Burning of the shoemaker’s shop
The Herdmans are depicted as the most notorious and worst kids in the history of the world because they are famous for misbehaviors of all types, including smoking, burning people's property, stealing, and mocking Jesus. Ironically, when the Herdmans burn the shoemaker's shop, the narrator wants to convince readers that it was an accident. On the contrary, the Herdmans enjoyed burning the storehouse to satisfy their curiosity.
The cigars smell in the bathroom.
Alice expects the narrator's mother to expel Imogene and his siblings from the church when one of them is caught smoking in the bathroom. Alice looks forward to taking her role as Maria in the pageant rehearsal. Alice and other church members complain to Reverend Hopkins about the unruly behavior of Herdman kids. When Reverend Hopkins calls the narrator's mother to cancel the event, she ironically declines and insists that it will be the best performance ever. Therefore, Alice's expectation to retake her role is thwarted.
The best Christmas pageant ever
When Herdman's children take all the roles in the pageant rehearsal, no one expects them to perform well because they know nothing about the Bible. Making matters worse, they have never heard about the story of Jesus. Ironically, they learn the story of Jesus very quickly and end up knowing more than any other child does. On Christmas day, they display exceptional performance making it the best-ever Christmas pageant transcending the expectations of all those in attendance.
