DLTK's Christmas Plays
A Crossword Puzzle
Parts:
You can let the kids come up with their own costumes. I've given some ideas
Speaking/Acting/Dancing Parts:
School Boy - just regular clothes but holding a crossword puzzle and pencil
(homework)
Little Sister - I picture this character in a girlish outfit, with pigtails, holding a teddy
bear and licking a lollipop. If you have fewer actors you can skip little sister and
give all of her parts to the School Boy.
Dad - I picture dad in a business suit with his tie loosened (like he just got home
from work)
Mom - I picture a modern "stay at home mom" -- jeans, sweatshirt and a ponytail
with an apron on working on supper (peeling potatoes or stirring a pot or holding
a cookbook)
Grandpa - I picture grandpa and Uncle Joe sitting in the corner playing
checkers. My grandpa always used to chew a toothpick. Whenever he talked
he'd take it out of his mouth and wave it at the person he was talking too. You
might want to grey the hair a bit. Maybe suspenders holding up his pants
Uncle Joe - a lot like grandpa. If you have fewer actors you can skip Uncle Joe
and give all of his parts to Grandpa.
Acting/Dancing Parts:
Santa - Santa should look like Santa *grin*. You might want to change him from
his Santa hat into a cowboy hat during the last verse of the last song (during the
line dance)
8 Reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen these are the "hollywood reindeer".
I picture Dasher and Blitzen as the boys and the rest as the girls.
You can buy or make reindeer antler headbands.
Safety pin a fun fur tail on the back of each reindeer. Just cut a teardrop
shape from brown fun fur to make the tail.
Add scarves (maybe matching ones made out of shiny green or silver
material).
Dress them all in matching clothes -- maybe white shirts and black pants
or skirts as that should be something most of the kids would have.
Each of the 8 reindeer should have a poster board sign with their name on
it. Maybe some green, silver or red sparkles glued around the edge of the
sign
maybe even have them wearing sunglasses to get across the hollywood
reindeer idea.
Rudolf: A boy. Same antler headband, black pants and white shirt costume as
the 8 reindeer only with a red nose.
Leroy: A boy.
Antler headband or if you're really eager, modify a John Deere tractor hat
to have antlers,
overalls
a red scarf around his neck
you might want to have him be a bit dirty like he's been working in the field
Dancing Parts:
Western Dancers aka Good ol' boys and girls (optional): Jeans and western
shirts. Cowboy hats and cowboy boots.
Singing:
Choir - everyone else
It's up to you whether you want your speakers/actors/dancers to sing too. You'll likely
find they have enough challenge doing their acting/dancing without singing at the same
time so you might want to have them focus on the acting/dancing and skip the singing.
The Play
Set up: You'll need one area for the family to be standing. One area for the
reindeer/Santa scenes to take place and a third area for the choir to stand. If you have
a small stage in a gym, try having the choir on the floor in front of the stage. The
reindeer/santa scenes on the stage and the family in front of the choir (on the floor of
the gym).
To start: Mom and Dad are making supper. Grandpa and Uncle Joe are playing
checkers. Little Sister is watching Grandpa and Uncle Joe. If you don't have an Uncle
Joe, make dad play checkers with Grandpa.
School Boy is frowning at his crossword puzzle.
School Boy: I need some help with my homework *sigh*.
Mom: Sure honey, what do you need?
School Boy: I have to finish this Christmas crossword puzzle but I'm stuck on one
question. How many reindeer have pulled Santa's sleigh?
Dad: That's an easy one -- eight.
Little Sister: Eight?
Dad: Yup. Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen
while dad is listing them Little Sister and School Boy can be counting them off on their
fingers.
School Boy: Uh dad...
Dad: Yes son?
School Boy: Eight doesn't fit.
Dad: It doesn't?!
Mom: That's because nine reindeer have pulled Santa's sleigh, dear (pats dad on
shoulder)
Little Sister: *giggle*
Scene Change: Light fades from the family and moves to the 8 reindeer on the stage
(if you have a light).
Choir: Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer
During the first verse, when their names are mentioned, the reindeer should hold
up their signs
When Rudolf is first mentioned he should step out onto the middle of the stage
During the second verse, everyone should point at his nose
During the third verse, the reindeer should be laughing, snickering, gossiping and
pointing at Rudolf and shaking their head NO if he comes to play with them
During the fourth verse, Santa comes on stage and talks to Rudolf who nods his
head yes and looks proud
During the fifth verse, all the reindeer should come up and shake hands with
Rudolf or pat him on the back
Scene Change: Light fades from the reindeer and moves to the family again (if you
have a light).
School Boy: Oh oh
Dad What's wrong?
School Boy: (fidgets) Nine doesn't fit either.
Mom: Are you sure you're spelling it right?
Little Sister: *giggle*
School Boy: Mooommmm.... (your typical exasperated "mom")
Grandpa: There's 10 (gruffly)
everyone looks surprised that grandpa said something ... he usually doesn't talk when
he's concentrating on checkers.
Little Sister: I didn't think Olive counted
Mom and Dad: Olive?
Little Sister: Yeah! *giggle* You know... "All of the other reindeer used to laugh and
call him names" (sing the line from Rudolf the Red nose reindeer)
Mom: Olive the other reindeer? Oh! All of the other reindeer. Very cute dear.
giggles and snickers from mom, dad, brother and sister
Grandpa: Hmpphh. I don't know about any Olive. Tenth reindeer goes by the name
Leroy.
Brother and sister look at each other and say Leroy!? in surprise. Mom and dad look
at each other and raise their eyebrows.
School Boy: (in shock) Hey! Ten fits!!
Uncle Joe looks up from his game and nods in agreement with grandpa.
Song: Leroy the Red-necked Reindeer
(Grandpa and Uncle Joe say the first verse)
Grandpa: Well you've all heard the story about Rudolf and his nose. But I'll tell you a
Christmas tale that never has been told.
Uncle Joe: You may think you've heard it all. But you ain't heard nothing yet...
Scene change: light fades from family and onto stage
Choir: About that crazy Christmas that the North Pole can't forget.
Choir sings verse two while Rudolf and Leroy "talk" on the phone on stage. You might
want to put an ice pack on Rudolf's head or wrap him in a blanket to get across the idea
that he's sick.
Pause song after the second verse (where it says he jumped in his pick up truck).
Scene change: light returns to family
School Boy: Pick up truck!?
Little Sister: Reindeer don't drive trucks, they fly!
Grandpa *chuckle* Leroy ain't one of them hollywood reindeer like Dasher or Blitzen.
He's a workin' class reindeer.
Uncle Joe Ayup. Leroy works 365 days a year not just on Christmas Eve. A pick up
truck comes in mighty handy when you don't have a magic sleigh and a bunch of elves
to help haul yer stuff around.
Uncle Joe and Grandpa nod to each other in agreement.
Scene change: light returns to stage
Choir sings verse three while the 8 reindeer, Leroy and Santa act it out on stage (8
reindeer snicker and point at Leroy and then Santa steps in to say Leroy's the boss)
Choir sings verse four (which is actually the chorus) while Leroy works on getting all the
reindeer into position and teaches them the line dance (while they struggle and can't get
the dance right... they get better at it as the verse nears an end).
Choir sings verse five -- for the first 4 lines Leroy and the 8 reindeer finally do their line
dance perfectly together. In line 5 (which mentions Santa), Santa joins the group and
starts line dancing too and you see the family starting to arrange themselves to join in
Choir sings verse six (which is actually the chorus being sung a second time) -- the
family starts doing the line dance in and all of the Western Dancers run onto the stage
with the reindeer and/or with the family and join in too. (depends on your space and
how many Western Dancers you have)
And that's the end!!
The Line Dance
The difficulty of your line dance depends on the age of your kids. If you have a fairly
eager group you can even let them design their own! (maybe that can be a job for your
Western Dancers to do).
Here's a simple one to get you started:
Tap right heel on ground and then return to standing position
Tap right heel on ground and then return to standing position
Tap left heel on ground and then return to standing position
Tap left heel on ground and then return to standing position
Hop, hop, clap
Wiggle, wiggle, clap
(wiggle wiggle = swing hips left and right)
That sequence should take you the length of:
And it was Leroy the Red-Necked reindeer
Hooked to the front of the sleigh
So it would work like:
And it was Leroy
Tap right heel on ground and then return to standing position
Tap right heel on ground and then return to standing position
the Red-Necked reindeer
Tap left heel on ground and then return to standing position
Tap left heel on ground and then return to standing position
Hooked to the front
Hop, hop, clap
of the sleigh
Wiggle, wiggle, clap
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer : Lyrics
Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
had a very shiny nose.
And if you ever saw him,
you would even say it glows.
All of the other reindeer
used to laugh and call him names.
They never let poor Rudolph
join in any reindeer games.
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say:
"Rudolph with your nose so bright,
won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Then all the reindeer loved him
as they shouted out with glee,
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer,
you'll go down in history!
Leroy the Red-Necked Reindeer
by Joe Diffie
Well you've all heard the story about Rudolf and his nose.
But I'll tell you a Christmas tale that never has been told.
You may think you've heard it all. But you ain't heard nothing yet...
About that crazy Christmas that the North Pole can't forget.
Rudolf was under the weather
And had to call in sick
So he got on the phone to his cousin Leroy
Who lived out in the sticks
He said, "Santa's really countin' on me
And I hate to pass the buck"
Leroy said "Hey I'm on my way"
And he jumped in his pick-up truck.
When Leroy got to the North Pole
All the reindeer snickered and laughed
They'd never seen a deer in overalls
And a John Deere tractor hat
But Santa stepped in and said just calm down
Cause we've all got a job to do
And like it or not, Leroy's in charge
And he's gonna be leadin' you.
And it was Leroy the Red-Necked reindeer
Hooked to the front of the sleigh
Deliverin' toys to all the good ol' boys
And girls along the way
He was a down-home party animal
Two steppin across the sky
He mixed jingle bells with a rebel yell
And made history that night.
Before that night was over Leroy had changed their tune
He had 'em scootin' a hoof
On every single roof
By the light of a neon moon
Santa wrapped his bag with a Dixie flag
He was havin' the time of his life
And you could hear him call
Merry Christmas y'all
And to all of y'all a good night
And it was Leroy the Red-Necked reindeer
Hooked to the front of the sleigh
Deliverin' toys to all the good ol' boys
And girls along the way
He was a down-home party animal
Two steppin across the sky
He mixed jingle bells with a rebel yell
And made history that night.
He mixed jingle bells with a rebel yell
And made history that night.