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pickhaver xmas 22 750CF
Christmas rhyming play by North Norfolk teacher
 

Matthew Pickhaver, who lives in North Norfolk, has just published the third of his series of play scripts on the theme of Christmas, which is now available to purchase.

During the early 2000s Matthew, pictured below, wrote a series of Christmas plays for his then Key Stage 2 primary school classes to perform. Last year, for the first time, he published two of them in print – Christmas: The True Story and A Different Christmas Carol.
 
The third one, just published, is called 'The Candy Maker's Christmas'. This play, like the others, is in rhyming verse throughout. It's weaves a pacy, character-filled story around the gospel symbolism of the familiar Christmas candy cane.    
 
'When a King and Queen threaten to ban Christmas unless their people can remind them what it's all about, a group of concerned children turn to their talented Candy Maker friend for help. But he soon has a royal challenge of his own - to make a sweet fit for a prince! Perhaps some mysterious visitors and a long-forgotten book will point them all in the right direction...'
 
Sure enough, characters from the Christmas story emerge from a Bible to remind the children that it's all about Jesus, which they pass on to the Candy Maker, who reflects that in his new invention. 
 
The text is laid out so the script can simply be read as a poem, or adapted into your own performance at school or church. It would also make an excellent stocking-filler for anyone who likes poetry or candy canes!
 
matthew pickhaver 260CFAll three books are available on Amazon for just £3.50 each. 

Please contact Matthew for more information: matthewpickhaver@hotmail.com
 
Read our story about Matthew's other two plays, here.
 
Here is a short extract from 'The Candy Maker's Christmas'...
 
As the night wind colder blew, strange things now took place.
Who knows if they dreamed them or if they were still awake? 

Child 3                   “Do you hear what I hear? Distant chimes afar.”
Child 4                  “Do you see what I see? Look, a shining star!”
Child 5                  “Now it’s coming closer, I can feel its glow…”
 
What ever could it be? The children did not know!
    
Angels                   “We are the Angels of the Lord!”
Angel 1                  “And we have come to say:

                             The answers to your problems are not too far away.” 
Angel 2               
  “They lie within that dusty tome, that old forgotten book, 
                             The Holy Bible – all you have to do is take a look.” 
 

Tony Rothe, 15/11/2022

Tony Rothe
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