Suggestive programs for special day exercises/Christmas/Christmas Exercises

by Jason Elmer Hammond

A CHRISTMAS EXERCISE.

(Written for Teachers' World and adapted for this program by Department of Public Instruction.)

LIZZIE M. HADLEY.

Scene:—An ordinary room or schoolroom. Teacher seated beside a desk; children dancing about the room singing.

Tune:—"Rock-a-Bye Baby."

Dance we together, happy and gay,
Cheerily singing of Christmas Day.
Backward and forward, then to and fro,
That is the way the children must go.
Little care we, though loud the winds blow.
Skies may be gray and fast fall the snow.
Put away books, be merry and free,
Christmas is coming! Hurrah, say we!

Teacher—

So you think Christmas is coming?

Children—

Of course we do, it's almost here,
And Santa Clans, too, is drawing near.
We can almost hear the jingling of bells
That of his coming always tells.

Teacher—

And what will you do at Christmas,
My dear little girls and boys?

Children—

Be merry as birds the livelong day.
Have candy and lots of toys.

Teacher—

My dears, do you think that the wisest way,—
Is that all you will do on Christmas Day?

Children—

We will speak the truth, whatever we do,
And try to be honest, brave, and true.
Thoughtful for others, patient alway.
That's what we will do upon Christmas Day.

Teacher—

That I am sure is a better plan.
Be kind and do all the good you can.

(Knocking outside; sound of bells and some one singing.)

Tune:—"Oh, Have You Heard Geography Sung?"

Here I come knocking now at your door.
Now at your door, now at your door;
Here I come knocking now at your door,
While Christmas bells are a-ringing.

Children—

Who is there?

(Door opens and Santa Glaus puts in his head.)

Santa Claus—

I am Mr. Santa Claus,
Only come to call.
Here's a lot of Christmas things,
You can have them all.

(Puts his pack on the threshold.)

Children—

Thank you Mr. Santa Claus,
Yon are welcome here.
Please step in a moment, sir,
And pass the time of year.
We are only boys and girls
Keeping Christmas Day,
And we're always glad whene'er
We see you come this way.

Santa Claus—

Nay, I must not wait for you,
I have far to go.
Over Afric's burning sands,
Russia's steppes of snow.
With my reindeer, like a bird,
Through the air I fly.
Time is up—now little folks,
I am off—good bye.

(Goes away singing while the bells ring, until the sound is lost in the distance.)

Tune:—"The Spanish Cavalier."

Oh, farewell, farewell!
I can no longer stay
For I must away o'er the snow, dears;
The short winter's day
Will soon speed away.
Remember and be true where you go, dears.

(Children join hands and dance around, reciting:)

Old Santa Claus has gone
To other lands afar.
But O, he's left such loads of toys.
Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!

(Knock at the door; enter child, bearing a Christmas tree.) Child—

Here's a little Christmas tree.
All with toys 'tis laden.
Pretty gifts old Santa Claus
Brought for each wee maiden.

Boys—

(Beginning to cry.)
For the girls, O, dear! O, dear!
Where then, are our toys?

Teacher—

Don't you fear, good Santa Claus
Won't forget the boys.
Just outside, I'm sure I see.
Trumpet, fife, and drum,
Hoops and marbles, skates and sleds,
Each one will have some.

(Enter children ringing small bells.)

We are little Chirstmas bells.
Don't you hear us ringing?

(Enter Carol singers.)

Carol Singers—

We are merry Christmas Waits.
You shall hear us sing.

(They sing "Beautiful Christmas Time.")

BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS TIME.

Adapted to the tune "Hail Columbia."

Beautiful this, our Christmas time,
Beautiful bells with silv'ry chime,
Beautiful words are these we say.
Beautiful words are these we say,—
Jesus our King is born today,
 Jesus our King is born.

Beautiful angels came of old,
Sang to the shepherds near their fold;
Beautiful story told to them,
Beautiful story told to them,—
Jesus is born in Bethlehem,
 Is born in Bethlehem.

Beautiful songs they sing today,
Sweeter by far than earthly lay;
Join in the chorus, all who sing.
Join in the chorus, all who sing,—
Joy to the world, our Lord is King,
 Joy, our Lord is King!

—From Sunshine Melodies.

(Enter Snap-Dragon, wearing a hideous mask and carrying a large punch bowl in which alcohol is burning.)

Snap Dragon—

I am Mr. Snap-Dragon,
But you needn't fear.
I am better than I look.
So receive me, dear.
Though about me you will see
Blue flames mountain high,
There's a present for each one,
Who his luck dares try.

(Enter several children dressed to represent pop-corn' and nuts. Pop-corn wears yellow and white and has a string of pop-corn around his neck; nuts wear brown. Both wear masks; the nuts brown, pop corn white ones.)

Pop-Corns—

We are little pop-corns, and
When around the fire
Christmas Eve, you're sitting all,
No one can jump higher.

Nuts—

We are Christmas nuts so brown,
That the boys are bringing.
Crack us while the merry girls
Christmas songs are singing.

Children—

Don't you think we well may be,
Happy, glad, and gay,
When so many things we have
For our Christmas Day?

Teacher—

Yes, my little children; and
Thank the One in heaven,
Who, from out His boundless love,
Christ's birthday has given.

Children—

Won't you tell the story, pray,
Of that first glad Christmas Day?

Teacher—

Yes, I'll tell it.

Children—

Now?

Teacher—

Nay, wait,
Someone stands outside the gate.
Don't you hear their voices ring?
’Tis a Christmas song they sing.

(Voices outside singing.)

Tune:—"What a Friend We Have in Jesus."

We are conning, we are Coming,
Where our bright rays all may see,
We are coming, we are coming,
Now to grace your Christmas tree.
For we know that God is saying,
As each ray doth shimmer down,
That a Babe for you, dear children,
Now is born in Bethlehem town.

(Enter several children. They wear buff dresses and a hand of gift paper about their foreheads with one star in the center.)

Children—

Who are you?

Stars—

Don’t you know us?
Then, on some starry night,
Look upward to the heavens,
You will see us shining bright.
Our homes are in the ether;
We are stars that gem the sky;
And we come to you, dear children,
From that blue dome up on high.
We've come to tell unto you,
How once, when he looked down,
Upon the humble dwellings
In ancient Bethlehem town,
We saw where, in a stable,
All cradled in the hay,
Within a lowly manger,
The Baby Jesus lay.

First Star—

I saw out on the hillsides
Tile wondering shepherds, bowed
Before the heavenly choir,
A shining, glorious crowd.

Second Star—

Their ladder reached the heavens
And loud their voices rang,
As to the awestruck shepherds,
The heavenly chorus sang.
"Peace, peace on earth," they chanted,
"Good will, good will," and then,
"Glad tidings We are bringing,
Unto the sons of men."

Third Star—

I shone Within the stable,
And there the shepherds saw,
Before that Baby bending,
 In mute, adoring awe.

Fourth Star—

Far off, across the desert,
From their distant Eastern home
With balm and myrrh and spices,
I saw three Wise Men come

Fifth Star—

'Twas I who Went before them,
Through all the weary way,
And shone above the stable,
Where the little Christ-child lay.

Sixth Star—

And when the Wise Men found Him,
Led by a guiding star
I saw the precious jewels
They brought Him from afar.

Together—

Then when the Babe they'd worshipped.—
Each Wise Man, well content,
Back to the Eastern country,
By another pathway went,
This is the precious story,
So old, yet ever new,
And we have come, dear children,
To tell it unto you.

Tune—"Lightly Row."

All Sing—

From the starry realms of space,
We have come a weary way,
To help the little children keep
A merry Christmas Day.

Chorus—

We are shining. shining for you,
Shining for you, little children dear,
For Christmas Day is ever the best,
The best of all the year.

Children recite—

O, little stars that come to earth,
To tell us of the Christ-child's birth,
We welcome you and, hand in hand,
Together a united band,
Let us so gayly march along
And wake the echoes with a song;
And while to heaven the chorus swells,
Loud let us ring the Christmas bells.

(They join hands and march two by two around the stage, ringing bells and singing "The Christmas Welcome".)