Jennifer leaving Mr. Maddens to go to America, just when he was about to propose to her.
The fact that she ended up as a Secretary rather than a Producer.
When Mr. Maddens first has the opportunity to admit he lied about Hollywood, he quickly notices the disappointed faces of his students and colleagues, before he has even confessed. He quickly decides to continue lying but it is easy to tell how guilt-ridden he is already feeling over telling the lie in the first place and now having to raise the hopes of the school because Mr. Poppy just happened to overhear his lie and blab about it.
Mr. Maddens finding a place to cry while his students and Mr. Poppy make a video appeal to Jennifer to come back to him.
It gets worse when you consider that by this time, one of his fellow teachers has tagged on to the fact that he lied about Hollywood and there's only so long he is going to be able to keep the facade up before everyone finds out the truth.
Jennifer sees the St. Bernadette's students' video appeal from America and is reduced to tears.
Mr. Maddens, William and Saffron coming back from LA after Jennifer refuses to come back with them and her boss refuses to come and film their Nativity play.
It gets worse when they return to Coventry as Mr Maddens is mad at Mr Poppy and Mrs Bevan is mad at both of them and promptly sacks Mr Maddens and forbids the play from going ahead then breaks down once she's alone while Mr Maddens has to confess to his students he let them down. Once he's made his confession, his students promptly beg him to still go through with the play and are visibly distressed, some of whom are in tears by the time he dismisses them.
Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger
Mr Peterson is reduced to a blubbering mess after his father reminds him what a disappointment he is compared to his brother Roderick.
Nativity 3: Dude, Where's my Donkey?
The extent of the distress caused to Sophie and young Lauren as a result of Mr. Shepherd losing his memory and Bradley Finch's attempts to take advantage. Even the usually jovial Mr. Poppy and St. Bernadette's students can't help but feel sorry for Lauren.
This is especially distressing for Lauren because the poor girl has already lost her mother and when her father loses his memory and Bradley Finch finds out and starts scheming accordingly, she is seemingly on the verge of losing her father as well and her Christmas Wish to have a new mum (Sophie) is looking increasingly less likely. To make matters worse, she doesn't even like Bradley and his attitude does little, if anything, to suggest he wouldn't be a Wicked Stepfather to her and her would-be step-mother's family and friends don't seem to care about any of this.
At one point, one of the St. Bernadette's students tries to reassure Lauren that everything will work out with regards to her Christmas Wish, Lauren looks doubtful at best.
As if things were not already depressing enough for Lauren, both she and Mr. Poppy are on the verge of tears when they realise her father has walked off behind everyone's back.
Nativity Rocks! This Ain't No Silent Night!
The movie has the most Downer Beginning of the series, it starts with Doru and his father arriving on English shores as refugees on a life-raft, it's implied they were forced to flee their home and lost Doru's mother along the way, either due to war and conflict or falling overboard and drowning. No sooner do they arrive, Doru's father is forced to temporarily abandon him and go with the other refugees, leaving Doru with no choice but to stowaway on a pick-up truck.
Jerry Poppy's reaction when he finds out his brother Desmond and Aunt Pat have both moved to Australia.
The bombing of Coventry by the Luftwaffe is briefly shown during the meeting at the Town Hall to discuss the Rock Opera. Emmanuel Cavendish makes this worse by openly declaring the Germans should have finished the job there and then later in the film.
Barnaby pining for his parents' attention, especially when he asks them if they are coming to see him in the Rock Opera.
Barnaby begging his parents to let Doru and Jerry stay with them
To make matters worse, Doru happens to overhear this conversation and given what he's been through already, he is so visibly distraught that, while no one is looking, he runs away.
