With the hustle and bustle of the holidays sometimes, the real meaning of Christmas can get lost, and it takes ordinary people to remind one of the extraordinary event. “The Christmas Post,” a musical brought to life this weekend at Hawkins United Methodist Church, will deliver the timeless message of the true spirit of the season.

“The Christmas Post” shares the journey into faith rediscovered and reminds us just what Christmas is all about” church member and director of the musical Cheryl Montgomery said.

Set in the mythical town of Homesboro, Ind., in 1947 and inspired by two Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post covers, “Hattie McGee’s Newsstand and Alice Garfield at the end of a busy shopping day, Alice Garfield will eventually realize the true spirit of Christmas thanks to one special lady, Hattie McGee.

Hattie, a tender old newsstand lady is played by Hawkins UMC member, Julie Townley.

She has hired Katie Garfield to work as one of her newsies and during the performance, she also befriends Katie’s mother, Alice.

Like many, Alice is trying desperately to earn a few extra bucks, like her daughter and is working as a temporary sales clerk at Herzog’s Department Store so she can buy her children each a special Christmas gift. Unfortunately,  things go awry for the young WWII widow, who is down on her luck and short on faith, and the next thing she knows, she is being fired.

“This is a fun and fast paced show that every age will enjoy,” Townley said.

The musical numbers are reminiscent of songs of the era, Townley said, and this year’s show has an additional three numbers that have been added to the original musical, which was written by Deborah Craig-Claar and Robert Sterling.

Townley, who has performed in each of the prior productions, which were offered at Hawkins UMC in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2011, said she had had the opportunity to see the original Saturday Evening Post covers on a trip to New York. And after having the opportunity to play the role of Hattie McGee in prior years, seeing the Rockwell covers, which depicted the church’s scenery for the show has endeared Townley even more to the musical, she said.

Church member, Mattie Jones, is playing the role of Alice Garfield. This will be the high school senior’s fifth year to perform in “The Christmas Post.”

“Each year my role grows. I started out as a newsie, then the daughter, Kate, and now I am Alice,” Jones said.

Jones said she enjoys being a part of the production because it allows her to develop a deeper relationship with fellow church members.

“It’s fun to get to know members of the church better,” she said.

Although the musical is performed at Hawkins UMC and many of the cast members belong to the church, Montgomery said some of the 50 plus cast members attended other local churches. She also said the production team for “The Christmas Post” is “20 to 25 strong.”

“This is a very big production. Some people work with props and building the set and some people are doing costumes or feeding meals to the cast. Some may have come one night to help and others have been there every day,” Richard VanDenAkker said.

VanDenAkker, who is also a member of Hawkins UMC, plays Maxwell Seldon, the manager of Herzog’s Department Store.

Performances are set for 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Dec. 13 in the Abundant Life Center at the church, 3736 Halls Ferry Road.

Admission to the performance is free.

“This is our gift to the community,” Montgomery said.

A reception will be held at the conclusion of each performance where audience and cast are invited to share a cup of apple cider and cookies.

For more information, call 601-636-2242 or email msherl2@yahoo.com.