Christmas is a magical time at Tŷ Hafan. The team at the hospice works hard to bring festivities to the fore and the Christmas agenda is always jam packed!
Throughout every December, we put on two pantomimes a week at the hospice. This year’s pantomime, ‘Deck the Halls with Christmas Barbie’, was written by one of our wonderful Complementary Therapists, Abi, and performed by staff and volunteers! The story goes like this…
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Like another famous story that hit the screens this year, our tale begins in Barbieland, where we meet our stars of the show, Christmas Barbie and Christmas Ken.
Christmas Barbie has a very festive job. As the doll of Christmas, she and her Ken are in charge of decorating, wrapping presents and spreading Christmas cheer!
But all the other Barbies’ jobs give them a purpose all throughout the year. With Christmas being just one day out of 365, Christmas Barbie longed to know what she was made for through the other 364!
On Christmas Eve morning, her time to shine, Christmas Barbie just couldn’t hold back her frown. She asks her Ken, “Do you think there’s more than this? I wonder if there’s something else I could try here in Barbieland.”
With a new mission on her mind, Barbie searches the land for other Barbies who could inspire her to take on a brand-new role from January to November.
Looking for a new job, she first finds Lumberjack Barbie who tasks her with tree cutting. Christmas Barbie swings the axe with all her might, but she just doesn’t have the strength!
Next, she finds Mermaid Barbie who welcomes her to the sea, but things go awry when Christmas Barbie realises one important thing… she can’t swim!
Finally, Christmas Barbie finds Weird Barbie – yes, the Barbie you get when you play too hard! – and, after a kooky dance number, Weird Barbie gives Christmas Barbie some longed-for advice.
Weird Barbie asks, “So, you want to know what you’re made for? Where you fit in life?”
Barbie agrees, adding, “No one cares about Christmas when you’re sitting on a sun bed in mid-July!”
Weird Barbie, full of wisdom, assures Christmas Barbie that she actually has a really important job to do. You see, Christmas Barbie doesn’t just represent Christmas in Barbieland, she helps loved ones near and far come together, sharing joy and memories.
But with her new adventure taking centre-stage, Christmas Barbie doesn’t have a tree ready for Christmas! As the performance draws to a close, Christmas Ken, with the help of Lumberjack Barbie, chops down a Christmas tree for Christmas Barbie to decorate.
And of course, we had a visit from a very special someone after the show… the one and only Santa Claus!
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Merry Christmas, everyone! And thank you to everyone involved in making this Christmastime at Tŷ Hafan as magical as ever!