Adult Christmas

20 pages

2 m, 3 w, 1 boy, 1 girl

Ted and Jane are hosting Ted’s mother and sister for Christmas. As they share memories of their childhood home (acted out live) it becomes clear that their perspectives about the past are very different. An on-going “falling off the ladder” gag adds to the laughs. Finally, Mom presents them each with a DVD featuring their old home movies. As they watch it together, the realization that perhaps they each had things better than they remember brings a lump to the throat and an appreciation for the value of family. Performing groups can be as creative as desired ...

15 pages

7 m, 7 w, 6 flexible parts.

The Spirit of Giving appears in court to prove he is the true spirit of Christmas. Using scenes from three modern homes, he exposes the ever-popular spirits of Selfishness, Greed, and Pride who try to control Christmas. Finally, Giving shows us his true spirit through the Wright family, then to Isaiah the Prophet, and finally to the first Christmas in Bethlehem. (Also non-speaking parts for nativity scene and optional choir.) Performance time: Approx. 30 minutes.

50 pages

5 m, 9 w, 2 boys, 1 girl, extras

It's frantic in the Albert home. Mom is trying to direct a Christmas pageant that no one wants to be in. Dad, an obstetrician, is hoping he doesn't have to deliver any babies the night of the pageant so that he can attend. David, 12, is trying to avoid Victoria Monroe, the meanest girl in town, who insists she play Mary to his Joseph so that they can hold hands. Molly, 15, is worried and guilty when her dreaded math teacher, Miss Morris, informs her mom just how far Molly and her friends have begun harassing the new girl, Darlene. But some special Christmas m...

43 pages

3 m, 2 w

Mary’s best friend, Yana, and Joseph’s best friend, Mendel, succeed in getting their friends together. And so begins a betrothal period in anticipation of a Jewish wedding. Joseph and Mary get to know one another better during the betrothal, and love grows. Joseph is also hard at work on an addition to his home in preparation for Mary to take up residence there. Everyone’s plans change, however, when the angel Gabriel appears to Mary with the news that she will bear the Messiah. Mary’s pregnancy scandalizes the town, strains friendships, and threatens to end ...

46 pages

7 m, 5 w, 11 teen girls, 3 teen boys.

The Davies’ house is a picture of confusion and complications this Christmas Day with the arrival of various extended family members and guests. No one can find Uncle John, there’s body glitter all over Kelly’s room, Sandy and her daughters have been doing something with feathers in the kitchen, and nobody knows what Nana Jane might do this year! But then a stranger appears who might be Sandy’s new boyfriend, Phil’s old friend from college, or (if we believe Grandpa) the mysterious Uncle Don from the Amazon. The stranger says nothing, and yet his soft smile i...

33 pages

1 m, 2 w

This play deals with the heartache and the trauma of being old, being alone in the world and forgotten. Mrs. Delmonico, a former actress, lives in a tenement building in New York. She exists mostly in her imagination and takes her torment out on her neighbor, Mrs. Quinn. They are unable to get along in any way until this Christmas Eve when Mr. Gartch, one of the roomers whom they have never met, happens upon the scene. He becomes their catalyst - motivating them to look at things differently. Because of his being so positive and hopeful, and because he is ano...

36 pages

6 m, 4 w, 1 child

Three days before Christmas, a snowstorm has closed the airport and stranded travelers on their way home for the holidays. Behind each face is a story: the young man returning to make amends for a past left behind 15 years earlier; the young woman who feels she's a failure, running home to Daddy after her marriage falls apart; and the man who's too proud to admit he was wrong and restore a severed relationship with his brother. Also there's the young wife who's more comfortable spending Christmas in an airport with strangers than at home without her husband a...

30 pages

2 m, 5 w, 3 children.

Grandma likes to follow tradition at Christmas and that means having the whole family over at her house for presents, turkey, and carols around her organ. So when unexpected visitors become stranded at her home and the organ won't play a note, Grandma thinks the holiday is ruined. But the Christ Child brought the first Christmas to all of us, and on this night, three other young children bring it back to Grandma's. Performance time: 30 minutes.

24 pages

Large, flexible cast, approx. 11 m, 9 w, and any number of children.

This is one Christmas Eve you'll want to spend out of town - with the friendly folks of Nazareth, Texas. Modern day scenes with the flavor and poignancy of "Steel Magnolias" bring the Christmas story to life. From the Chic 'N Sassy beauty shop where Rhonda Gae learns she is pregnant, to the Starlight Motel where Leona helps a poor young couple find refuge, to a lonely farmhouse where the lost Jubilee Trio singers deliver gifts to an infant, you'll see the Christmas story unfold in a very special way. Warm, neighborly characters, a Christmas Spirit who serves ...

29 pages

3 m, 3 w, 1 teen girl, 1 boy, 1 girl, and pageant cast of 14

Michael is too busy and unconcerned to have any time for God. His twins, Chris and Camille, realize his need for God and are trying to persuade their father to go to the church Christmas program with them, but Michael has flatly refused to go. However, God is at work in Michael's life although he does not realize it. With the help of Uncle Matt, a faulty furnace, and his wife, Kathryn, the program is brought to him. Finally, Michael understands his own need for God. Performance time: About 50 minutes.

33 pages

4 m, 3 w, 1 flexible, 3 kids

Set in a crowded, snowed-in airport waiting area on Christmas Eve, different types of stranded passengers present their views on Christmas. There's the Cynic (who serves as our Everyman), the efficient Travel Agent, and a bumbling paramedic and a super-efficient Nurse. There is also the Davis family, whose new baby makes its appearance, and two ambassadors, one Arab and one Israeli. The miracle that occurs that night changes them all. Members of your choir can serve as additional travelers while also performing carols.

30 pages

3 m, 3 w, extras.

Donnie, an ingenious young boy, is determined his father is going to develop faith even if he has to impersonate Gabriel. He might have a dirty robe and a crooked halo, but somehow he gets his point across. Very skillfully blended into this play is a short, sacred pageant. Performance time: 60 minutes.

33 pages

5 m, 6 w, 1 child.

The Shepherds are a family in name only. Tyler, a minister who's lost sight of his calling, and Dylan, a cynical news reporter who rejects all religion, are brothers who cannot get along even when their parents and wives try to get them to work out their differences. Needless to say, fireworks are set when Dylan is assigned to cover the Christmas cantata at Tyler's church where a well-known (but self-centered) gospel singer is going to appear. When every detail has to be perfect, everything that can go wrong does. But thanks to the help of a stranger named Ma...

25 pages

4 m, 3 w.

It's Christmas Eve and successful businessman Thomas Benson is having the worst day of his life. His wife announces she is leaving with their pregnant teenage daughter to live with relatives where they will be away from his condemnation, and his accountant has news from the IRS that may make Thomas' business go belly-up. How could life get any worse? Utterly depressed and defeated, he passes out that night at the office. Then two born-again ex-con janitors in Santa hats appear on the scene. Can the lovable duo change Thomas's Christmas? With their help, he ex...

16 pages

2 m, 8 w (doubling possible) 1 b, 1 g, and carolers

This turn-of-the-century Christmas is going to be a white one for bachelor Robert Kelley: white because his white lie has caught up with him! His boss, who only hires family men, wants to meet Robert's wife and kids. Robert decides to rent a family but has to disqualify several zany applicants. He is desperate until he spies sweet Mary O'Riley selling fruit. This one-act play is lighthearted, easy-to-stage and includes suggestions for favorite carols as well as one new song.