The Living Nativity

Christmas hits a snag in Odyssey when someone smashes the nativity scene that has stood in front of City Hall since 1948. Whit has a better idea than replacing it: let the kids act it out themselves, as a living nativity with costumes, live actors, and the Christmas story read aloud - even if Eugene isn't thrilled to be cast as the donkey. The play draws crowds... but not to Bart Rathbone's Electric Palace, and the jealous store owner complains to the mayor that a religious display on city property is against the law. When the police shut the show down mid-performance, Connie wants revenge, but Whit has other plans. He convinces the mayor that adding a Christmas tree, a menorah, and other symbols of the season makes the display perfectly legal - and the mayor even signs on to narrate. The nativity returns to the City Hall lawn, and when Whit buys six dozen boxes of Christmas lights from the Electric Palace, even Bart decides this nativity thing might be a pretty good idea after all.

Found on Flights of Imagination Album 16 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

0208 Pipe Dreams When a nervous kid passed over for his dream Government Day assignment gets stuck in the county's least glamorous office, a storm gives him more excitement than he bargained for.

0209 Columbus: The Grand Voyage A time-traveling boy lands in fifteenth-century Spain, where his dream of sailing with Christopher Columbus tangles him in royal intrigue on the eve of history's most famous voyage.

0210 On Solid Ground When Kids Radio's call-in show about foundations is interrupted by a "breaking news" broadcast from the 21st century B.C., OT Action News reporters cover the unfolding saga of Abram and his nephew Lot live from the ancient Middle East.

1 of 2 0211 The Mortal Coil When Whit programs an Imagination Station adventure meant to show that death holds no fear for a Christian, his creation proves far more powerful than anyone at Whit's End is prepared for.

2 of 2 0212 The Mortal Coil When a heart attack leaves Whit hanging between life and death, the people who love him must reckon with what he built, what he believed, and who else may have paid the price for it.

0213 Best Intentions When doctor-ordered rest turns into house arrest, Whit's overzealous caretakers face a determined old friend, a bumbling private eye, and a patient with escape on his mind.

0214 The Living Nativity When Odyssey's beloved Nativity scene is destroyed, Whit and the kids decide to become the Christmas story themselves - until an unexpected complaint threatens to shut them down.

0215 Caroling, Caroling On a snowy Christmas Eve in Odyssey, Whit takes Connie and the kids on an old-fashioned sleigh ride of caroling that turns each stop into a celebration of the first Christmas.

0216 Like Father, Like Son When the soccer team's fundraiser cash box vanishes, a boy whose father is in prison must fight to prove his innocence to a town - and a mother - all too ready to believe the worst.

0217 Rights, Wrongs and Reasons A blind girl's visit to Whit's End turns into a lively game of sorting right and wrong actions from the reasons behind them - until one biblical story proves harder to judge than anyone expected.

0218 A Class Act A financially desperate theater owner agrees to teach an acting class for the people of Odyssey, but an anonymous benefactor's money forces him to choose between flattery and honesty.

0219 Treasures of the Heart When a dinner-table question about what each family member would save from a fire sends George digging through the attic, the Barclays confront what they truly treasure - while Jimmy schemes to buy the most expensive sneakers in Odyssey.

0220 This is Chad Pearson? When a small-town errand accidentally wins Connie a day with TV's hottest teen heartthrob - a star she's never even watched - the celebrity meets the one fan who refuses to be impressed.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 5 more roles

1 featured character

Rodney Rathbone Steve Burns

4 supporting roles

Officer Patrick O'Ryan Will Ryan Oscar Peterson Joseph Cammaroto Mayor Bill Jenkins Phil Lollar Mr. King Bob Luttrell

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Marshal Younger Writer Phil Lollar Director Bob Luttrell Sound Designer · Producer Paul McCusker Producer Chuck Bolte Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 2 min

Christmas in Odyssey gets off to a sad start. Someone has smashed the nativity scene in front of City Hall, a display that has stood there every Christmas since 1948. Lucy Cunningham-Schultz is heartbroken - for her, it has never really felt like Christmas until the manger scene goes up. As she, Connie Kendall, Eugene Meltsner, and John Whittaker stare at the wreckage, Whit has a better idea than simply buying a replacement: why not act out the nativity themselves? With costumes, live actors, and someone reading the Christmas story aloud, they can be the nativity scene.

Soon the kids of Odyssey are rehearsing a living nativity on the City Hall lawn. Connie hands out the parts, casting herself as Mary and a thoroughly insulted Eugene as the donkey she rides in on. Eugene protests that his rich theatrical background deserves better, but a gentle word from Whit about the spirit of the season persuades him to put on the itchy costume.

Across town at the Electric Palace, Bart Rathbone cannot understand why his store is empty during the busiest season of the year. He sends his son Rodney out in a wig and false mustache to spy on the rival appliance store, where the clerk sees through the disguise instantly and cheerfully explains that the living nativity has been drawing crowds right outside their door. Furious that the play is helping his competition, Bart phones the mayor and complains that a religious display on city property is unconstitutional.

That night, in the middle of the performance, Captain O'Ryan arrives with orders to shut the play down. Whit and the kids go to the mayor, who apologetically explains that under the modern reading of the First Amendment, a religious display cannot stand on government property - and accidentally lets slip that Bart filed the complaint. Back at Whit's End, Connie wants to fight back, but Whit steers them away from revenge. He explains that the men who wrote the Constitution never meant to push God out of public life; they only wanted to keep the government from forcing a single religion on everyone, the way England once did. Then an idea strikes him.

Whit returns to the mayor with a proposal: surround the nativity with a Christmas tree, a menorah from the synagogue, and other symbols of the season, making it a cultural display that is perfectly legal. The mayor agrees on one condition - he gets to narrate one night. The living nativity returns to the City Hall lawn, and when Bart calls to complain again, he learns the mayor himself is part of the show. Just as Bart is grumbling that his store is deader than ever, Whit walks in and orders six dozen boxes of Christmas lights to decorate the display. Ringing up the biggest sale of his week, Bart decides this nativity thing might be a pretty good idea after all. Whit smiles and tells him it always has been.