Adult Christmas

54 pages

4 m, 3 w, 6-7 flex, 2 kids, doubling possible

Did the Nativity costumes just come alive? Pastor Hadley doesn’t know what to think when he is washing the Nativity costumes and the first sheep pops out of the dryer. Granted, he hasn’t been doing well after the recent loss of his fiancée, taking a leave from his ministry and turning away from God. Last night’s church fire just proves that when it rains it pours. Maybe that wasn’t a sheep he saw…but then out of the dryer comes Amir the Sheep Shearer and Jesse the Angel. Turns out the dryer is a time tumbler, and time and prophecies once fulfilled have been a...

59 pages

14 m, 13 w, much doubling possible

It's the 1880s and Dot Dallrimple and her friend May Fielding are Christmas shopping. A miserly store owner, Mr. Tackleton, has eyes for May and has her fiance Edward kidnapped and sent off to sea, never to return to England. Ten years pass with no word from Edward. Poor May has remained single, even though Tackleton has continued to court her. Meanwhile, Dot has married John Peerybingle and his delivery business has prospered. Two days before Christmas he brings home a ragged, mute stranger. In one awkward moment, John see his wife throw her arms around the ...

56 pages

11 m, 10 w, extras

This dramatic comedy tells the story of a Christmas in 1938 in the small town of Comfort Falls--population 603. The cream of society is getting ready for their out-of-doors holiday extravaganza at the town bandstand. Then they find out that the local church is planning a "competing" program, their annual Christmas Eve pageant, also at the bandstand on the same night! The society set, lead by the Widow Jeffries, and the church drama troupe, defended by her long-suffering son-in-law Mayor Hoshpepper, are joined by a hilarious group of eccentric townspeople (and...

48 pages

3 m, 2 w, 4 boys, 2 girls, 4 boys or girls, extras possible.

Lifelong friends Will and Glenn have a long history of producing the Christmas pageant together at their church. Following the hiring of a young pastor with new ideas (including a Santa-themed Christmas pageant), Will and Glenn found themselves on opposite sides of the debate, and the rift has cut off all communication between them for two years running. Now Will no longer attends church and calls his friend a backstabber. Glenn’s daughter Roberta is determined to bring the two lost friends back to each other. She takes on directing the children's Christmas p...

32 pages

Large flexible cast. Minimum with doubling: 8 m, 4 w, 8 children, 8 angels, extras.

Three storylines intertwine beautifully to tell the Christmas story. It’s 1917 in the small town of Bridger Falls where a widower and his five children get ready to celebrate Christmas in their comfortable home. Watching them from outside a window is a lonely little boy, Jacob, who’s trying to help support his mother while his father, Will, fights the war. The second setting is a bunker overseas where Will witnesses to two other soldiers fighting in World War I. As if sending us back in time, a third setting takes us back to Bethlehem where we relive the Chri...

56 pages

5 m, 5 w, extra children

Ray awakens from a coma to learn that the country is celebrating Christmas every month, (Hanukkah every quarter), in order to stimulate the economy. “A Christmas Carol” is constantly playing at the local community theatre, Christmas lights blaze all night, and there’s enough fruitcake to choke a camel. Ray himself is different and his bitter attitude is affecting his fiancée, Mary. When she expresses her frustration with not being able to stop the multiple Christmases, and more importantly, with Ray’s behavior, he pulls a stunt that lands him in jail. There h...

50 pages

7 m, 10 w, 9 children, doubling possible.

The holidays are approaching and the members of St. Peter's Church of Riverview have to choose: either spend Christmas Eve with some local orphans or hold their traditional celebration. While many are generous with material gifts, sacrificing their time is quite another matter. Add a famous New York talent agent looking to audition the two best singers in the congregation, and soon competing desires threaten to tear apart the harmonious Christmas spirit. Set in the 1940s, this play beautifully reveals its characters' choices and convictions as they move towar...

65 pages

2 m, 2 w, 1 teen girl, 1 teen boy, 1 girl.

A unique and relevant holiday drama that tells the story of a newly formed, mixed-religion family and the sometimes humorous, sometimes tense conflicts that arise during the Christmas/Hanukkah season. Sam, a Christian, and Michelle, a Jew, agreed when they married that, even though neither was especially religious, they would continue to celebrate the holidays the way their kids were used to. But it may not be that simple. Sam has a 13-year-old daughter, Marie, who is about to be confirmed. Michelle has a 17-year-old son, VJ, who rejects religion in favor of ...

62 pages

4 m, 3 w, 2 girls, extras.

It's almost Christmas in a poor coal mining town in the early 1900s. When a foundling baby girl appears on the doorstep of the company store, Annie, the possessive wife of the proprietor, takes a shine to her. But Arly, who works at the store and makes Christmas presents for all the kids in town, learns that the real mother is Francine. She has kept her pregnancy secret from everyone, even her mean-spirited husband. She loves the baby, but is too poor to raise her and an older daughter. A cave-in at the mine sows tragedy and complicates matters further. Franc...

71 pages

3 m, 5 w, 1 flexible

With just two days to Christmas, all demons are completely swamped with work and cannot take on more. However, Lucy Farr and her assistant Bea L. Zaybub may have to. Their problem is Pauline Salmon, a hard-bitten businesswoman who has been one of Lucy's finest subjects. But the new pastor, Rev. Ledbetter, is praying hard for Pauline as he struggles to make his church viable once again. Meanwhile, bad boy Jamie is trying to turn over a new leaf. Judgmental Pauline treats him badly and in retaliation, he steals from her shop. Escaping, he is run down by the mal...

82 pages

2 m, 2w, 1 male teen

An emotional, heart-opening journey about love, friendship, family, sacrifice, and what it truly means to give begins with an enormous Christmas tree wrestled into the warmth of a Colorado cabin. The Britton family, Brad and Tina and their son Nick, are eagerly anticipating the joy of a fun-filled holiday vacation spent with their close friends, Kyle and Jan, who arrive bearing gifts of sentiment, sarcasm, and sass. The two couples merrily begin to share their laughter, their affection, and their memories of the good ol’ days, but too soon Jan begins to quest...

56 pages

4 m, 3 w 3 girls, doubling possible.

Three related one-acts are woven together with scenes in a radio booth. George and Mary Williams are $14-million lottery winners. They host "Radio Riches," a local broadcast, where they receive calls and letters from people seeking money, and share stories about the people they help. The first one-act, "How Can They Call It a Fixed Income When We're Always Broke?" is about a retired man who hesitates taking a check from the Williamses, much to the wife's chagrin. In "Bus Stop Baptism," the homeless Preachin' Pearl discovers George's motives to help the poor a...

10 pages

by Charlee Cardon Wilson.

11 pages

2 m, 2 w, 1 flexible and chorus

Using historical and contemporary voices, "Supplicants: An Advent Drama" broaches thought-provoking Advent themes that are often overlooked during the holiday season. The play's characters, including a Hebrew man circa 10 BCE, a present-day businessman, a physician, a soldier, and a homeless woman, anticipate deliverance from distress even as they despair of present circumstances. The play features non-denominational Christian spiritual issues and is appropriate for family audiences. About 20 minutes.

39 pages

3 m, 4 w, 1 g.

Kate Sherman, grieving over the deaths of her daughter and son-in-law from a car accident, finds it almost impossible to show her love for granddaughter, Tammy. Kate won't even allow any Christmas decorations in the house including the now dusty star Tammy's daddy made for her. A climax is reached when Tammy steals her late mother's christening dress for a nativity scene being staged by a young visiting minister, his wife, and friend Jo, whose brother was the drunk driver who caused the fatal accident. At the end, Kate shows her renewed faith when she vows ne...

17 pages

5 m, 7 w, extras.

Here's the story of a woman of Bethlehem so caught up in the activities of the day that she missed the very first Christmas. It is also the story of some of the people of our own time who almost miss Christmas for the same reason. A closing nativity scene blends both contemporary and Biblical characters to give a meaningful message. Ten carols add to the beauty of this program. Performance time: 50 minutes. 

19 pages

8 m, 6 w, narrator.

In Part I a modern wife, serene in her happiness, scoffs lightly as her old-fashioned mother tells the children the Biblical story of Christmas, acted out in pantomime with a narrator in Part II. In Part III the modern wife finds, in near tragedy, that the scarlet ribbon of Christmas, which runs through the Bible, still binds the past and the future together in faith and hope. A presentation that offers easy rehearsal scheduling, and yet highlights the Christmas spirit. Performance time: 90 minutes.

25 pages

3 m, 4 w.

Janie wants a real old-fashioned Christmas, one that brings back the spirit of the old days, but her boyfriend is too busy working at the mission to help her. As hard as she tries, everything goes wrong - the popcorn balls are too sticky, the homemade candles collapse, and the live Christmas tree falls over. Janie thinks Christmas is ruined, but it's only the display that's failed. With the help of her family and boyfriend, Janie rediscovers that the Christmas spirit is in each of us, giving and sharing all year long. Performance time: 30 minutes.

25 pages

4 m, 4 w, extras.

It is a very much depressed Wallis family on Christmas eve that meets to discuss their problems. They hardly have enough money for wood for the fire, Emma may lose her job, Carol's boyfriend is hurt and may die, and brother Joe is in prison. They are all waiting for Judge Davis to bring over a tin box their grandfather left them which, according to his will, cannot be opened until tonight. They hope it is filled with money. As they wait, a stranger enters seeking warmth and they receive him as a friend. When the box is opened and found empty, they discover th...

19 pages

8 m, 8 w.

Here is a play which shows that the Christmas story is really a story of people on a journey. Mary and Joseph and the wise men travelled long, difficult distances physically, but more important are their personal journeys. They, along with the shepherds of the field and even a messenger in King Herod's court, face danger, consuming doubt, and sometimes frightening emptiness. For some of them it's a journey into the unknown. Yet each one finds - and follows - a path to the King of Eternity. Their journeys beckon us to follow. Performance time: About 25 minutes...

35 pages

4 m, 7 w, 3 children.

Charity Magazine has chosen the Stetson family for an "at home Christmas" article. The family is well known: mother Monica is a children's author; Cody a soap opera actor; Brad a high-profile attorney; and Mallory a pediatrician. As the interview nears, however, the family makes a shocking discovery - that both Mallory and Cody are alcoholics. In fact, while the family looks so perfect on the outside, all they feel on the inside is emptiness. It is the reporter, who reminds them of Jesus' love and the critical needs of a children's shelter, who starts the fam...

20 pages

5 m, 5 w, 1 boy, 1 girl, extra teens as youth group.

Elizabeth, pregnant with her third child, blames God for the recent car accident which killed her husband, Mark, a young minister. Distraught and grief-stricken, Elizabeth even contemplates giving up the baby for adoption. Her parents, strong Christians, reach out, but nothing helps until their pastor brings a special young woman to visit. The last person to see Mark alive, she tells about the healing comfort he gave her and her husband in the hospital on the death of their infant. The faith of those around her gives Elizabeth the courage to go on. "Unto us a...

44 pages

12 m, 4 w.

When Matthew, the future evangelist, visits Melchior to tell him about the life and death of Jesus, he is surprised that the old Wise Man knows about the Messiah already. Melchior tells Matthew about when he was young and troubled, he and his fellow Magi, Caspar and Balthazar, followed the star to an uncertain destination. Braving deserts, snakes, storms, and treacherous rivers, they struggled with more than the elements. Beset by grave self-doubt, Melchoir nearly gave up along the way. In the process, his travels became an inward journey of discovery as well...

38 pages

With doubling: 7 m, 3 w. Extras as desired.

The extreme peril and the boundless love surrounding Jesus' birth is beautifully dramatized here. Lucius, an ex-Roman soldier still vibrant although somewhat crippled, has escorted Mary and Joseph on the long trip to Bethlehem to register for the tax. In return Joseph will build cabinets for the inn that Lucius owns with his wife Swan. They hide the couple in a small cave used as a barn and soon the older couple thinks of Mary as an adopted daughter. But there's danger everywhere. In a tense scene Lucius uses his wit and friendship with local soldiers to enab...

17 pages

1 m, 2 w, 5 flexible, 6 boys, 2 girls, extras.

The church children are practicing for the Christmas program when Katie asks Pastor Steve if they are going to do the program just once at the church. Katie wants her grandmother, who lives at Green Hills Convalescent Center, to see it. Pastor Steve hurriedly arranges for the play to be performed at the center, but Katie is upset when she learns her grandmother won't attend because she hates Christmas. A heartwarming ending to this Christmas drama shows us Christ's love. Performance time: About 50 minutes with suggested songs.

27 pages

3 m, 2 w, 1 girl, carolers if desired.

The family is trying to ready the barn for the annual nativity scene, but no one feels much like celebrating since Brenda has just suffered a miscarriage. Eleven-year-old Anna Bell is taking it the hardest, especially since her favorite cat, Glory Excelsis, has been missing for days, too. But Sarah, a wise mother, comforts the family when she makes them realize that God must have known sadness when He sent His only Son to earth. That's why Christmas should be celebrated, to thank Him for His great gift. A warm and wonderful story with optional nativity ending...

37 pages

4 m, 3 w, 4 flexible parts.

Dylan and Tyler Shepherd, brothers whose arguing finally stopped when they were brought together one Christmas (see "The Shepherds Who Gather"), are back in this sequel. It's five years later and now they are working together on a Christian TV show. Unfortunately, the station has a new owner, Tabitha Rafferty, to whom ratings are more important than people or their priorities. She has little sympathy for Dylan whose wife has recently died, leaving him to raise their young son alone. But Christmas is a time of giving. Some unusual "gifts" given by some unlikel...

29 pages

9 flexible parts, approx. 3 m, 5 w, 1 child.

Linda is worried because her recently widowed mother, Susan, is adamant about staying in her Florida condominium rather than coming up north to celebrate the holiday. Linda decides she and her husband and children better see what's wrong, even if it means they won't be celebrating Christmas the "right way" with all the familiar traditions. And non-traditional it is! Instead of warm fires and sled rides the kids are sunbathing and riding jet skis. But when Linda objects because her mother may miss Christmas Eve services, she finds the real and generous reason ...

37 pages

4 m, 4 w, 1 girl.

Have you ever received a gift you didn't really want? A young married couple, Stephen and Pamela, find themselves on the receiving end of a grandfather's will, and the inheritance, should they choose to accept it, is his retarded adult son. Although they are Christians, Stephen and Pamela undergo a critical test of faith and marriage, as they share the Christmas season with this unexpected "presence," Uncle Duncan, plus some friends and family members who complicate their custodial decision and their holiday. Humor and pathos color their unfolding dilemma. Ch...

32 pages

3 m, 1 w.

Three wounded Confederate soldiers are confined to a makeshift field hospital and cared for by Liddy, a black woman. As the men's differing personalities begin to clash, they gradually uncover a dark, common past which has shaped their present, and threatens to destroy their future. They become embroiled in their own personal "civil war," and each struggles with his own form of slavery. Liddy, assumed to be a slave, offers the only key to freedom for them all: the self-denial and humility of the first Christmas. This uniquely American drama is beautiful and p...