16/12- Tradition- Action!

Contemporary

Scene 1: The School. Christmas Play. 2025

Daz, Tuck, Bob, and Wendy, along with the rest of their class, are shuffling onto the stage, ready for their annual Christmas Play. This is their last one, so they want to make sure it shines, but Bob is nervous that he'll forget his lines, and Daz is already embarrassed by his mum standing and cheering.

Daz ducks behind Wendy, who has everyone's lines ready to prompt, in case something goes wrong.

Wendy: Right! Let's do this! Last Christmas Concert!

Tuck: It's not even that important! It's just another play.

Bob: It is important. It's our last one ever!

Wendy: That's the attitude I'm looking for!

Bob: So if we mess up, it'll be our whole lasting reputation (sobs)

Wendy: Not that.

Daz: Ugh. Mum's already taken a thousand photos. Ugh.

Wendy: Stop 'ugh'ing. Bob and Daz, get on stage!

Bob: What's my line again?

Wendy: Ugh!

Daz: You said not to Ugh!

Wendy: Bob, you're doing the introduction, Daz is doing the funny bits.

Daz:            Can't Tuck do it instead?

Wendy:     No! It's your part!

Daz:         Ugh!

Wendy:     Stop 'ugh'ing.

She glares at them as they climb onto the stage, the background music growing quieter.

Daz & Bob: (almost in unison) Welcome to our Christmas Concert!

Daz: We hope you don't fall asleep.

Wendy:     That's not your line!

The crowd laughs at her comment, and she falls back in her seat, cheeks flushed.

Bob:         (whispering) We're going to sh-show you what Christmas is like around the world.

Daz: From the left to the right, up to the down, we're going to travel across continents, and see how everyone celebrates!

Daz & Bob:     We hope you enjoy!

Wendy:     Move it, people! Next scene! Go! Go! Go!

Everyone shuffles around and starts moving chairs and big props to create the next scene.

Scene 2: England.

The family, composed of Daz, Tuck, Bob, and three others shuffle into their seats, holding their forks halfway to their mouths, grinning widely. The narrator, Amanda, steps onto the stage.

Amanda:     Mum, Dad and the children are all enjoying their Christmas dinner, and having a classic British Christmas. But where did it come from?

Everyone on the stage switches position, and everyone off stage switches the props around, so that the audience has a visual timeline of the parts of British Christmas.

Bob:         I'm a tree!

Amanda:     Where did the Christmas tree tradition come from? It was from Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband. He got this tradition from his German nationality. So really, it's a German tradition!

Daz: (grudgingly) I'm a turkey.

Amanda:     Why do we eat turkey at Christmas? King Henry VIII was the first monarch to be seen eating turkey at Christmas. And, of course, the Victorians later popu-popu. Ah! Popula-la-la.

Wendy:     Not again! For the last time, it's popularised!

Amanda:     It was popuised by the Victorians, specifically by Dickens's Christmas Carol, where Scrooge sent a turkey to the Cratchits.

Tuck and We're Christmas crackers!

Quinn:          

Amanda:     Tom Smith saw French bonbons, and when selling them didn't go well, he added a

Tuck and Pop! Bang!

Quinn:          

Amanda:     And now, instead of sweets, we have a joke, a crown and a little toy!

Wendy:     (pointing) Let's move!

Scene 3: Slavic countries.

The children shuffle into their positions again, with different people on stage this time. In the centre is a boy dressed in red and a girl dressed in blue. A star is hung on the back wall.

Julia:     In many Slavic countries, people will fast, or at least give up meat, during the day before the Christmas dinner, which will often be on a different day. Poland, for example, celebrates on the 24th, and Russia celebrates on the 31st, alongside the New Year. The feast will only start when the first star is seen in the sky.

Dan:         I'm Ded Moroz, and I'm the Russian version of Santa Claus!

Wendy:     I'm Snegurochka, Ded Moroz's helper and granddaughter.

Julia:     She was a snowgirl who sadly melted when she was invited to jump over bonfires by the other village girls.

Scene 4: Ghana.

A massive 'street party' where everyone is dressed in colourful clothes.

Aban: Ghanaians celebrate Christmas from the 20th of December to the first week of January.

Kojo: On Christmas Eve, children put on plays, and others have fireworks or parties. Everything is extravagant and full of fun!

The kids in the background start to shift around, laughing and having fun.

Thema: On Christmas Day, churches are very full, and everyone is dressed in their traditional clothes!

Aban:              When they get home, they eat stew, porridge, rice, yams and meat.

Scene 6: The Hall

The rest of the play includes scenes from Japan, Costa Rica, Ethiopia and even Malta! Most of it goes on without a hitch, but Wendy's voice dies halfway through correcting everyone.

Though the parents have to sit there for two hours, it's worth it. The kids get to enjoy themselves, and the parents learn things they would never think to search up. Daz's mum takes thousands of photos, and they're up on her Facebook ten minutes after the play. Tuck even cracks a couple of smiles.

But the happiest kid of all is Bob, who runs up to his sister in leaps and bounds.

Bob:         I did it! I did it!

Sister: Good job! I told you you'd manage!

Quinn: (from the other side of the hall) Loved the outro!

Everyone starts to exit the hall, but Wendy is in a panic, her voice still weak from her shouting.

Wendy: (whispering) We forgot Italy. And to mention the food! How is that possible? How is that possible! Get back here.

Bob:         No one can hear you! (he laughs)

Wendy: Well, what are we going to do? We have Joan ready with the samples for the parents. Joan! The door!

Quinn: (louder) Joan! The door!

Wendy waddles to the door with Joan, slowing everyone's exits with her yammering.

Wendy: This is some Ghanaian Jo--

The End!

Wendy: (getting quieter) Not the end! Not the end!

Joan: Thank you for coming!

Joan bows, and the curtains close.

Thank you for reading. I hope you got a little Christmas joy from this story. Here, for anyone who wants it, is the maintenance.

If you enjoyed this story, please, please, please (I can add a cherry if necessary) like, comment, rate and share. It really helps me out and allows others to see these (hopefully decent) stories. Thank you, and Merry Christmas.