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Speaker 1: The Christmas Dinner by Shepherd Nap. Before the play begins,

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Mother Goose comes out in front of the curtain, and

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this is what she says.

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Speaker 2: Well, well, well, well, well, here we all are again,

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and what's more important, Christmas is here again too, aren't

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you glad?

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Speaker 3: Now?

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Speaker 2: I want to tell you children something. Do you know

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what I enjoy most at Christmas time? It's to come

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in here and see all you children sitting in rows

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and rows, all your faces looking up at me, and

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a smile on every one of them. Why, even some

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of those great big men and women back there are

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smiling too. And I think I know why you are

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all smiling.

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Speaker 4: There are are.

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Speaker 2: Two reasons for it, I believe. One is that you

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think old Mother Goose is a good friend of yours

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and loves you all very much. And you're quite right

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about that, for I declare I love every one of

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you as much as I love plum pudding. And the

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second reason why you are all smiling, I guess, is

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because you think I am going to show you a

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Christmas play. And you're right about that too. I have

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a play all ready for you there behind the curtain,

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and the name of it is the Christmas dinner. Doesn't

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the very name of it make you hungry?

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Speaker 4: Well, you just wait. Now.

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Speaker 2: When the curtain opens, you'll see the warm, cozy kitchen

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of a farmhouse where six people live. Two of them

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are quite young, because they are just a boy and

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a girl, and their names are Walter and Gertrude. And

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two of them are older, and yet not so very

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old either. They are the father and mother of the

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two children. And the last two are the oldest of all,

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and they are really old, for they are the children's

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grandfather and grandmother. It is late in the afternoon of

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the day before Christmas, the hour when it has begun

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to get dark. The father is out cutting some good

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big sticks of wood for the Christmas fire, and the

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two children are playing outside of the house, so you'll

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not see them at first, but you will see the

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mother who is just finishing the day's work, and the

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old grandfather and grandmother who are sitting by the fire.

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Are you ready, all of you, be quiet then, for

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now it is going to begin.

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Speaker 1: Now the curtain opens and you see a farmhouse kitchen,

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just as Mother Goose promised. At the back opposite of

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you is a fireplace with a mantle shelf. Over it,

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a bright fire is burning. On the mantle is a

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lamp lighted and an unlighted candle. Also some other things

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that you'll hear about later. There is a cupboard against

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the back wall. At one side of the room is

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the door leading out of doors. Beside it is a

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large wood box where the firewood is kept. And nearby

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our broom leaning against the wall and a dust pan.

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On the other side of the room is another door

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which leads to the rest of the house. Beside that

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is a big clothes basket where the soiled clothes kept

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close to the fire, one on each side. The grandfather

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and the grandmother are sitting in comfortable chairs near the front,

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and a little at one side are a table and

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a chair. On the table is a dishpan and a

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number of dishes which mother is washing. When the curtain opens,

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the first one to speak is the grandmother, and this

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is what she says, Haven't you nearly finished?

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Speaker 5: Mary? Yes? Almost, Only a few more things to be

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washed and then I can sit down and rest.

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Speaker 6: Is everything ready for Christmas dinner tomorrow?

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Speaker 5: Every single thing. The goose is ready to go on

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the fire, The apple sauce is made. The bread and

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the pies are baked, and the plum pudding, well, you

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saw the pudding yourself, so that I don't need to

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tell you about that. It's a beauty if I do

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say so.

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Speaker 1: At this moment, the outside door opens and the two children,

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Walter and Gertrude, run in their coats and mittens, show

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that they have been playing in the snow.

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Speaker 4: Oh mother, it's getting dark outside. May we come in now?

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Is your work all done?

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Speaker 5: Not quite yet? DearS? Run out both of you for

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ten minutes more, and then I'll have everything cleared away.

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It makes me nervous to have you about while things

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are in a mess.

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Speaker 7: All right, mother, Come on, Walter, I'll race you to

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the gate.

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Speaker 1: And both children go out of doors again running. Gertrude

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was nearer the door and gets out first.

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Speaker 5: Such energy as those children.

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Speaker 1: Have, exclaims mother with a sigh, as she goes on

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with her work.

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Speaker 5: Sometimes it makes me tired to watch them there. Every

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last thing is washed, and now when I've dried them,

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I can sit down.

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Speaker 1: She goes on talking while she dries.

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Speaker 5: There's one thing I haven't had time to do, those

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paper caps. I suppose the children will be disappointed, but

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I simply couldn't find time to make them. The colored

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paper and paste and scissors are all on the mantel shelf,

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and I suppose I ought to sit right down now

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and go to work on them, But I declare I'm

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too tired. Getting ready for Christmas seems to take all

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the strength I have. I think I must be getting old.

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Speaker 6: You getting old, nonsense. Wait till you get to be

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our age, then you might talk of getting old and

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feeling tired. Isn't that so John?

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Speaker 1: John is grandfather's first name.

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Speaker 3: Yes, when you get to be as old as we are,

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then you'll know what it is to be so tired

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Christmas or another day. I tried to help James shut

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the gate this morning where the snow had drifted against it,

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and it tired me. So I haven't stirred out of

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his chair since.

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Speaker 1: Now the outside door opens second time, and the children

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come in again. Gertrude first, isn't it time now, mother?

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Speaker 5: Yes, I've just finished. Take off your coats and try

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to quiet down.

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Speaker 1: She puts the clean dishes away in the cupboard and

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carries the dishpan away into the next room. The children

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take off their coats and caps. Walter goes over by

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his grandfather and leans against his chair. Gertrude sits down

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on a low stool beside her grandmother.

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Speaker 3: What have you children been doing all the afternoon?

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Speaker 7: Oh, we've had the greatest fun. First we went skating

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down the mill pond.

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Speaker 4: And then we built a snow fort and the Indians

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attacked it and we drove them off with snowballs.

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Speaker 7: And then we played tag out by the barn.

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Speaker 4: No, that was afterwards, don't you remember, Gertrude. Before that,

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we rice down to the crossroads to see if the

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postman had brought any mile.

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Speaker 7: Oh? Yes, and you tripped and fell down in the

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snow drift. An old grandfather. You ought to have seen

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him when he got up. He was a sight. But

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it all brushed off.

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Speaker 6: And don't you feel tired after doing all that?

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Speaker 7: No, I'm not a bit tired, are you, Walter?

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Speaker 4: Not a bit?

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Speaker 6: Well, that's the beauty of being young. I suppose that

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when I was your age, I was just the same

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as your children are. Now.

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Speaker 4: How long is it since you were all right?

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Speaker 6: So many years that I haven't had time to count

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them up, But I can remember it all clearly, enough.

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Even if it was so long ago, everything about it

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was very different than from the way it is now.

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Speaker 7: How is it different, Grandmother?

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Speaker 6: Why in all sorts of ways? For one thing, the

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days seemed ever so much shorter when I was a little.

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Speaker 3: Girl, and the nights nowadays, and nights they're sometimes quite long,

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But when I was a boy they were so short

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that it seemed as though they weren't any nights at all.

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Speaker 6: And food used to taste quite different.

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Speaker 3: Then.

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Speaker 6: I used to care a lot more for breakfast and

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dinner and supper than I do now.

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Speaker 4: Grandfather, do you wish that you could have stayed on

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being a little boy always?

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Speaker 3: Well, I don't know, Walter. There are two sides to that.

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I'll tell you what I would like, though, I'd like

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to be a little boy now and then, just for

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a short time, to see once more how it would

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feel to run and shout and play and eat and

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laugh the way I used to then. I think I'd

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pretty soon want to be myself again, old as I am,

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because there are some grand things about old age, and

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I think i'd miss if I had to be a

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little boy for good and all, A good, many wonderful

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things happen to you when you grow old, and even

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if my old body does get pretty tired sometimes, and

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you children think, perhaps at grandfather looks very stupid, sitting

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so quiet by the fire's side. Here, I'm often thinking

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inside of splendid things that little boys and girls don't

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know anything about.

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Speaker 7: But Grandfather tell us some more things that were different

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when you were a boy.

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Speaker 3: Well, let me see, there were the brownies. I haven't

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said anything about them, have.

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Speaker 4: I the brownies? What about the brownies?

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Speaker 3: Only that when I was a little boy, I used

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to see the brownies sometimes, but now I never see them.

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It's many a long year since I caught sight of

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a single one.

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Speaker 4: Where did you used to see them?

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Speaker 3: Right here in this room? There used to be two

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of them when I was a boy, and often I

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would see them, though none of the growing of people

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could see them at all. During the daytime, they used

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often to hide in the wood box over there, and

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then at night they used to come out and play,

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and sometimes they worked too, where I can remember my

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father saying sometimes in the morning the floor looked so

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clean that I think the brownies must have swept it

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last night.

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Speaker 4: But Grandfather, I'm a little boy, And I've never seen

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the brownies.

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Speaker 3: No, not yet, but I think you're likely to any

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time now. You see, they don't show themselves to very

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little boys for fear of frightening them.

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Speaker 1: Gertrude, who has been listening carefully to all of this,

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has a question.

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Speaker 7: To ask, Grandmother, did you see the brownies too when

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you were a little girl.

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Speaker 6: No, indeed, the brownies never wanted any girls to see them.

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But I used to see the house fairies often, and

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they always hid away from the boys, so that only

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weak girls ever saw them.

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Speaker 7: How many house fairies were there, Grandmother? And where did

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you see them? And what did they do? My?

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Speaker 6: What a lot of questions. There were two of them

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at our house, and they lived in the kitchen, just

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as the brownies did.

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Speaker 8: Here.

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Speaker 6: They used to hide in a big clothes basket, very

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much like that one over there at night. Like the brownies.

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They used to do some of the housework to help mother.

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And how pleased she used to be when she found

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in the morning that some of the work had been

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done for her while she was asleep.

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Speaker 4: Do you suppose that if I woke up some night

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and came and looked in here, I'd see the brownies

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working or playing. Very likely, Oh, I'd like to try it.

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Can I do it to night?

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Speaker 9: No?

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Speaker 6: Indeed, Walter, what is your grandfather thinking of to put

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such a notion into her head? As for to night? Well,

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of all nights in the year, the very night when

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we expect Santa Claus to come and fill the stockings,

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and you know how displeased he would be to find

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the children awake and watching him. Why, he very likely

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would go away without leaving a single present.

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Speaker 3: To be sure, No, it wouldn't do at all. Besides, think,

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I'll tell your you'd be for tomorrow, and then you'd

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be sorry. With all the goings on by dinner time,

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you'd probably be falling asleep, and we'd have to eat

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all the goose in the pudding without you.

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Speaker 7: We wouldn't want to miss that. I saw the pudding

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out in the store closet, and I tell you it's

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not good.

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Speaker 4: I bet you tasted it.

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Speaker 7: Indeed I did not not even the inst tensiest bit

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of it.

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Speaker 4: What time will the dinner begin, Grandfather?

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Speaker 3: About twelve o'clock noon, I expect.

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Speaker 4: And I suppose the pudding will be the last thing

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of all.

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Speaker 3: Yes, I suppose so it will be.

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Speaker 4: An awfully long time to waite, and then when mother

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begins to help it, Gertrud and I will have to waite,

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and white well all.

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Speaker 5: The rest of you.

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Speaker 4: I hoped. It's pretty tawsome waiting sometimes.

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Speaker 6: But have you forgotten, Walter? You won't have to wait

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as long as that tomorrow, For tomorrow is Christmas. And

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don't you remember that? One of the ways in which

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Christmas is different from all the days in the year

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is the way in which the food is helped out

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at the Christmas dinner. On other days, the oldest people

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are helped first, and the youngest ones have to wait.

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But at Christmas Dinner, the first one to be helped

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to each thing is the very youngest one of all,

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and then comes the next youngest, and so on all

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the way around, and the oldest one has to wait

264
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until the very last.

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Speaker 7: Oh, I remember that was the way we did it

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last year, don't you remember, Walter?

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Speaker 1: Walter nods?

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Speaker 7: And last year I was the youngest, and I was

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helped first to every single thing. Who is the youngest

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this year?

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Speaker 6: Why you are the youngest, just as you were last Christmas.

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Speaker 7: But I'm a whole year older than I was.

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Speaker 6: Then, and so is everybody else.

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Speaker 7: Really, so I'm the youngest still? Will I be helped

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first to the goose and the apple sauce? Yes?

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Speaker 4: And will she be helped first to the pudding too?

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Speaker 9: Yes?

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Speaker 7: Oh, I'm so glad. Isn't it nice to be the youngest?

279
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Speaker 4: Am I the next youngest?

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Speaker 6: Yes? And the second helping of everything will go to you.

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Speaker 4: Oh well, that's all right, there's sure to be plenty left.

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Gertrude couldn't eat it all.

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Speaker 1: Now there's the sound of someone outside the door, stamping

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to shake the snow from his boots.

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Speaker 7: There's father.

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Speaker 1: Gertrude and Walter go to the door and open it.

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Their father comes in, carrying several good sized pieces of firewood.

288
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Speaker 3: How late you are, jeans, and how tired you look?

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Speaker 8: I am tired.

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Speaker 1: He lifts the lid of the wood box and throws

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in the wood with a great clatter. Then, while he

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takes off his cap and gloves and muffler, he says, the.

293
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Speaker 8: Snow is so deep that it's hard to walk in it,

294
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specially carrying a load as heavy as that wood was.

295
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Speaker 1: He sits down.

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Speaker 6: Children, go tell your mother that father is here. She'll

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want to give us supper at once and hurry you

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both off to bed.

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Speaker 4: But when an't we to hang up at Stockings.

300
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Speaker 8: We'll do that right after supper. Run along now and

301
00:16:32,559 --> 00:16:36,840
tell mother that I'm here, the children go. Is everything

302
00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:37,919
all ready for tomorrow?

303
00:16:38,679 --> 00:16:43,120
Speaker 6: Yes? Mary finished everything quite a while ago, or almost everything.

304
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She didn't get the paper caps made for the children,

305
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but she was just too tired to do it after

306
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all of the other work.

307
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Speaker 8: I don't wonder when there is so much to be done,

308
00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:56,200
something simply have to be left. Perhaps there will be

309
00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:59,600
time tomorrow morning. I'm leaving some things for tomorrow myself.

310
00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:02,639
For instance, I promised Mary i'd sweep out the kitchen

311
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here after I'd brought in the wood, and it needs

312
00:17:05,039 --> 00:17:07,039
it sure enough for I see, I've tracked in a

313
00:17:07,039 --> 00:17:09,920
lot of dirt. But I'm going to beg off for tonight.

314
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I'll do it first thing in the morning. I only

315
00:17:12,920 --> 00:17:15,079
hope that Santa Claus won't notice it and think we're

316
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an untidy household. But we leave such a dim light

317
00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:20,400
in the kitchen at night that I don't believe he'll

318
00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:22,319
be able to tell whether the room is broom clean

319
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or not. And anyway, I guess he must get tired

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00:17:25,079 --> 00:17:27,960
himself sometimes, so he'll know how it is and won't

321
00:17:28,039 --> 00:17:29,079
lay it up against us.

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Speaker 1: And that is the end of the first scene. Again,

323
00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:36,920
before the second scene begins, mother Goose comes out in

324
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front of the curtain, and this is what she says.

325
00:17:40,759 --> 00:17:44,240
Speaker 2: Children, Do you want to know what has happened in

326
00:17:44,319 --> 00:17:49,240
that kitchen since the curtain closed? Well, I've come to

327
00:17:49,319 --> 00:17:53,680
tell you all about it. The first thing was that

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00:17:53,839 --> 00:17:58,599
they all had supper, not a very hearty supper, because

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00:17:58,599 --> 00:18:01,759
they all wanted to say up their appetites for the

330
00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:05,680
Christmas dinner the next day, but they had as much

331
00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:10,039
as they needed. And then the two children went and

332
00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:13,880
got their stockings, one for each member of the family.

333
00:18:14,359 --> 00:18:19,640
And then they all hung up their own stockings. Gertrude

334
00:18:19,759 --> 00:18:23,240
hung up her stocking, and Walter hung up his stocking,

335
00:18:23,839 --> 00:18:28,200
and Mother hung up her stocking, and Father hung up

336
00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:37,359
his stocking, and Grandmother hung up her stocking. And and

337
00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:41,759
now I declare I've left somebody out.

338
00:18:43,279 --> 00:18:44,160
Speaker 5: Who can it be?

339
00:18:44,440 --> 00:18:45,359
Speaker 4: I wonder.

340
00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:46,880
Speaker 8: Why?

341
00:18:47,079 --> 00:18:47,759
Speaker 4: To be sure?

342
00:18:48,359 --> 00:18:55,640
Speaker 2: Grandfather? Yes, Grandfather hung up his stocking. And there they were,

343
00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:58,519
all six stockings hanging in a row.

344
00:19:00,079 --> 00:19:00,640
Speaker 4: Look for them.

345
00:19:00,680 --> 00:19:06,160
Speaker 2: There when the curtain opens, I think you'll see them. Well. Then,

346
00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:10,160
of course the children went to bed, and by this

347
00:19:10,279 --> 00:19:14,440
time I think they are both asleep. And now the

348
00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:18,160
rest of the family are beginning to feel sleepy, And

349
00:19:18,359 --> 00:19:22,240
in just a moment, I think one of them is

350
00:19:22,279 --> 00:19:25,640
going to say it's time we all went to bed.

351
00:19:27,359 --> 00:19:31,680
What happens after that, you can see for yourselves. For

352
00:19:31,759 --> 00:19:33,720
now it's going to begin.

353
00:19:35,559 --> 00:19:38,400
Speaker 1: When the curtain opens, you see the kitchen again, just

354
00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:41,960
as before, except that now the six stockings are hanging

355
00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:45,359
from the mantel shelf over the fireplace. Father is sitting

356
00:19:45,359 --> 00:19:48,759
beside the table reading the newspaper. The two grandparents are

357
00:19:48,799 --> 00:19:51,720
still sitting close to the fire, one on each side.

358
00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:56,200
Grandfather has fallen asleep, and grandmother is drowsy so that

359
00:19:56,279 --> 00:19:59,480
her head nods. Then she wakes up and tries to

360
00:19:59,519 --> 00:20:03,160
stay away, but in a minute her head goes nodding again.

361
00:20:04,079 --> 00:20:09,319
Father yawns, puts down his newspaper, yawns once more and stretches,

362
00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:13,720
then goes on reading. Mother comes in and says.

363
00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:16,319
Speaker 5: The children are sound asleep.

364
00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:18,359
Speaker 8: It's time we all went to bed.

365
00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:20,160
Speaker 1: Putting down the newspaper.

366
00:20:20,799 --> 00:20:22,119
Speaker 8: I know I'm ready for it.

367
00:20:22,799 --> 00:20:23,519
Speaker 1: He yawns.

368
00:20:24,359 --> 00:20:28,200
Speaker 5: Besides, the fire is almost out, and indeed it ought

369
00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:30,640
soon to be put out entirely, so as to cool

370
00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:32,920
the chimney for old Santa Claus when he comes.

371
00:20:33,799 --> 00:20:34,559
Speaker 8: That's right too.

372
00:20:35,559 --> 00:20:38,200
Speaker 1: He gets up and goes to grandfather, laying his hand

373
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on his shoulder.

374
00:20:39,599 --> 00:20:41,160
Speaker 8: Father, it's time to go to bed.

375
00:20:41,799 --> 00:20:43,920
Speaker 1: What waking up with a start?

376
00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:48,599
Speaker 3: Why? I must have been dozing? Where are the children?

377
00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:53,119
Speaker 5: They went to bed long ago, don't you remember? And

378
00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:56,559
now it's bedtime for all of us. Are you ready? Mother?

379
00:20:57,279 --> 00:21:01,720
Speaker 1: Yes, I'm more than ready, she writes, And grandfather also,

380
00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:04,519
and with feeble steps, they go toward the door.

381
00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:11,079
Speaker 8: Good night, good night, good night, good night father, pleasant dreams.

382
00:21:11,599 --> 00:21:15,200
Speaker 1: Good night, And grandfather and grandmother go out.

383
00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:18,960
Speaker 5: I'll be off too, James. If you'll look after the

384
00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:20,000
fire and the light.

385
00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:22,000
Speaker 8: Yes, I'll attend to that.

386
00:21:23,079 --> 00:21:26,680
Speaker 1: Then mother goes out, and Father deadens the fire using

387
00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:30,119
the tongs and shovel. He takes the chair in which

388
00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:32,480
he has been sitting and sets it against the wall

389
00:21:32,559 --> 00:21:35,799
beside the clothes basket. Then he lights the candle on

390
00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:39,279
the mantel shelf, blows out the lamp, leaving the room

391
00:21:39,319 --> 00:21:43,279
in a dim light, and goes out for a little

392
00:21:43,279 --> 00:21:46,799
while everything is quiet. Then there is a noise from

393
00:21:46,799 --> 00:21:50,559
the direction of the wood box. The cover rises and

394
00:21:50,599 --> 00:21:54,279
the head of a brownie appears inside the box. He

395
00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:58,400
climbs out, followed by another. They caper about the room

396
00:21:58,599 --> 00:22:02,640
looking at everything, listening at the doors, looking up the chimney.

397
00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:05,480
Then they go to the clothes basket and raise the

398
00:22:05,519 --> 00:22:09,480
lid up come four arms, and then two house fairies

399
00:22:09,519 --> 00:22:11,759
stand up in the basket and get out with the

400
00:22:11,799 --> 00:22:15,240
help of the chair. They also flit about the room

401
00:22:15,559 --> 00:22:19,119
looking at things. Meanwhile, the brownies have taken the broom

402
00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:22,480
and dust pan and begin to sweep, especially over by

403
00:22:22,519 --> 00:22:25,839
the outside door and by the wood box. The fairies

404
00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:28,319
take a chair and climb up by the mantel shelf.

405
00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:32,440
They take down the colored paper, paste and scissors, and,

406
00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:36,440
carrying them to the table, set to work making paper caps.

407
00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:40,839
In a few moments they hold up too complete they

408
00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:44,400
leave them on the table. Now sleigh bells are heard

409
00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:48,119
approaching the brownies, and the fairies leave their work and,

410
00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:51,200
clapping their hands, run to the fireplace and stand in

411
00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:55,279
a group facing it, looking in. Now the sleigh bells

412
00:22:55,279 --> 00:22:58,640
have come very near, and now they are still and

413
00:22:58,839 --> 00:23:02,799
now send Clause is heard scrambling down the chimney, and

414
00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:05,519
as he comes out from the fireplace, the Brownies and

415
00:23:05,519 --> 00:23:08,960
the Fairies separate to let him through. He sets down

416
00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:12,400
his pack. Then the Brownies on one side and the

417
00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:15,400
fairies on the other take hold of his hands and

418
00:23:15,519 --> 00:23:19,640
draw him toward the front of the stage. Santa Claus

419
00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:22,319
smiles down at them, and shaking the hands that hold

420
00:23:22,359 --> 00:23:22,880
his he.

421
00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:27,079
Speaker 10: Says, how are you all merry? Is crickets?

422
00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:31,559
Speaker 1: They nod and dance up and down, still holding his hands.

423
00:23:32,799 --> 00:23:35,319
Speaker 10: And what have you been doing with yourselves? Playing?

424
00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:41,000
Speaker 1: They all nod and working? They nod again. Then the

425
00:23:41,039 --> 00:23:43,640
Brownies draw him over to their side and show him

426
00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:47,960
how clean the floor is good. Then the Brownies let

427
00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:50,200
go his hand, and the Fairies draw him over to

428
00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:51,680
their side and show him.

429
00:23:51,519 --> 00:23:53,960
Speaker 10: The caps they have made fine.

430
00:23:55,359 --> 00:23:57,519
Speaker 1: Then the fairies let go his other hand, and he

431
00:23:57,599 --> 00:23:58,440
goes on talking.

432
00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:02,359
Speaker 10: How are Gertrude and Walter? Have they been good?

433
00:24:03,079 --> 00:24:03,839
Speaker 1: They all nod.

434
00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:08,039
Speaker 10: As for the older people, I don't need to ask

435
00:24:08,119 --> 00:24:11,559
you about them. Do you want to know why they nod?

436
00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:16,440
It's because I've heard all about them already. They're the

437
00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:19,480
little bird that lives up in the eaves of the house,

438
00:24:20,119 --> 00:24:22,799
and often he flies down and listens at the window,

439
00:24:23,599 --> 00:24:28,480
and then he tells me all he hears. Tonight he

440
00:24:28,599 --> 00:24:31,160
flew way up to the pine woods on the hill

441
00:24:31,279 --> 00:24:34,880
to meet me, and he told me some things about

442
00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:37,480
all the older people in this house which make me

443
00:24:37,599 --> 00:24:41,039
feel quite upset. Shall I tell you what it was?

444
00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:42,960
Speaker 1: They nod.

445
00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:47,519
Speaker 10: He says that they, all of them seem to think

446
00:24:47,599 --> 00:24:51,599
they are growing old, not only the grandfather and grandmother,

447
00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:55,880
but the father and mother too. They are all the

448
00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:59,400
time talking about feeling tired and saying how different it

449
00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:03,079
all was when they were children, and how long ago

450
00:25:03,319 --> 00:25:08,519
that seems now. Isn't that a shame? I don't blame

451
00:25:08,559 --> 00:25:12,000
them altogether, because I know myself how that sort of

452
00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:15,599
thing sometimes happens. Two or three years ago, I was

453
00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:19,240
sick for a while, and I declare that Eve and

454
00:25:19,279 --> 00:25:23,519
I began to feel old and tired. But all the same,

455
00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:26,000
I don't believe in letting that sort of thing go

456
00:25:26,119 --> 00:25:29,480
on too long. And do you know what I'm going

457
00:25:29,519 --> 00:25:30,480
to do about it?

458
00:25:31,440 --> 00:25:32,319
Speaker 1: They not eagerly.

459
00:25:33,319 --> 00:25:37,240
Speaker 10: It's the best scheme you ever heard of, and I

460
00:25:37,359 --> 00:25:42,240
want you to help me with it. Well, I'm going

461
00:25:42,279 --> 00:25:45,920
to use some magic to make them all little boys

462
00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:49,839
and girls again for half an hour. And the way

463
00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:52,480
I'm going to do it is this. I've got here

464
00:25:52,559 --> 00:25:54,920
a bag of magic hazel nuts.

465
00:25:56,079 --> 00:25:57,960
Speaker 6: He takes the bag out of his pocket.

466
00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:02,200
Speaker 10: I always keep them in my pocket because you never

467
00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:05,759
know when a thing of that sort will come in handy. Now,

468
00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:10,400
I want you to take these nuts and stick them

469
00:26:10,559 --> 00:26:13,319
into the plum pudding which they are all going to

470
00:26:13,319 --> 00:26:17,279
eat tomorrow for their Christmas dinner. You must stick them

471
00:26:17,319 --> 00:26:21,160
in all around, in different places, so that each of

472
00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:24,960
the older people will be sure to get one. And

473
00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:26,920
it won't do the children a bit of harm if

474
00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:30,119
they get some too. In fact, they are so young

475
00:26:30,519 --> 00:26:32,799
that this kind of magic won't have any effect on

476
00:26:32,839 --> 00:26:37,799
them at all. But with all the older folks, as

477
00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:41,799
soon as the nuts have been eaten, the magic will

478
00:26:41,839 --> 00:26:44,759
begin to work. And what do you suppose will be

479
00:26:44,839 --> 00:26:47,480
the first thing they will all want to do? Do

480
00:26:47,559 --> 00:26:48,079
you want to know?

481
00:26:49,119 --> 00:26:49,880
Speaker 1: They all nod.

482
00:26:50,799 --> 00:26:53,960
Speaker 10: They will all want to get down on their hands

483
00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:58,319
and knees, grandfather and grandmother and all, and crawl under

484
00:26:58,319 --> 00:27:00,680
the table. Won't be funny.

485
00:27:01,559 --> 00:27:04,319
Speaker 1: They all clap their hands and dance up and down.

486
00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:07,759
Speaker 10: That's what the magic hazel nuts will make them do.

487
00:27:08,839 --> 00:27:12,559
And when they have crawled under the table, you see,

488
00:27:12,759 --> 00:27:15,240
it's a table that has a Christmas dinner on it,

489
00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:19,000
and that makes a difference, of course. Well, when they

490
00:27:19,039 --> 00:27:24,440
have crawled under the table, then no, I believe I

491
00:27:24,480 --> 00:27:27,440
won't tell you about what will happen. Then I'll keep

492
00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:31,920
it for a surprise, and it's something worth seeing, you

493
00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:36,559
may be sure. So that's the plan. Will you help me?

494
00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:38,920
Speaker 1: They all nod most emphatically.

495
00:27:39,759 --> 00:27:42,440
Speaker 10: Here are the nuts, then run and stick them into

496
00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:44,480
the pudding while I fill the stockings.

497
00:27:45,440 --> 00:27:47,720
Speaker 1: They take the bag and all run out through the door.

498
00:27:48,279 --> 00:27:51,400
Santa Claus goes to the fireplace and from his pack

499
00:27:51,559 --> 00:27:56,119
fills all six stockings. Then as he finishes and takes

500
00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:59,559
up his pack, the brownies and fairies return and gather

501
00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:01,920
round to him. As he stands in front of the fireplace,

502
00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:04,200
Santa Claus says to them.

503
00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:08,640
Speaker 10: Did you stick them in? They nod all around.

504
00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:10,200
Speaker 1: They nod again.

505
00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:15,880
Speaker 10: That's right. Well, I'm off and tomorrow, if I can

506
00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:19,160
manage it, I'm going to come back here at the

507
00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:22,480
same time when the nuts be get to work. But

508
00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:27,200
I'd like to see the fun myself goodbye.

509
00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:31,000
Speaker 1: They all shake him by the hand. Then he disappears

510
00:28:31,039 --> 00:28:33,920
into the fireplace. They stand in front of it for

511
00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:36,720
a moment, and one of the Brownies kneels down and

512
00:28:36,759 --> 00:28:40,160
looks up the chimney after him. Then sleigh bells are

513
00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:43,960
hurt on the roof as the sleigh starts. The Brownies

514
00:28:43,960 --> 00:28:47,200
and Fairies turn around then and come away from the fireplace.

515
00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:50,599
The Brownies run to the wood box, climb in and

516
00:28:50,680 --> 00:28:53,400
pull the lid down over them. At the same time,

517
00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:55,880
the fairies carry the chair over to the closed basket,

518
00:28:56,279 --> 00:28:59,640
climb onto the chair, step over into the basket, and

519
00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:03,119
pull it down over them. Then everything is quiet again,

520
00:29:04,039 --> 00:29:07,880
and that is the end of the second scene. Again,

521
00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:10,920
before the third scene begins, mother Goose comes out in

522
00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:12,960
front of the curtain, and this is what she.

523
00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:17,680
Speaker 2: Says, children, I've got a lot to tell you about

524
00:29:17,680 --> 00:29:21,720
what has happened to Walter and Gertrude since the curtain closed.

525
00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:26,039
For quite a while, they went on sleeping because it

526
00:29:26,079 --> 00:29:30,240
was still night, you know. And then morning came and

527
00:29:30,359 --> 00:29:33,000
it didn't take them long to wake up. After that,

528
00:29:33,279 --> 00:29:36,880
I can tell you, as soon as it was really light,

529
00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:40,960
they put on their wrappers and woke their father and mother,

530
00:29:41,519 --> 00:29:45,640
and then they went for the stockings. They took them

531
00:29:45,640 --> 00:29:50,400
into their grandparents room, and grandmother and grandfather sat up

532
00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:54,839
in bed with shawls over their shoulders, and the rest sat.

533
00:29:54,599 --> 00:29:55,599
Speaker 4: On the edge of the bed.

534
00:29:56,799 --> 00:30:01,160
Speaker 2: Then they all opened their stockings, and I couldn't begin

535
00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:04,559
to tell you what fine presents they found in them,

536
00:30:05,279 --> 00:30:10,599
nor how happy they all were. After breakfast, they all

537
00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:13,960
sat down by the kitchen fire, and father got the

538
00:30:14,039 --> 00:30:18,440
big family Bible and laid it on grandfather's lap. And

539
00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:23,119
grandfather polished up his spectacles till they shone, and put

540
00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:26,759
them on his nose, and then he read about the

541
00:30:26,799 --> 00:30:32,720
story of the First Christmas long ago in Bethlehem. And

542
00:30:32,799 --> 00:30:36,640
it was all so quiet while he was reading that

543
00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:41,440
you could almost hear the snowflakes falling outside, for it

544
00:30:41,519 --> 00:30:46,920
had begun to snow. Then, when grandfather had finished reading

545
00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:51,160
and closed the Bible, they all sang a Christmas carol,

546
00:30:51,799 --> 00:30:55,119
which they always sing together every Christmas in that house.

547
00:30:56,000 --> 00:31:00,319
And they sang it out so clear and strong that

548
00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:03,720
a traveler in a sleigh way down at the cross

549
00:31:03,799 --> 00:31:08,519
roads heard it, and it sounded so good that he

550
00:31:08,599 --> 00:31:12,519
stopped his horse in spite of the storm and listened

551
00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:17,440
till it was over. Well, I can't tell you everything

552
00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:21,599
else they did that morning, except that Father found the

553
00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:25,200
floor all swept and knew it must have been done

554
00:31:25,240 --> 00:31:29,480
by the brownies. And then mother found the paper caps

555
00:31:29,759 --> 00:31:34,359
that the house fairies had made. She was ever so glad,

556
00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:37,279
and so were the children when they opened them up

557
00:31:37,319 --> 00:31:40,039
and put them on. You'll see how they look on

558
00:31:40,119 --> 00:31:45,319
the children's heads when the curtain opens. Then about the dinner,

559
00:31:46,599 --> 00:31:49,480
Father had brought in the big table and set it

560
00:31:49,559 --> 00:31:52,519
up in the kitchen in front of the fireplace, and

561
00:31:52,759 --> 00:31:55,640
Mother put on the plates and the forks and the

562
00:31:55,720 --> 00:31:59,839
knives and the spoons and all the rest. Then the

563
00:32:00,119 --> 00:32:05,039
goose was roasted, and oh how good it smelt when

564
00:32:05,039 --> 00:32:10,039
it was cooking. At last everything was ready, and twelve

565
00:32:10,079 --> 00:32:13,799
o'clock came and they all sat down at the table.

566
00:32:14,839 --> 00:32:18,480
And do you know, I believe they are still sitting

567
00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:22,759
there behind the curtain, But they have finished the goose

568
00:32:22,839 --> 00:32:25,720
and the apple sauce and all the good things that

569
00:32:25,839 --> 00:32:29,960
went with them, and now they are just going to

570
00:32:30,079 --> 00:32:34,160
begin on the pudding. They don't know a thing about

571
00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:38,519
the magic nuts, because the brownies and the fairies stuck

572
00:32:38,559 --> 00:32:42,680
them in so neatly that not one of them shows.

573
00:32:43,519 --> 00:32:47,799
Mother is just starting to put the pudding on the saucers.

574
00:32:48,799 --> 00:32:51,759
I wonder if she will remember about giving it to

575
00:32:51,839 --> 00:32:57,640
the youngest first. That's Gertrude, you know. Do you want

576
00:32:57,640 --> 00:33:03,680
to see for yourselves whether she remembers. Will be very quiet,

577
00:33:03,799 --> 00:33:06,640
then for now it is going to begin.

578
00:33:08,759 --> 00:33:11,960
Speaker 1: When the curtain opens, you again see the kitchen, but

579
00:33:12,039 --> 00:33:14,720
it looks a good deal different because the chairs that

580
00:33:14,799 --> 00:33:18,200
grandmother and grandfather used to sit in have been moved out.

581
00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:20,960
So has the small table on which Mother washed the

582
00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:23,279
dishes in the first scene. And now in front of

583
00:33:23,319 --> 00:33:25,920
the fireplace is the great big table that mother goose

584
00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:29,160
told you about the tablecloth on It is so big

585
00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:31,039
that it hangs all the way down to the floor.

586
00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:34,680
At one end of the table sits Father. Then next

587
00:33:34,720 --> 00:33:38,000
to him, back of the table facing you is Grandfather,

588
00:33:38,519 --> 00:33:42,559
then Gertrude, then Walter, then Grandmother, and at the other

589
00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:45,640
end of the table, next to grandmother, Mother is seated.

590
00:33:46,440 --> 00:33:49,200
The children have on those bright colored paper caps that

591
00:33:49,279 --> 00:33:52,519
the house fairies made. Mother, who is helping the pudding,

592
00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:55,599
is the first to speak, and this is what she says.

593
00:33:56,519 --> 00:33:59,480
Speaker 5: There's the first plate full of our Christmas pudding, and

594
00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:00,720
that to Gertrude.

595
00:34:00,799 --> 00:34:04,200
Speaker 1: Of course, she hands it to grandmother, who passes it

596
00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:07,880
on to Walter Um, holding it for a moment under

597
00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:08,360
his nose.

598
00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:10,360
Speaker 4: That smells good.

599
00:34:11,280 --> 00:34:12,960
Speaker 1: He passes it to Gertrude.

600
00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:16,639
Speaker 7: Shall I wait till everybody else is served before I begin?

601
00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:20,559
Speaker 8: No, not today, begin at once. We all want to

602
00:34:20,599 --> 00:34:21,480
know how it tastes.

603
00:34:22,440 --> 00:34:23,400
Speaker 1: Gertrude tastes it.

604
00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:25,840
Speaker 7: Oh, it is good.

605
00:34:26,760 --> 00:34:30,360
Speaker 1: Mother meanwhile has helped another plateful and passed it to Grandmother,

606
00:34:30,480 --> 00:34:34,440
who says, Walter, here is yours, and she hands it

607
00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:36,679
to him. He tastes it.

608
00:34:36,719 --> 00:34:37,679
Speaker 3: Is it good? Walter?

609
00:34:38,519 --> 00:34:41,079
Speaker 1: Walter, with his mouth very full, can only say.

610
00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:44,880
Speaker 5: Mm, pass this down to father.

611
00:34:45,400 --> 00:34:47,920
Speaker 1: And she starts to hand another plateful of putting to grandmother.

612
00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:51,480
Speaker 7: Oh mother, aren't you younger than father? Oh?

613
00:34:51,639 --> 00:34:56,039
Speaker 1: Yes, just by two months, answers Mother, keeping the plateful

614
00:34:56,039 --> 00:34:57,000
of pudding in her hand.

615
00:34:57,599 --> 00:35:00,519
Speaker 5: You think I ought to be helped next. All right,

616
00:35:00,599 --> 00:35:03,480
we'll keep strictly to the rules, and I'll set this

617
00:35:03,519 --> 00:35:05,719
aside for myself while I help the others.

618
00:35:06,320 --> 00:35:10,119
Speaker 1: She helps another plateful. This is for you, James, she

619
00:35:10,199 --> 00:35:12,800
says to father, and passes it along.

620
00:35:13,079 --> 00:35:14,960
Speaker 5: And grandmother, this is for you.

621
00:35:15,559 --> 00:35:17,559
Speaker 1: She hands a plateful of pudding to grandmother.

622
00:35:18,119 --> 00:35:21,360
Speaker 5: Grandfather, here is yours, last of all, because you are

623
00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:22,400
the oldest.

624
00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:25,440
Speaker 1: Of us, Mother says, and starts the last plateful of

625
00:35:25,480 --> 00:35:28,920
putting on its way to grandfather. Suddenly, Father, who has

626
00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:32,159
been eating some of his pudding, exclaims.

627
00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:34,239
Speaker 8: Here's something new. You never put nuts in the plum

628
00:35:34,239 --> 00:35:36,519
pudding before mary nuts.

629
00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:38,480
Speaker 5: There aren't any nuts in the pudding.

630
00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:41,719
Speaker 8: But indeed there are. I've just eaten one, and so

631
00:35:41,880 --> 00:35:42,199
have I.

632
00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:44,880
Speaker 3: And here's another.

633
00:35:44,599 --> 00:35:48,360
Speaker 1: One, declares Grandfather, and he holds it up in a spoon.

634
00:35:49,119 --> 00:35:50,559
Speaker 3: Mister hazel nut.

635
00:35:51,079 --> 00:35:52,960
Speaker 1: He says, and puts it into his mouth.

636
00:35:53,679 --> 00:35:57,360
Speaker 5: Why I don't understand it at all. I didn't put

637
00:35:57,360 --> 00:36:00,519
any hazel nuts in the plum pudding. Who ever heard

638
00:36:00,559 --> 00:36:04,400
of such a thing? Children? Have you found any in yours?

639
00:36:05,119 --> 00:36:07,360
Speaker 4: Yes, I've had two.

640
00:36:08,599 --> 00:36:11,039
Speaker 1: Mother has been looking carefully at the pudding on her plate.

641
00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:14,159
Speaker 5: I declare, you're right, here's one in mine.

642
00:36:14,599 --> 00:36:15,239
Speaker 1: She eats it.

643
00:36:16,159 --> 00:36:18,840
Speaker 5: They are very good nuts too, But how they ever

644
00:36:18,880 --> 00:36:20,320
got into the pudding is a mystery.

645
00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:23,440
Speaker 1: During this last speech, the lid of the wood box

646
00:36:23,480 --> 00:36:26,599
has been pushed up, showing the two brownies sitting up

647
00:36:26,639 --> 00:36:28,920
in the box, and also the top of the clothes

648
00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:33,320
basket showing the fairies looking out from the basket. Walter

649
00:36:33,400 --> 00:36:35,679
happens to catch sight of the brownies in the wood box.

650
00:36:36,159 --> 00:36:38,480
He starts up from his chair, and, pointing toward the

651
00:36:38,480 --> 00:36:44,280
wood box, cries, there they are, what asked Father, looking

652
00:36:44,360 --> 00:36:47,360
in the direction to which Walter points the brownies.

653
00:36:47,559 --> 00:36:48,800
Speaker 4: See in the wood box?

654
00:36:49,519 --> 00:36:51,719
Speaker 8: I don't see anything except that someone has left the

655
00:36:51,760 --> 00:36:53,039
lid of the wood box open.

656
00:36:54,039 --> 00:36:56,239
Speaker 7: Oh, and the fairies.

657
00:36:56,199 --> 00:36:58,960
Speaker 1: Cries Gertrude, pointing toward the clothes basket.

658
00:36:59,360 --> 00:37:00,800
Speaker 7: There they are, I see them.

659
00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:04,880
Speaker 1: Mother turns around to look and then says to Gertrude.

660
00:37:04,719 --> 00:37:08,960
Speaker 7: There's nothing there, my dear, Oh, but there is there

661
00:37:09,039 --> 00:37:09,840
in the basket.

662
00:37:10,599 --> 00:37:14,440
Speaker 1: Everybody stands up. Gertrude and Walter come around from behind

663
00:37:14,480 --> 00:37:17,119
the table and look at the fairies and brownies, but

664
00:37:17,159 --> 00:37:19,320
they don't get very close to them because they are

665
00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:22,880
just a little bit scared. At the same time, Father

666
00:37:22,960 --> 00:37:26,000
begins to act rather queerly, looking down at the floor

667
00:37:26,199 --> 00:37:29,639
and keeping himself up by holding onto the table. Now

668
00:37:29,679 --> 00:37:31,519
he goes down on his hands and knees near the

669
00:37:31,559 --> 00:37:32,239
end of the table.

670
00:37:33,039 --> 00:37:37,840
Speaker 5: Why James, what are you doing? How queerly you are acting?

671
00:37:38,599 --> 00:37:41,280
Speaker 1: Father gets up again, as though by a great effort.

672
00:37:41,920 --> 00:37:43,760
Speaker 8: I don't know what is the matter, but I have

673
00:37:43,800 --> 00:37:46,360
the funniest sort of feeling. It seems as though I

674
00:37:46,400 --> 00:37:48,360
should just have to get down on the floor and

675
00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:49,519
crawl under the table.

676
00:37:50,559 --> 00:37:54,039
Speaker 5: Well, that's queer, do you know? I begin to feel

677
00:37:54,079 --> 00:37:57,920
the same way myself. So do I, So do I.

678
00:37:59,239 --> 00:38:01,440
Speaker 8: It's perfectly ab surd the way I seem to want

679
00:38:01,480 --> 00:38:02,679
to crawl under the table.

680
00:38:03,440 --> 00:38:06,360
Speaker 1: Father says, and his knees keep bending under him.

681
00:38:07,039 --> 00:38:08,719
Speaker 5: But you're surely not going to do it.

682
00:38:09,559 --> 00:38:12,920
Speaker 8: Oh no, Father answers, I'm not going to do it.

683
00:38:13,360 --> 00:38:15,719
Speaker 1: But all the same, He goes down on his knees again.

684
00:38:16,559 --> 00:38:17,800
Speaker 5: But you are doing it.

685
00:38:18,920 --> 00:38:21,760
Speaker 8: Well, I can't help it. Here goes, Watch me come

686
00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:22,679
out at the other end.

687
00:38:23,599 --> 00:38:26,159
Speaker 5: If he goes, I've got to follow.

688
00:38:26,239 --> 00:38:28,559
Speaker 1: Says mother. And she gets down on her hands and

689
00:38:28,639 --> 00:38:33,039
knees behind him. So have I, says grandfather. And he

690
00:38:33,119 --> 00:38:37,719
kneels down behind mother, And I says grandmother, and she

691
00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:42,679
kneels behind Grandfather. Then close behind one another, they go

692
00:38:42,840 --> 00:38:45,079
under the table. And when they come out at the

693
00:38:45,159 --> 00:38:48,239
other end, Father and grandfather have turned into little boys,

694
00:38:48,599 --> 00:38:52,079
and mother and grandmother have turned into little girls. While

695
00:38:52,119 --> 00:38:54,480
this is happening, the brownies and fairies come out of

696
00:38:54,480 --> 00:38:55,559
the box and basket.

697
00:38:56,360 --> 00:38:58,519
Speaker 4: Oh, Jollie, is this you grandfather?

698
00:38:59,199 --> 00:39:01,000
Speaker 1: He takes hold of her hands with the little boy

699
00:39:01,079 --> 00:39:04,000
the grandfather has turned into, and swings him around in

700
00:39:04,039 --> 00:39:07,840
a circle. Oh, mother, cries Gertrude to one of the

701
00:39:07,880 --> 00:39:09,239
little girls hugging her.

702
00:39:09,719 --> 00:39:12,000
Speaker 7: How darling you are. Isn't this fun?

703
00:39:12,960 --> 00:39:14,760
Speaker 4: Let's all play some game together.

704
00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:17,400
Speaker 7: London Bridge? Shall we play that?

705
00:39:18,159 --> 00:39:21,039
Speaker 1: The others all clap their hands, so she goes on.

706
00:39:21,559 --> 00:39:24,960
Speaker 7: She says, Walter, you and I will be the bridge.

707
00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:26,320
What shall we choose?

708
00:39:26,920 --> 00:39:29,800
Speaker 1: They whisper together. Then the game is played in the

709
00:39:29,880 --> 00:39:33,800
usual way. Each captive is offered a choice between plum

710
00:39:33,880 --> 00:39:38,280
pudding that is Gertrude's side, and ice cream that's Walter's side.

711
00:39:38,840 --> 00:39:40,440
At the very moment when the tug of war is

712
00:39:40,440 --> 00:39:44,159
about to begin, the outside door opens and incomes Santa Claus.

713
00:39:44,719 --> 00:39:48,079
At once, they all leave their games and gather round him.

714
00:39:48,559 --> 00:39:51,360
Speaker 4: Oh, Santa Claus, have you come to play with us?

715
00:39:52,599 --> 00:39:56,039
Speaker 10: How can I play with you? I'm far too big

716
00:39:56,119 --> 00:39:58,519
and far far too old.

717
00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:01,159
Speaker 1: One of the fis Mary's has gone to the table

718
00:40:01,320 --> 00:40:03,519
and gotten a plate a plum pudding, which he now

719
00:40:03,559 --> 00:40:04,920
offers to Santa Claus.

720
00:40:05,639 --> 00:40:11,639
Speaker 10: What's this plum pudding? Well, I never could resist that.

721
00:40:12,599 --> 00:40:13,679
Speaker 1: He begins to eat it.

722
00:40:14,679 --> 00:40:16,920
Speaker 10: This surely is a first class pudding.

723
00:40:17,880 --> 00:40:19,199
Speaker 1: He takes another spoonful.

724
00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:26,119
Speaker 10: Why what's this a nut in the pudding? A hazel nut?

725
00:40:26,920 --> 00:40:30,480
Speaker 1: He stops short and holds the plate away from him.

726
00:40:30,800 --> 00:40:35,800
Speaker 10: A hazel nut. I declare, I'd clean forgotten all about that,

727
00:40:36,679 --> 00:40:40,320
and now I've gone and eaten one. Goodness, is it

728
00:40:40,480 --> 00:40:42,440
going to work? I wonder?

729
00:40:43,239 --> 00:40:44,880
Speaker 1: He puts the plate down on the table.

730
00:40:46,079 --> 00:40:52,760
Speaker 9: Yes, I feel it coming, Yes, it's coming. I've just

731
00:40:52,920 --> 00:40:55,880
got to crawl under that table. Get out of the

732
00:40:55,880 --> 00:40:56,320
way there.

733
00:40:56,960 --> 00:41:00,360
Speaker 10: I've just got to do it. It's no use trying, ain't not.

734
00:41:00,440 --> 00:41:04,159
Speaker 1: To the children. The brownies and the fairies are all

735
00:41:04,159 --> 00:41:07,480
delighted and laugh and dance up and down and clap

736
00:41:07,519 --> 00:41:08,079
their hands.

737
00:41:08,719 --> 00:41:10,880
Speaker 4: Go on, Santa, you'll make a jolly boy.

738
00:41:11,840 --> 00:41:14,280
Speaker 1: Down, goes Santa Claus on his hands and knees and

739
00:41:14,320 --> 00:41:17,000
crawls under the table. When he comes out on the

740
00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:20,159
other end, he is a little roly poly boy, smaller

741
00:41:20,159 --> 00:41:22,599
and fatter than any of the others and dressed in

742
00:41:22,679 --> 00:41:26,039
white with red trimmings. All the others join hands with

743
00:41:26,119 --> 00:41:28,599
him in a circle, and they swing around gleefully.

744
00:41:29,719 --> 00:41:31,800
Speaker 4: Now for a game of follow my leda. I'll be

745
00:41:31,880 --> 00:41:33,079
the lada, come off to me.

746
00:41:34,039 --> 00:41:38,280
Speaker 1: Off Walter starts around the room, the others following, first Gertrude,

747
00:41:38,559 --> 00:41:41,679
then the Brownies and the Fairies, then the others, with

748
00:41:41,840 --> 00:41:45,159
Santa Claus bringing up the rear. They go over the

749
00:41:45,199 --> 00:41:48,079
wood box, on to a chair, and down again, and

750
00:41:48,159 --> 00:41:50,840
at last Walter dies under the table in the opposite

751
00:41:50,840 --> 00:41:54,079
direction to that in which the magic change was made.

752
00:41:54,159 --> 00:41:57,079
The children, the Brownies, and the fairies go through without

753
00:41:57,079 --> 00:42:00,280
any change, of course, but the other five all out

754
00:42:00,320 --> 00:42:03,960
in their original form. They stand up, straightening their clothes,

755
00:42:04,639 --> 00:42:08,679
mother and grandmother setting their hair to rights. Meantime, while

756
00:42:08,719 --> 00:42:11,880
the children are occupied watching the transformations of their parents

757
00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:14,920
and grandparents, the Brownies and fairies go back into the

758
00:42:14,920 --> 00:42:19,880
box and basket and pull the lids down after them.

759
00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:24,320
Speaker 8: I'm all out of breath, so.

760
00:42:24,519 --> 00:42:26,000
Speaker 6: Am I, But what fun it was.

761
00:42:27,119 --> 00:42:29,920
Speaker 5: I wouldn't have missed it for a thousand dollars.

762
00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:34,360
Speaker 3: Nor I even now, although I've got my old body

763
00:42:34,440 --> 00:42:37,440
back again. I declare, I feel as young as a

764
00:42:37,480 --> 00:42:38,519
boy inside.

765
00:42:39,239 --> 00:42:44,000
Speaker 7: Oh, Santa Claus, you were the dearest, funniest little boy

766
00:42:44,039 --> 00:42:47,599
I ever saw. It just made me laugh to look

767
00:42:47,639 --> 00:42:47,920
at you.

768
00:42:49,119 --> 00:42:52,880
Speaker 1: Hush, says Santa Claus, looking cautiously over his shoulder.

769
00:42:53,880 --> 00:42:56,920
Speaker 10: I hope you won't let anyone know how foolish I

770
00:42:57,000 --> 00:43:00,320
looked and acted. What would people say if they heard

771
00:43:00,320 --> 00:43:03,400
that a man hundreds of years old like me has

772
00:43:03,440 --> 00:43:04,960
been ropping around that way?

773
00:43:05,800 --> 00:43:08,880
Speaker 4: Why, Santa Claus, everybody would think it was fun.

774
00:43:09,639 --> 00:43:10,440
Speaker 10: Do you think so?

775
00:43:11,119 --> 00:43:14,079
Speaker 1: Asked Santa Claus, looking around from one to the other.

776
00:43:14,800 --> 00:43:17,000
Speaker 8: Of course they would. The fact is they'd love you

777
00:43:17,039 --> 00:43:18,719
all the more for it, if that's possible.

778
00:43:19,719 --> 00:43:23,239
Speaker 7: Dear Santa Claus, you don't mind my laughing at you,

779
00:43:23,360 --> 00:43:25,880
do you? Because you are funny?

780
00:43:25,920 --> 00:43:26,159
Speaker 2: You know?

781
00:43:27,079 --> 00:43:31,559
Speaker 10: Well? No, I guess I don't mind much. In fact,

782
00:43:32,039 --> 00:43:34,079
the more I think of it, the more I think

783
00:43:34,159 --> 00:43:39,840
myself that it was funny. Only so high.

784
00:43:40,280 --> 00:43:41,639
Speaker 1: He measures the height with his.

785
00:43:41,639 --> 00:43:45,039
Speaker 10: Hand, and as fat as butter.

786
00:43:47,880 --> 00:43:50,800
Speaker 1: He goes off into a roar of laughter, and everybody

787
00:43:50,800 --> 00:43:54,239
else begins laughing, and they laugh more and more until

788
00:43:54,280 --> 00:43:55,960
they have to lean up against the wall, and the

789
00:43:56,000 --> 00:43:59,800
table and wipe their eyes. When the laughing has stopped,

790
00:44:00,039 --> 00:44:00,960
Santa Claus.

791
00:44:00,679 --> 00:44:04,159
Speaker 10: Says, there is only one person I don't believe I

792
00:44:04,199 --> 00:44:09,199
can quite forgive, and that's that sly puss of a

793
00:44:09,239 --> 00:44:13,079
fairy who gave me the plumb pudding. She knew what

794
00:44:13,119 --> 00:44:15,239
would happen. Well enough, where is she?

795
00:44:16,000 --> 00:44:17,119
Speaker 1: He looks around for her.

796
00:44:18,039 --> 00:44:20,599
Speaker 10: Why she's gone, so.

797
00:44:20,519 --> 00:44:23,480
Speaker 1: She has, says Gertrude, looking around.

798
00:44:24,360 --> 00:44:27,599
Speaker 7: They're both gone, and the brownies too.

799
00:44:28,760 --> 00:44:32,039
Speaker 10: Oh when I must be going this very minute? Goodness

800
00:44:32,119 --> 00:44:33,239
knows how late it is.

801
00:44:34,039 --> 00:44:35,159
Speaker 1: He goes toward the door.

802
00:44:36,239 --> 00:44:40,320
Speaker 10: Goodbye, everybody, Goodbye till next Christmas.

803
00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:43,159
Speaker 1: Just at the door, he turns and says.

804
00:44:43,719 --> 00:44:46,159
Speaker 10: By the way, I've got some more of those hazel

805
00:44:46,239 --> 00:44:48,960
nuts at home. What do you think i'd better do

806
00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:49,360
with him?

807
00:44:50,639 --> 00:44:53,519
Speaker 6: Santa Claus? Bring them with you next Christmas and let's

808
00:44:53,559 --> 00:44:58,760
do it all over again, shall I asks Santa Claus,

809
00:44:59,039 --> 00:44:59,840
looking around at the.

810
00:45:01,159 --> 00:45:09,800
Speaker 10: Yes, yes, yes, it's a bargain. Don't forget next Christmas. Goodbye.

811
00:45:10,039 --> 00:45:11,559
Speaker 1: He opens the door to go out.

812
00:45:12,119 --> 00:45:13,320
Speaker 5: Goodbye, Bye.

813
00:45:15,239 --> 00:45:15,880
Speaker 8: Christmas.

814
00:45:16,280 --> 00:45:18,960
Speaker 1: They all cry after him, and they wave their hands

815
00:45:19,000 --> 00:45:22,000
to him as the curtain closes, And this is the

816
00:45:22,119 --> 00:45:22,760
end of the play.

817
00:45:24,199 --> 00:45:29,119
Speaker 2: Well, children, did you like it? Do you know? I

818
00:45:29,400 --> 00:45:33,079
rather wish I could try one of those magic nuts myself.

819
00:45:34,239 --> 00:45:38,199
I think I'd made a real cunning little girl, don't you.

820
00:45:39,840 --> 00:45:43,199
But there's no use wishing for what you can't have,

821
00:45:44,119 --> 00:45:47,920
And besides, there's something more important to be attended to.

822
00:45:49,480 --> 00:45:52,480
I noticed that Santa Claus is a great one to

823
00:45:52,519 --> 00:45:56,880
give everybody presents, And sure enough he's done it again

824
00:45:56,920 --> 00:46:01,400
this time, just as usual. He he's brought boxes of

825
00:46:01,519 --> 00:46:05,400
candy for all you boys and girls. He left them

826
00:46:05,440 --> 00:46:08,760
outside on the doorstep, and I was almost afraid the

827
00:46:08,960 --> 00:46:12,880
snow might have spoiled them, but it was such dry

828
00:46:13,039 --> 00:46:16,639
snow it didn't do them any harm at all. And

829
00:46:16,800 --> 00:46:20,880
in a minute, when the curtain's open, they'll be brought

830
00:46:20,880 --> 00:46:25,840
indoors and handed out to you. Well, I guess that's

831
00:46:25,880 --> 00:46:30,960
all for this year, except for old mother Goose to

832
00:46:31,159 --> 00:46:36,159
wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

833
00:46:38,920 --> 00:46:42,000
Speaker 1: And of the Christmas Dinner by Shepherd Knap