The Knights Before Christmas

The Knights Before Christmas written by Joan Holub and illustrated by Scott Magoon (2015)

A fun, knightly tale, on a beloved American Christmas poem. The Three Knights of the Iron Underwear are sworn to protect the castle. When an invader tries to gain entrance on Christmas Eve, they must fight him off… even if he is Santa Claus. But Santa is not one to be outwitted, he catapults the knights gifts over the castle walls using a flexible pine tree. After Santa leaves, the knights pride themselves in their strength and bravery… and collect all the goodies Santa has left them to decorate the castle. They gather ’round their loot and sing a merry tune as Santa flies out of sight.

This is a different twist on Christmas. I bet there are a lot of little people (and maybe some big people too) who would love to engage in a Christmas battle… think Elf on the Shelf vs Dinosaurs.

Help your little one’s imagination by first creating a few necessary knight props for an epic Christmas Eve battle.

Santa’s dragons can be made from an egg carton.

If you don’t already have a princess castle at home, have the kiddos make one with empty tubes and boxes.

This sword and shield is made with cardboard and duct tape, although I also like the idea of using a pillow as a shield and a pool noodle as a sword. 

And the day (or knight) wouldn’t be complete without a catapult. This one is perfect for launching mini-marshmallows!