SPRINGFIELD — The Christmas story is one of good news and great joy and that beautiful story will be retold in a live Nativity Pageant Dec. 10-11 in Springfield. The pageant will be performed under the stars with one performance at 7 p.m. each evening.

The Springfield Area Nativity Theatre Association uses The Christmas Story according to St. Luke. In the familiar version of the Christmas story, Mary and Joseph travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Because there was no room in the inn, the baby Jesus is born in a stable and placed in a manger. His humble birth is celebrated by choirs of angels and shepherds and He is given precious gifts by the Magi.

The pageant includes Christmas carols and stable scenes with an all-local cast including a family with a baby, a live manger scene with camels and a live community choir. Professional sound and lighting systems enhance the production and large painted backdrops recreate the Biblical aura.

The Nativity Pageant will be presented on the east parking lot of the Springfield Area Community Center. There will be ample parking and easy accessibility for motorists and pedestrians. Portable bleachers will be set up for spectators. The pageant time is approximately 40 minutes. Visitors are encouraged to dress warmly and comfortably for cold weather conditions and are encouraged to bring blankets and/or stadium robes.

The pageant, voted the “Best of Minnesota Live Nativity” by WCCO television viewers in 2017, is presented free of charge — a gift from the Springfield community.

Visitors are invited to join the pageant crew and cast for holiday refreshments in the community center following performances served by the Brookville-Burnstown 4-H Club.

The Springfield Area Nativity Theatre Association (SANTA) is the official sponsor of the event, with volunteers from all Springfield churches participating.