LOGLINE
All the world’s a stage when St. Nicholas is in the audience.
PITCH
When 11-year-old Lena Nowak fears she hasn’t been good enough to receive Christmas presents, she decides to put on a King Herod Play for St. Nicholas. While crafting the stage and puppets for the play, she runs out of glue on Christmas Eve with no way to buy more from a craft shop until after the holidays. She weeps in disappointment. As St. Nicholas arrives with his angel helper, the first thing he does is give Lena a jar of glue to finish her work. Then Lena puts the play on to great success, and St. Nicholas promises to return for her annual plays celebrating Christmas.
SYNOPSIS
Lena Nowak worries if she has been good enough to receive gifts from St. Nicholas. The 11-year-old girl in Bolków, Poland, rolls over in bed, wondering if she had fibbed too much or not worked hard enough in school. At last minute, she decides to put on a King Herod Play for St. Nicholas and his angel helper. All day, Lena works to make hand puppets for all the characters of the traditional King Herod Play, a Christmas folk play. Although her grandmother is always in charge of the King Herod Play, she tells her mother that she wants to put on the play with her puppets in case St. Nicholas comes in person. The day before, she says she polished her shoes to leave them by the Christmas tree for gifts. All day, Lena works on painting and gluing puppets, starting with the wicked King Herod, who caused the killing of boy infants in Bethlehem when he heard that a child would be born as Messiah. Other characters in the play include an angel, a soldier, a village man and his wife, a cavalryman with his horse, a Field Marshal, the Devil, Death, and gravediggers.
As Lena’s father watches her make a small stage in their house, she jokes with her father that “the Herods are coming tonight.” He sets up chairs for everyone in the family, so they can enjoy it after Wigilia, the Polish Christmas Eve dinner with twelve dishes to commemorate the Twelve Apostles. As she runs out of glue, she is disappointed because she doesn’t think she will be able to finish her puppets in time. There is no way to get glue from the store on Christmas Eve. She runs into her room and throws herself on the bed, crying. Her mom tells her not to worry, but it’s only glue and that St. Nicholas will love her puppets anyhow. By the time Christmas Eve dinner is finished, there is a sudden knock on the door, and the children cheer: “He has come!”
In shame, Lena runs into the corner and cries, because she thinks St. Nicholas will surely overlook her efforts. St. Nicholas walks past everyone else in the home straight to Lena with his filled sack. His angel helper stands by the door with more gifts, waiting for the perfect moment to give everyone their reward. Ironically, St. Nicholas hands her a new jar of glue. While he hands out the rest of the gifts, he tells her that she can work on finishing her puppets, so that they can enjoy her production. She throws her arms around him and dries her eyes on his long white beard and red jacket. By the time everyone else has received their gifts, Lena has finished gluing the last touches of her puppets and stage. She invites St. Nicholas to sit in the front with his angel. The tenderness of the Christmas drama from the heart of the child warms everyone in the room, including St. Nick. St. Nicholas promises to return for each of her plays, expecting to be featured in them. Until next time, Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia!
Copyright 2022 Jennifer Waters
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