Musical Play: “The Winter Holiday Show”

Complete Script & Audio: $45 (other items also available)

(5 customer reviews)
What is this?An easy, flexible, 30-minute musical play for grades 1-5. Comes with the script, audio recording (with both a vocal and instrumental version of each song), and a teacher's guide. No music or drama experience needed!
Story & ContentFunny script ✓ Catchy tunes ✓ Flexible casting ✓ Dumb jokes
Forest animals learn about Christmas and Hanukkah by observing the antics of humans celebrating the winter holidays. Learn more!
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Synopsis

Teachers frequently try to celebrate the holiday season, but it's not easy to do so without leaving someone out. The Winter Holiday Show solves this problem by describing the traditions and celebrations of Christmas and Hanukkah from the perspectives of the goofy animals that tell the story. (The play introduces other winter celebrations as well).

Preview the script and songs!

Key Concepts

We include five traditional songs, but we've also written a handful of songs about the holidays from the animals' perspective. We've got a latke-loving bear, beavers who steal Christmas trees, and a squirrel who wants to pull Santa's sleigh---not to mention Superbadgers and some shady skunks. If you teach in a public school, then you owe it to yourself, your students and their families to consider this play!

The Winter Holiday Show is a wonderfully fun way to celebrate the winter holidays. And, like all of our plays, this show can be used to improve reading, vocabulary, reading comprehension, performance and music skills, class camaraderie and teamwork, and numerous social skills (read about it!) -- all while enabling students to be part of a truly fun and creative experience they will never forget!

Aligned with national standards! View the standards and vocabulary. 

Publication Info

Author: Ron Fink (Composer) and John Heath (Book and Lyrics)

ISBN:
978-1-886588-22-6

© 2002
Bad Wolf Press, LLC

5 reviews for Musical Play: “The Winter Holiday Show”

  1. LTD4Kids (verified owner)

    Children in grades 3rd – 5th performed the "Winter Holidays" along with "The Nutcracker" as a Holiday Show for the school. The children got into the Winter Holiday show quickly. The story was charming, fun and educational. The music was exciting and easy to learn. The children had lots of fun working on the show and performing it. The audience loved it.

  2. Mrs. Duley (verified owner)

    My second graders performed this musical and it was well received by the audience! The students loved the songs and had a lot of fun with the characters (especially the skunks). We did face paint for all the animals which turned out great, and I felt it was easy to costume (but I'm crafty). Not to mention, everyone in our school learned new things about all the holidays!

  3. Jenny Lynn Elementary 2018 Holiday Show (verified owner)

    We used this for our small private school's holiday program with 36 students in grades 1-5. It was WONDERFUL. We had all ages of students participating in full speaking parts and smaller parts. Students learned their lines quickly and thoroughly enjoyed this amazing presentation. It was great to have the 2 sets of music. We learned with the singing set and practiced and performed with only the music. Shy students became excellent speakers! Our families were thrilled with this presentation and asked how we were ever going to top this performance! Keep making these musicals for December holiday season!! We loooved this!!

  4. Rachel14 (verified owner)

    I love this play I have done it several time. I finally scratched the CD so badly I had to buy the songs again. I would suggest it to anyone!

  5. Kat Ware (verified owner)

    I have purchased 4 plays from Bad Wolf Press over my 16 years of teaching. They always create a memorable event for my students. We just performed "The Winter Holiday Show" for our school and families last month. Not only was it thoroughly entertaining, but it also taught my students about the many different holidays celebrated by many different cultures. I had one teacher at our school tell me that she almost cried because the show was so inclusive of other cultures that are not predominant in our community. Thanks, Bad Wolf Press, for giving me the tools I needed, as a "timid teacher", to give my students an experience they will remember for years!

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The Show

We want you to know what you're getting, so the cast list and first third of the script are available here! Bad Wolf shows are written for flexibility and can be edited however you like to meet the needs of your actors, school, curriculum, parents, astrological chart, latest whim, etc. If you have questions about the portions of the script not shown, please contact us.

Casting

Flexible casting from 11-40 students. Use as many beavers, skunks, etc as desired. Actors can easily play several roles, or a single role can be divided between multiple actors. All parts can be played by any gender.

CHARACTERS:

Carolers (either one or two groups)
Wolf
Owl
Goose
Moose
Rabbits
Family #1
Bear
Family #2
Beavers
Skunks
Squirrel
SuperBadgers
Kids
and a Chorus made up of all students who are not playing roles at the time.

Script

This is the first one-third of the script.

(The CLASS is on stage. A handful of them are dressed as CAROLERS, standing in a little half-circle facing the audience with caroling books in hand. The rest of students stand or sit along the edges. They ALL begin singing:)

Song 1

Listen to a sample!

CLASS:
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me
A partridge in a pear tree.

(At this point the WOLF begins creeping, slowly, from the
side of the stage towards the CAROLERS)

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree.

(WOLF is now quite close)

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a par...
(music and singing stop as CAROLERS see WOLF)

CAROLER (screaming in fright): Ahh, it's a wolf!

CAROLER: Wolf!

CAROLER: Wolf, run for your lives!

(CAROLERS run off, screaming. The WOLF looks puzzled. OWL and GOOSE enter quickly as WOLF shouts:)

WOLF (to departing Carolers): Hey, come back!

(OWL, WOLF, and GOOSE run in)

OWL: Wolf, what happened? We heard screaming.

WOLF: Owl, did you see that? I just wanted to join in the caroling. You know I love caroling.

OWL: They looked terrified.

GOOSE (looking and then pointing at audience): But these people don’t look terrified. They look relieved.

OWL: Of course they’re relieved. They thought they’d have to listen to all twelve days of Christmas. Wolf spared them eight days.

WOLF: This just isn’t my winter. I’m cold. I think of those warm fires inside the houses in town—makes me wish my side of the family had been domesticated.

OWL (pointing to GOOSE): You could always make a down comforter out of Goose over here.

GOOSE: That’s not funny. Not funny at all. You know I’m always nervous this time of year. Thanksgiving to New Years is a troubling time for edible fowl.

WOLF: Hey, isn’t that Moose running up the hill?

OWL: Yes it is! I’ve never seen him move so fast.

MOOSE (entering, out of breath): Run for you life! They’ve gone crazy. Hurry!

OWL: What are you talking about?

MOOSE: The people in the town. They’re doing terrible things!

GOOSE: What is it? Did they try to roast you? I hate that.

MOOSE: No. Worse! I heard this pounding. I looked up on top of a house, and there in full view, a guy was nailing twelve reindeer to a roof! Why didn’t they try to run away?

OWL: Moose, they weren’t real reindeer.

MOOSE: Maybe there were hypnotized.

GOOSE: They weren’t real reindeer, Moose.

MOOSE: What?

WOLF: It’s just part of the holiday celebration.

MOOSE: What’s that mean?

OWL: Oh my gosh! Moose, this is your first winter, isn’t it?

MOOSE: Well, yeah.

GOOSE: Interesting things happen this time of year.

MOOSE: What do you mean?

OWL: (shouting) Forest animals! Come out! Moose needs us!

Song 2

Listen to a sample!

ENTIRE CLASS (except MOOSE):
Gotta tell the moose
Gotta introduce
The winter holidays
People down in town
Running all around
Each year the same ol’ craze.

See them up at dawn
Busy on the lawn
Arranging plastic sleighs
Gotta tell the moose
Gotta introduce
The winter holidays.

Gotta tell our mate
How they celebrate
The winter holidays.
Running out to shop
Cooking ’til they drop
They’re in a manic phase

Latkes to prepare
Potatoes everywhere
Grating ’til their eyes glaze
Gotta tell the moose
Gotta introduce
The winter holidays.

Thanksgiving and Hanukkah bring out the cheer
Christmas and Kwanzaa and happy New Year!

See them up at dawn
Busy on the lawn
Arranging plastic sleighs
Gotta tell the moose
Gotta introduce
The winter holidays.
The winter holidays.

(CLASS exits; OWL, WOLF, GOOSE, and MOOSE begin walking)

OWL: Come on, Moose. Let’s go down to town and see what the people are doing.

GOOSE: Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if they’re hungry? Maybe we should take some chocolates for them just in case.

(RABBIT #1 hops in)

WOLF: Oh, hello, Rabbit.

RABBIT #1: Hello.

OWL: We’re off to teach Moose about holidays.

WOLF (to RABBIT #2, entering with huge carrot): Hello, Rabbit.

RABBIT #2: I’m trying to defrost this carrot. You don’t have a microwave, do you?

OWL: Do I look like I have a microwave?

MOOSE: There are so many people in town these days. Where do they all come from?

OWL: It’s the holidays. Friends and family gather together.

WOLF (to RABBIT #3, entering): Hello, Rabbit.

RABBIT #3: You’re telling me about family gatherings. You wouldn’t believe our place this time of year.

MOOSE: There sure are a lot of you Rabbits around today.

RABBIT #4 (hopping in): There sure are. Big family reunion!

Song 3

Listen to a sample!

RABBITS:
Thirty five uncles
Forty two aunts
All want to kiss me
All want to dance.

Seventeen siblings
Nephews galore
Usually by New Years
There’s two dozen more.

Woh woh woh woh woh woh
Woh woh woh woh woh woh
Family time
Family time
I love that family time.

Fifty four cousins
At each other’s throat
All watching TV
With just one remote.

Time for some soccer
There’s more than we need
Got enough family
To form a whole league.

RABBIT #1 (shouts): Hey, let’s do our Family Dance!

(RABBITS do lovely hopping dance during instrumental)

RABBITS and CHORUS:
Woh woh woh woh woh woh
Woh woh woh woh woh woh
Family time
Family time
I love that family time.

(RABBITS exit)

OWL: Come on, Moose. Let’s go peak inside a house—I want you to see the Christmas decorations.

MOOSE: Decorations?

GOOSE: You know. Trees and stuff.

MOOSE: They put trees inside their houses?

WOLF: I think it’s so the dogs don’t have to go out in the cold.

OWL: Here, just look through this window—the people are fixing things up.

(FAMILY #1 with Christmas decorations appears and sings:)

Song 4

Listen to a sample!

FAMILY #1:
Deck the halls with boughs of holly
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
’Tis the season to be jolly
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Don we now our gay apparel.
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la
Troll the ancient Yuletide carol.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

FAMILY and CHORUS:
See the blazing Yule before us.

ONE MEMBER OF FAMILY:
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

FAMILY and CHORUS:
Strike the harp and join the chorus.

ONE MEMBER OF FAMILY:

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

FAMILY and CHORUS:
Follow me in merry measure.
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la
While I tell of Yuletide treasure.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.

(FAMILY exits)

MOOSE: That looks like great fun. I’ve never decked a hall with anything. I didn’t even know you could deck a hall.

GOOSE: Me either.

WOLF: I decked an obnoxious hedgehog once.

(BEAR enters)

OWL: That’s not the same.
(Seeing BEAR)
Bear! What are YOU doing up? Aren’t you supposed to be hibernating?

BEAR: Not yet—not until I get some latkes.

MOOSE: Latkes?

GOOSE: Potato pancakes--folks eat them for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. And they’re meat free!

BEAR (getting excited): Lovely shredded potatoes. Savory onions. A dash of salt and pepper. A little flour to compose a masterpiece.

OWL: Calm down, Bear. You always overdo it with the latkes.

BEAR (lost in salivation): Fried up golden brown, crispy yet tender, in hot oil. Wait! Did you hear that?

WOLF: What?

BEAR: Listen.
(THEY listen. Nothing.)
They’re calling me.

MOOSE: Who?

BEAR: The latkes. “Bear,” they’re saying, “we’re waiting. Bear, come get us while we’re still really hot.” I’ve gotta go.
(BEAR exits)

MOOSE: Bear said something about Hanukkah. Who’ s that?

WOLF: It’s another holiday. Here, look in that window.

MOOSE (HE sees a menorah without candles): Ooh! They’ve got a really tiny tree with eight curving branches.

OWL: That’s not a tree. That’s a menorah. It’s for Hanukkah. Take a look.

MOOSE (looking more closely): It must be hard to drink out of all those little cups.

GOOSE: Those aren’t for water, silly. They’re for candles.

WOLF: They light one candle the first night of Hanukkah, then two on the second, until on the eighth night all of them are lit.

OWL: Listen, they’re singing the Hanukkah Song.

(FAMILY #2 appears, singing)

Song 5

Listen to a sample!

FAMILY #2:
Oh Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah, come light the Menorah,
Let’s have a party, we’ll all dance the hora.
Gather round the table, we’ll give you a treat.
Dreidles to play with, latkes to eat.
Gather round the table, we’ll give you a treat.
Dreidles to play with, latkes to eat.

FAMILY# 2 and CHORUS:
And while we are playing,
The candles are burning low.
One for each night, they shed a sweet light,
To remind us of days long ago;
One for each night, they shed a sweet light,
To remind us of days long ago.

(This concludes the first one-third of the script.)

The Songs

Click on any song to listen to a snippet. Click the cart icon to purchase any track for $1.

Standards

Common Core and Other National Standards

History/Social Studies

Language Arts

  • Common Core Reading Standards for Literature: K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
  • Common Core Reading Standards: Foundational Skills:
    • K and 1st: Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Word Recognition
    • 2nd: Phonics and Word Recognition
    • 3rd, 4th, 5th: Phonics and Word Recognition, Fluency
  • Common Core Speaking and Listening Standards: Comprehension and Collaboration - K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
  • Common Core Language Standards: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use - K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
  • Common Core Standard 10: Range, Quality & Complexity: Range of Text Types for K-5th

National Core Arts Standards

Vocabulary

partridge
turtle dove
French hen
spared
domesticated
down comforter
edible
fowl
hypnotized
celebration
craze
arranging
manic
phase
latke
defrost
league
boughs
holly
don
apparel
troll
Yuletide
blazing
obnoxious
hibernating
savory
masterpiece
menorah
hora
dreidl
shed
beaver dam
outfitted
carbs
abs
pecs
burly
seams
nose job
buff
Latvia
peril
Hebrew
“A great miracle happened there.”
slumped
expand
foil
kinara
principles
kin
figgy pudding
expert
bunk
handbook
trunk
subsection
flunk

Vocabulary From Stage Directions

mock
instrumental
disbelief
phony
fanfare
style
striking
pose
slickly
salivation
creeping
handful

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