Christmases of my childhood were magical times and few things were more magical than the Christmas program, a time when kids sang badly to great applause and sometimes raucous laughter, especially when they got mixed up and, with giant cards, spelled out "Christmas Rats," instead of "Christmas star." The climax was the end of the program, when we each received a candy bag.
Danny Brown took up residence in the desk behind me at school one year, and in early December, his father forbade Danny from taking part in the Christmas program. Some said Mr. Brown was a real live atheist who was protestin...
