The Darkness, Lee Mack, Timothy Spall, Kellie Bright and Kevin Clifton

From comedian & Writer Paul Kerensa:

It’s been a big week for my 5yr old – awarded a certificate at school for perfect attendance! Unfortunately he wasn’t there to collect it, he was off ill that day, which apparently caused teacherly guffaws. A comic performer in the making, he even plans his illnesses with great comedy timing.

And a performer he is! You’ll have heard the rave reviews for his debut on the school nativity fringe circuit, with a truly poignant performance as a sheep, while the creative decision to have a wise man crying till the house-lights came on was particularly moving. This version had more animals in it than I remember: we had roosters, owls, a pack of dogs... No Christmas Octopus, as some nativities have gone for, but we’re old school. At least it’s different from my childhood nativity, where we had the three wise men arrive one in a taxi, one in a car, one on a scooter beeping his hooter.

Nativities have always been a glorious muddle – we’ve settled on three wise men, but the Bible suggests they weren’t at the Nativity, and there weren’t necessarily three of them, they just brought three gifts. Maybe there were four, with two of them tussling over who’d give the myrrh.

Nativity scenes may seem overcrowded, but it’s not about the shepherds, the donkey, the octopus or the scooter. Clear away the stage, and this celebration at our darkest time of year is about hope lighting the way – St John said this baby’s birth was the Word becoming flesh, a “light shining in the darkness”.

Four days from the shortest day, and four days from then till Christmas, we’re cosily Not Going Out and scaring away the Bogeyman. We love The Darkness, but it’s great to have something next to it that’s Bright (Kellie Bright!).

So whether our bleak midwinter is lit up by school nativities, Christmas comedy, or musical extravaganzae, for me the Christmas message is that at our darkest, at our lowest, we need hope and love to light the way. The wise man at our nativity may have cried and cried, but when did he stop? When he saw those he loved, when the light came on.