A Very CGS Holiday Special

A Very CGS Holiday Special indeed. What a tour de force! A huge thank you to Mani and the Grade 2/3’s for scripting such a fun show. It was full of music, magic, art, poetry and comedy – all the best things in life! We are so lucky to have Mani with us this year – she is full of passion and creativity and went many extra miles to create the show for us this year. So much of the production process was a never-been-done-before scenario. We are so thrilled with the result and so grateful that the children still had a holiday concert experience, despite the limitations of the pandemic. What a seriously heartening accomplishment for everyone involved. Here are a few pictures from the show – I wish every moment could be seen here. The good news is the show is posted and you can watch it anytime! Please enjoy it a few times over the holidays – I know there was more than one class that watched it more than once on Wednesday.

The Night before Winter Break 

‘Twas the night before Winter Break, when all through CGS
Not a Teacher was stirring, they all needed rest
And number one dresses were hung up with care
In hopes they’d stay neat, white socks in a pair.

Us children were nestled all snug in our beds
While visions of Pizza Day danced in our heads
And mamma on her zoom call, (that was really quite long)
Was muted and humming a holiday song.

When on the CGS lawn there arose such a clatter
I had to see what was the matter
Lucky my home is conveniently close
Though I was afraid that it might be a ghost.

The moon seemed to dance on the new-fallen snow
The play structure glistened with a magical glow
Then what to my disbelief did appear
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick
More rapid than eagles his reindeer they came
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name.

“Now, DASHER! Now, DANCER! Now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! On CUPID! On, DONNER and BLITZEN!
“I have tried the intercom, but Zandée’s not here,
And it seems there’s no chimney at CGS, I fear!”

“Kelly?”said Santa tapping the window pane
“I am wearing a mask.” he tried to explain
“It’s midnight!?!” I said, now wide awake
” And you’re early by weeks!” (for goodness sake).

“There must be a way in.” St. Nick looked at his map
“And I’ve taken my temperature and filled out the app”
“You bring gifts to our homes not here to the school”
I explained calmly trying to keep cool.

“Oh dear, I’m embarrassed” Santa said with a sigh
And it looked like he was about to cry
“It’s just everything feels so different this year”
“And all I want is to bring holiday cheer.”

His eyes — how they twinkled! His eyebrows how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
But under his mask you could see a small frown
As he shuffled his boots, in the snow, on the ground.

His reindeer were now lying down on the lawn
And I wondered if I should get Marie or Don
“It’s alright.” I said, trying to make him feel better
“Perhaps, you could leave CGS a nice letter”.

With this he lit up, a right jolly old elf
And I laughed when I saw it, in spite of myself
A wink of his eye, grabbing pen in his fist
He wrote beautiful cursive with a flick of the wrist.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work
Sealing the envelope; he then turned with a jerk
Addressing the letter (writing who it was for)
He shimmied the envelope under the door.

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle
But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight
HAPPY WINTER BREAK TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!

And I must admit, as I went back to my bed
That I did sort of wonder what Santa’s note said
He has a hard job, in all sorts of weather
But we can do hard things, if we all work together.