “We all know so many Christmas carols and hymns by heart because, at one point during our time in Pageant, each of us was in the choir, and we had to learn these songs by heart,” Barbara says, laughing. “We began Pageant practices in October each year, and every night I’d sing myself to sleep with the Christmas carols we were learning.”

But Margot Deck ’59 remembers the Pageant from a slightly different perspective. Given the choice between operating the lights and choir, she chose the former. “Lighting for the performance once consisted of flood lights with colored cellophane and cardboard frames,” she tells the table. Now, coming back to watch the Pageant rehearsal each year, she’s always impressed by the more advanced production that, at its core, maintains the message and sentiment of tradition. “It was far more bare bones, but we made it work. The end result was always very professional and tasteful.” 

The group digresses, debating who played the sword king during a particular year of the Pageant. They suggest names of classmates, some of whom were members of the last class at Collegiate’s Town School, and this leads to more digressions and deeper conversations among the group, the reflective stories building off one another, details of memories piling up like a page of a scrapbook. 

This is the tenor of the luncheon: more than 100 old friends spanning six decades of Collegiate graduates coming back together to reminisce, their reflections transporting them to another time. Alumnae debate favorite songs, swap stories, and make new memories. It’s a tradition that lives on in perpetuity. 

Held since the early days of the Collegiate School for Girls on Monument Avenue, Pageant tells the Christmas story entirely through music, with the Middle and Upper School chorus groups singing as students costumed as cherubs, angels, shepherds, kings, and Mary and Joseph re-enact the birth of Jesus. Each year, Collegiate invites alumnae back to campus to enjoy a luncheon together before heading to All Saints Episcopal Church to enjoy a rehearsal performance of Pageant. It’s an event that allows alumnae to both reminisce with fellow classmates and connect with current students, deepening the bonds between generations.

The generational connection is particularly palpable for graduates like Bane McLellan ’02, who attended the luncheon to connect with former classmates before seeing her daughter participate in Pageant. Watching her daughter perform, the feelings contained within a certain moment in time, during her own Pageant shows, come rushing back. It’s a testament to the longevity of Collegiate’s traditions. “It’s heartwarming to see how long these traditions have lasted, especially now that I have kids performing in the Pageant,” Bane says. “I remember taking my daughter, when she was a 2nd Grader, to the Pageant performances, where she learned every song. Now, as a 5th Grader, she gets to perform those songs herself. That’s special. These songs take you right back. Hearing the performance, I immediately flashback to when I was in the balcony chorus. That’s the power of a tradition. We all have so many great memories from this tradition, and it’s special to be given the opportunity to reflect on those while celebrating the students making new memories.”