30 Santa Claus and the Mouse 

I developed the activity below to use on the last day of class before Christmas. It is based on the poem Santa Claus and the Mouse, written by Emile Poulsson, published in 1954.

Part 1

Start telling the story, using your own words.

It was late on Christmas Eve, and everyone was sleeping when Santa Claus came down the chimney with his bag. He looked around to make sure everyone was sleeping. Suddenly, he heard someone say:

-Wow, Santa Claus!

-Little Mouse! What are you doing here? You should be sleeping.

-Oh, Santa. Let me stay and watch you. I can help!

-Ok, little mouse. Stay and watch. I don’t need any help. I have lots of practice!

Santa took one of the Christmas stockings (show the knee sock but be careful to keep the hole hidden from students.)

Hmm, whose Christmas stocking is this? (keep asking until students suggest a classmate, or you may choose someone from the class. If you choose someone from the group, be sure to choose someone that everybody likes because students are going to suggest presents for that person). Here, I’m naming this student “Maria”.

Let’s see what I have for him/her.

Santa Claus takes a gift from his bag (The teacher takes one orange from Santa’s bag, shows it to the class and asks them what it is). Your dialogue with students will sound something like this:

T: Look, what is this?

S: An orange!

T: An orange? No, no, no. This is a gift. Look at the beautiful wrapping. What color is it? Red? Blue? Silver?

S: Red and Green.

T: (T shakes the orange). What’s inside? What’s the present?

S: A video game!

T: Wow, a video game. What is “Maria” going to do with it?

S: Play video games.

T: I think she will love it. (T puts the orange in the sock and takes another orange). Oh, another gift for “Maria”. What color is the wrapping?

Repeat the questions above for each orange you take from Santa’s bag until the knee sock is full.

Santa Claus looks at the Christmas stocking and smiles. It is full of gifts.

“Look, little Mouse,” says Santa. The Christmas stocking is full!

“Santa!”, says the little mouse. “And my present?”

“Little mouse. You are not sleeping, so you don’t get any present. Sorry!”

“Santa, you say the stocking is full. If I put something else in it, will you give me a gift?”

Santa laughs. “The stocking is full. You can’t put anything else in it.”

“I can, I can.”, says the little Mouse.

“Okay,” says Santa. “If you can put anything else in this stocking, I’ll give you a gift.”

Little Mouse quickly takes the stocking and gnaws a little hole. (T shows the hole to students.)

“See?”, says little Mouse.” I put something else in it.”

Santa Claus laughs and laughs and laughs. He reaches into his bag and gets a beautifully wrapped gift and gives it to the little Mouse. (T takes an orange and asks students: what is it, what is it?)

Little Mouse is really happy.

(End of story)

Part 2

When you finish telling the story, get the sock and challenge your class to remember all the gifts (from the last to the first). As you take the oranges out, one by one, ask students if they remember what gift it was and whether they think “Maria” will like it. Give the “gift” to “Maria” and ask her what she is going to do with it.

My personal experience: In one of my adult groups, they chose a male classmate they really liked, and they “gave” him funny gifts, such as “a polka-dot pink nightgown”, “a lipstick” as well as other things they thought he would enjoy: a trip, a new car, etc. We all had a good time and a good laugh.