The Power of Storytelling

Before I could even rouse myself fully from my own Christmas dreams of sugarplum fairies and gingerbread villages, she hit me with an avalanche of follow-up questions: “How does he get in, we don’t even have a chimney? How do the reindeer fly? How does he find the same wrapping paper that you and Daddy use?”

I was faced with that classic parenting dilemma – do I take the easy quick fix and say “Of course he’s real. He’s the magic of Christmas. They have a B&M in Lapland for his wrapping paper”, or do I face up to the truth and support her to do the same? But surely if she no longer believes in Santa then that’s the magic of Christmas shattered before she’s even six. Without Santa and his reindeer, the ritual of the stockings and mince pie on Christmas Eve, is Christmas still going to be magical for her? And what about her little brother? The thought was devastating.

I can’t remember exactly what I said to her that morning last week but with the power of hindsight (and the help of various parenting Insta accounts), I hope it went something like this*: “Christmas is a magical time, full of traditions and Santa can mean different things to different people. Some people believe that Santa leaves presents for children all over the world, some people don’t believe that Santa is a real person but still like to exchange gifts, and some people don’t celebrate Christmas at all. What do you think?”

*Disclaimer – it most definitely did not!

At Leeds Heritage Theatres, we believe that all young people should have access to theatre and the arts. Through our schools’ programme and youth theatres, the Learning & Engagement team works with roughly 9000 young people throughout the year, opening our venues and sharing our unique stories.

For the last 12 months, we have been working closely, alongside Leeds Playhouse and Northern Ballet, with five schools from the Leeds East Primary Partnership to build a creative connection. This term culminated in 1,450 pupils sharing the experience of watching a professional theatre production, many for the very first time. Seeing the children immersed in the story, totally gripped by the action, singing and dancing along to the music and cheering so loudly at the end, was enough to make anyone believe in the magic of Christmas – Santa, or no Santa.

This visit to the theatre, whilst a memorable Christmas experience for those pupils that attended, is just the start of our partnership with these schools. Earlier this term we hosted a training day for all 100 teachers, exploring our historic venues and the wider cultural offer of the city. Teachers were invited to participate in practical dance and drama workshops, led by professional practitioners, equipping them with tools and exercises to elevate their teaching back in the classroom.

Through upskilling teachers in this way and building their confidence and expertise to incorporate storytelling and creativity into their lesson planning, pupils at these schools will continue to learn through a more playful curriculum. Teachers will also be supported throughout 2024 and beyond, with more visits and training in the pipeline. For these schools, teachers and pupils, the fairytale of their visit to the theatre will resonate long after the tinsel has come down.

In our household then, we will be keeping the story of Santa alive and fuelling my daughter’s imagination by sharing tales of the North Pole, flying reindeer and cheeky elves. On Christmas Eve, we will excitedly hang our stockings up and put out a mince pie and a carrot on our special Christmas plate. Because I realise now that, even though my little girl is growing up, if we continue to share stories, Christmas can still be magical and we can all still believe.

Merry Christmas.