Description

Christmas Assembly based on ‘The Night Before Christmas’ by Clement C. Moore

Christmas Assembly based on ‘The Night Before Christmas’ by Clement C. Moore poem is included in my Advent Calendar Assembly and whilst reading through it I thought it would make a great ‘stand-alone’ performance. Using my normal format – a cast of 30, organised to sit in two rows of 15 facing the audience, I have added a few stage directions, plus additional poetry and music suggestions – to take this production of 10 mins to anything up to half an hour.

Production Notes offer ways of adjusting both sizes of cast and production’s length, with suggested props, costumes etc.

Christmas Assembly Cast of 30. Duration: Around 10 minutes (See Production Notes for the longer version)

Other Christmas Plays. Christmas Jokes, and Special Christmas package

Christmas Assembly Characters

• The narrator and Mr Moore (referred to as ‘I’ in the poem)
• Child 1 – 18
• Mouse
• Mrs. Moore         (referred to as Mamma in the poem)
• 8 Reindeer
• St. Nicholas

*in the text indicates ‘directions explanation’ in Production Notes at the end

Christmas Assembly Music 1: Jingle Bells (the Whole cast singing as they file in)

Narrator:             Good morning and welcome to our assembly based on Clement C. Moore’s ‘The Night Before Christmas’.

Child 1:                 ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring,

(Mouse appears, Child 1 shakes head vigorously and beckons him away)

not even a mouse;

(Child 2 places stockings by chimney as he/she reads two lines)

Child 2:                 The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

Child 3:                 The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

(Cast lay heads on hands, as per sleep)

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

Child 4:                 And Mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,

(Enter Mr. and Mrs Moore, yawning and easing themselves onto blanket-covered chairs)
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap,

(Sound of ‘brakes being applied’ and accompanying abrupt halt of hoof sounds)

Child 5:                 When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

(Mr. Moore springs to his feet and dashes over to the window, which he opens, looking out)

Child 6:                 Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

Child 7:                 The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

(Enter 8 reindeer pulling a sleigh)

Child 8:                 When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

(Enter St. Nicholas)

Child 9:                 With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

Child 10:               More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

St. Nicholas:       “Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”

Child 11:               As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;