The 25 Strangest days of Christmas Day 13 -Children Performed Elaborate Christmas Tableaux

0:00 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome back to the Strange History podcast and day four of our Victorian Christmas countdown the twenty five Strangest Days of Christmas. Victorian families adored living tableau, also called tableau vivant. These were live scenes where family members stood perfectly still, recreating Bible stories, fairy tales, historical events, moral lessons, do not steal, work hard, etc. No speaking, no blinking, just holding the pose for as long as possible. For Victorians, this was high art. For Victorian children, this was torture.

0:38 Speaker 1: Eight year old Henry Whitstone complained that during his family's Nativity tableau he had to hold a wooden sheep for so long my arms did tremble, and mother declared it spiritually appropriate. The performance was considered successful. Victorians did not play.

0:56 Speaker 2: Sponsored by Freeze Frame Holiday Performance Coaching. Learn how to hold still, maintain dramatic eye contact, and convey emotional suffering in total silence. Freeze Frame for when your family insists on holiday performance art Tomorrow.

1:12 Speaker 1: The mince pie, yes, the one with meat. Yes, we will talk about the meat.