DODGEVILLE, Wis. -- The show went on at Ridgeway Elementary School on Tuesday after the school came under fire for a Christmas program.

For family and friends attending the Tuesday morning program, they said that the controversy was just an afterthought, WISC-TV in Madison reported.

The controversy began earlier this month after a conservative group based in Florida, called the Liberty Counsel, threatened legal action against the school and accused the school of changing the lyrics to "Silent Night."

Ridgeway Elementary and the Dodgeville School District officials said that they didn't change the song -- which was re-titled "Cold In The Night" -- but rather these changes were part of the published play. Students performed "The Little Tree's Christmas Gift," which is a play about a tiny Christmas tree overlooked because of its size.

The Liberty Counsel's protest prompted thousands of negative e-mails to be sent to the school from all over the country, although none came from schoolchildren's parents, the television station reported.

In response to the protest, the school opted to present "Cold In The Night" as a monologue instead of singing it. They followed that by a performance of the traditional song.

Despite the controversy, Diane Messer, Dodgeville School District administrator, said that she's received overwhelming support from the community.

"I'm very pleased with the way the program went today, and the response from people has been very, very positive," Messer said. "Obviously, they enjoyed the program."

Those attending the performance agreed with Messer's assessment of the program, according to the television station.

"This is about the children and ... their faces showed it," said Tracey Gross, who is the aunt of a Ridgeway student. "They really enjoyed themselves. I think that's what it was all about."

"For something as little as a school program, in a small town like this, it's just really … I don't know how it got widespread," said Brock Blackford, who is the brother of a Ridgeway student.

Messer said that this year's events will not affect the district's future curriculum.

Mathew D. Staver, the president of Liberty Counsel, said Tuesday that the group has decided not to seek legal action against the school.