In The Night Before Christmas, Saint Nicholas makes one family's Christmas dreams come true when he visits their house with his reindeer. In this bulletin board activity, children draw pictures of what they'd give to each other if they could be St. Nick this Christmas.

Materials

• Crayons or Markers
• Construction paper of various colors
  
• Stappler
  
• Tape
  
• Safety scissors
  
• Glue
  
• Glitter
  
• Stocking reproducible

Activity Directions

1.  Read the story out loud to your class. Point out to children that Saint Nicholas's "work" is filling up the stockings for the family at Christmas.

2. Tell children that in this activity, they get to be the jolly old elf, St. Nick. Ask children to work in pairs, and have them think about what they'd like to give each other if they could be St. Nick.

3. Hand out the Chistmas Stocking Reproducible.

4. Help children to cut out the paper stockings, and write their partner's name on the top of the stocking.

5. Next, have them decorate the stockings, using glitter, glue, magic markers and crayons.

6. Read the book again to your class. Let them look at the pictures of toys to help them come up with their own gift ideas. Remind children that one reason St. Nick looks so merry is that he is so happy to be giving.

7. Have children tape their stockings to a larger sheet of construction paper.

8. Ask children to draw small gifts on the contruction paper, next to the stockings, that they would like to give to each other. These gifts should be the right size for a Christmas stocking.

9.  Staple the construction paper with the stockings and gifts to the bulletin board, and write at the top, "The Gifts Before Christmas."