Christmas concerts in the old one- room schools were happy occasions. I always enjoyed preparing for them. For me they were part of the joy of Christmas! They were also one of the: major events of the school year for the children. Once we started practicing our lines, you could see the anticipation and excitement growing each day.

My first Christmas concerts were held in the East Point one-room school where l began my teaching career: Those concerts would consist of recitations, drills, music, singing monologue, dialogue and pantomines. They were usually held at night a few nights before Christmas. There was no electricity in those days so we just had lamps for light.

Sometimes we had to improvise. For curtains, we used white bed sheets pinned over a twine line fastened to the walls. I remember one night during our concert one of the nails pulled out of the wall and the curtains fell to the floor. It was rather embarrasing for me but a couple of parents came to our aid and put them back up.

Fireplaces, if needed, were made from cardboard with brick design painted on. One time we had an Indian drill for several little boys. We dressed them in homemade Indian costumes, bows and arrows and feather head-pieces. Another time we needed cradles for little girls to rock their dolls in. We took fruit baskets, covered them with material and Dad made rockers for them. Much time and work went into preparing for these concerts but it was aII very enjoyable and rewardIng and I believe they were very educational for the children.

Of course, we always had a Christmas tree and Santa. The older boys would bring the tree and all took part in decorating it. Most of the decorations we made at school from colored paper, white tissue snowballs, popcorn strings and tinsel icicles. We would decorate the room with green tree boughs and red ribbons. We usually concluded our program with a pantomine of the "manger scene" with shepherds, angels, wise men and the holy family. We would turn down the lamps and use red colored paper over flashlights for an effective light.

Santa would arrive at the conclusion of the program to the delight of the children and distribute gifts to all. These concerts were well attended by parents and friends who encouraged the pupils with their applause. Parents helped by decorating the room, providing extra seats and some helping with the music and singing. Mothers made fudge and passed it around to everyone.

These are happy memories for me and I still enjoy attending children's Christmas concerts.

Copyright
Waldron H. Leard