To some people, the Christmas season may come after Thanksgiving. To others, much like myself, it’s officially Christmas time as soon as the clock hits midnight on Halloween. While it was only nine days into November, my mom and I had already decided it was time to see one of the new Christmas movies in theaters. “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” was released on Nov. 8. This new Christmas movie, which is an adaptation of Barbara Robinson’s book by the same name, has a short run time of just 1 hour and 39 minutes, making it a quick movie for families to enjoy. Over the past few years, I personally haven’t enjoyed many new Christmas movies, but this one blew it out of the water. Most of the newer films focus on Santa Claus and presents, but “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” focuses more on the true meaning of Christmas. I loved this because it feels like some Christmas movies have lost focus on why we actually have this wonderful holiday, and that’s why this is a great movie for anyone who wants to get into the holiday spirit.

From the very start, I knew I was going to greatly enjoy this film. The movie starts with the introduction to the Herdmans, a group of children who wreak havoc on their town and are just overall not good children. In this introduction, we can see everything they’ve done to the town, such as burning down old buildings or stealing from stores. I thought this beginning was perfect because it gave the viewers a great impression of the Herdmans, who end up being some of the main characters. After the introduction to the Herdmans, the movie introduces the main character who’s also the narrator, Beth Bradley. Beth is a little girl who is in the same grade as Imogene Herdman, so she knows firsthand how bad the Herdmans are.

Once we are introduced to the rest of the characters, such as Beth’s dad and brother, we are introduced to their mom, Grace, who ends up volunteering to take over the annual Christmas pageant at the church after the previous director had to step down. Grace agrees to take over the spot because she wants to prove to the other moms that she can do it even if they doubt her. I loved how Grace really believed in herself and wanted to show everyone that she could do this. 

When all of the other kids see that the Herdmans are there, they quickly get scared. So when volunteering for pageant parts comes up, no other kids stand up as the Herdmans take over all the parts. It was pretty funny how all the other kids were scared of the Herdmans and didn’t want to defy them. Imogene ends up getting the role of Mary, and all of her siblings get the other important parts such as Joseph, the three kings and the angel. This ends up causing drama with the other moms, but Grace stands her ground by keeping the Herdmans in the pageant.

As the film goes on, we can see Imogene and her siblings actually learn about the true meaning of Christmas. It was almost magical because we could see all the kids, especially Imogene, get into the story and meaning of Christmas. Just as everything starts to go well, however, something happens in the church and all the other moms point to the Herdmans. I really liked this scene because it makes us think it was the Herdmans, but at the same time we want to trust them.

On the day of the pageant, Grace and Beth are very doubtful about the Herdmans showing up. But just as their scene is about to start, Imogene shows up and the Herdmans bring their own little twist to the pageant. This was by far my favorite scene because it really showed how far they had come, and it’s kind of funny to see their little quirks in the pageant. 

Overall, I loved the movie, and it’s definitely one of the best newer Christmas movies. From the character development to the little plot twists, this movie is perfect to go out and see with your family, young or old, to keep the true meaning of Christmas alive. So now that it’s officially the holiday season, go out and enjoy a movie about the best Christmas pageant ever.