Adults can be parts of the cast in Christmas plays. Shelby Horn and Tom Thorne - as the angel Gabriel and one of the three wise men - prepare for a recent pageant at St. Luke's Church in Schenectady. (Photo courtesy Hope French)
Christians in the Capital Region celebrate Christmas this week and many churches will put children in the spotlight. They will be cute and earnest, dressed in the robes of Mary and Joseph, the whites and golds of angels, the browns and pinks of cows and pigs. Pageants held during December and Christmas Eve services are popular with both children and the adults who will watch their plays with teary-eyed, sentimental smiles.