My funniest Christmas story happened when my boys were about 5 and 6 years old.
It was Christmas Eve, and I was putting the boys to bed when, as we were saying our prayers, we heard heavy footsteps on the roof! My youngest son immediately pulled the covers over his head and exclaimed "Skip my prayers, Mom! He's here!"
"Oh no!" wailed my older son, "We're not asleep!"
"Just cover your head like me!" the younger one whispered emphatically.
I ran to the front door and swung it wide open so that the jingle bells on the doorknob rang loudly. Then I yelled out into our front yard "Oh Santa, the boys just went to bed! Could you please go to Ali's house across the street first and come back here afterward? (pause
.png "Having fun with Christmas is one of best feelings for me! And I love experiencing this feeling in my classroom too!")
Then, I ran back to the boys' bedroom and said, "Santa said he'll come back in a little bit! You'd better get to sleep!" They both pulled the covers over their heads and giggled nervously.
Then my husband appeared in the living room, back from the roof, asking me if I realized how loud I was yelling into the night.
He was pretty sure the neighbor kids heard me, and probably none of the kids on our street slept one wink that night!
My students love it when I share personal stories (like the one above) with them and they love sharing stories back! To do this, I ask students to share their favorite personal holiday story in their journals. This is great because students can write about ANY personal holiday story they have at this time of year. Plus, when we share our stories, we tighten our bonds as a class. Not to mention that we usually get a good laugh or two out of these stories.
Then, the stories become a great lead-in for when we read "A Christmas Carol" because I tie all the stories together with common themes. And since I really focus on the theme of giving, I am giving away this freebie:
When we read "A Christmas Carol", it's fun to write from various character perspectives sharing our stories as those characters. Not only is it great for point of view, but it's all about the sharing. Students love this concept because everyone likes to be heard.
If you love this story as much as I do and plan on teaching the play version this year, you might want more than just a game:
Get it here:
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