Lakewood Polish School “Jaselka” Polish Christmas Play
On a cold winter evening, (Saturday, December 15th) the children of the Aleksandra Janty 
Polczynskiego Polish School in Lakewood, NJ put on their annual Christmas play “Jaselka.” Every year the students present a beautiful and magnificent play putting everyone into the Christmas spirit. The motto of this year’s “Jaselka” was “Jesus will not be born in the manger in Bethlehem if he is not born in your heart.”
The “Jaselka” opened with the children from the Polish language class (just beginning to learn Polish) singing Jingle Bells. The first scene displayed the outlook a lot of people have on Christmas. Many people are so caught up Christmas shopping and buying presents for everyone that they begin to forget the true meaning of Christmas which is baby Jesus being born into our hearts. The next few scenes portrayed children from different cultures visiting Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in the stable in Bethlehem. Baby Jesus was then greeted by the kings who with the help of angels and the star were lead to Bethlehem. Later, the children from the preschool classes sang songs to enlighten the newborn Jesus. Following the magnificent performance by the young ones, the children folk dance group “Maki” performed the Krakowiak and Polonez with the Lajkonik. It was truly a remarkable and unforgettable performance. The last scene of the “Jaselka” exemplified that in order for Jesus to be born into our hearts, we must have faith, hope, and love.
Throughout the whole evening the children sang beautiful traditional Polish Christmas carols. After the outstanding performance, everyone was invited to taste some traditional Polish food in what we call our “Wigilia.” Everyone enjoyed the delicious and tasty food and came together as a community. The children were also visited by a very special guest from the North Pole, Santa Claus. Santa brought the children various gifts and everyone had a smile on their face. The “Jaselka” was truly a remarkable and unforgettable Christmas play and for sure will stay in the hearts of many, not only this Christmas season but throughout the whole year.
– Ula Pawka