Adult Christmas

52 pages

Widely flexible cast (suggested minimum 4 m, 4 w, 1 narrator, 3 children)

These 12 Yuletide sketches will provide an evening of laughter while never losing sight of the holiness of the season. With flexible casting and only a chair or bench for scenery, they're just right for any stage and ideal for dinner theatre. On this visit to Christmastown you'll meet some passersby in a park who tell you what Christmas really means to them and some strangers waiting for a bus who give gifts to each other, inspired by a little girl's doll. Find out what the wise men were thinking, at least when they are portrayed by three 10-year-olds in thei...

40 pages

4 m, 6 w

Ever wanted to walk in the footsteps of Mary and Joseph along the nativity trail? Stargazer Holy Land Tours promises that you will experience what it was like as you journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, just like they did over 2,000 years ago. Not only will you step where they stepped, but you will do it in style. The tour promises luxury yurts, the finest Jewish cuisine, and an expert tour guide. But sometimes the amenities in the brochure are just too good to be true. Join the retired pastor and his wife, a newlywed couple, a travel critic, a photographer, a...

40 pages

2 m, 4 w.

Richard Franklin is a bitter man who can't stop blaming his son, William, for an accident which killed an older Franklin son one Christmas some 20 years ago. The tragedy has soured their father-son relationship although Richard, an important church member, and William, who is indifferent to religion, have learned to live with it. A crisis this Christmas, however, makes both men face up to the true meaning of what giving - and forgiving - really mean. Additional roles include Betty, the wife, who knows God is the source of all strength; the Franklin daughters;...

51 pages

5 m, 4 w, 1 flexible and 1 young teen

Vickie Webster, an elderly mother, grandmother and widow, has a mess on her hands. She and her family are in the middle of a financial nightmare that threatens to take her home, her son’s family, and all the joy out of Christmas. They are all in the “red” and can see no possible way out of it.  But with the faith and love of her two crazy “sisters” and the rest of the “family,” they find that God has provided some amazing and comical answers to the problems they face. With the help of an angel that has stepped in before, and a provision that God put in place ...

47 pages

4 m, 8 w, 4 b, 3 g.

Millionaire Jonathan Bingsley suddenly has his mansion and life turned upside down when a social worker friend asks him to take in six young children for the holidays. It's just a "temporary" measure until the children, who have lost their parents and home in a tragic fire, can be placed permanently. To add to the confusion, Jonathan's interferring sister shows up, bringing along her lazy son and his family. Jonathan's only relief from all the stress is the thought of his only daughter, Cynthia, who is coming home for the first time since her mother's (his wi...

44 pages

7 m, 9 w

Marcy Bradford, a self-centered movie star, is distraught over being delayed at the airport on Christmas Eve with the possibility of being late for her performances. Add to that the antics of three senile, sweet old ladies, two small-time thieves and a doctor and his wife trying to get away on a long overdue vacation and you see the tension rising. Both Marcy's mother and secretary try to remind her of what Christmas used to be like before her fame. With the help of a missionary couple coming home after four years in Africa, and Jimmy, a homeless man (really ...

60 pages

6 m, 6 w

Prudy and Pruitt Prouty have sad news this Christmas. Their once successful business, Seagull Commander, is facing Chapter 11 bankruptcy. They are forced to lay off all their employees and liquidate their assets. Melvin Maldaput is the first employee they break the news to as he and his wife Miranda have become their friends. Last year Melvin was facing Chapter 7 bankruptcy and the Proutys were able to help him.

Melvin is upset because he was counting on using his Christmas bonus for ...

68 pages

8 m, 7 w, 2 flexible

Doc Nash had a successful medical career, but five years ago, after losing his wife, he decided to return to his country home in Baynesville, VA. There, he established a medical clinic where residents of his childhood hometown could receive free medical care.  Even with only one Johnny-on-the-spot nurse and a bumbling receptionist, this clinic has become a vital part of this rural community. Since its inception, the clinic has been supported with funds from the local government and private donations. However, with recent cuts in funding and a dip in the econo...

58 pages

6 m, 6 w, 1 flexible

What would you do if you lost your job, lost your home, and were on the verge of filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy… yet everyone in your family was already planning to spend Christmas with you? If you’re Melvin Maldaput, you call upon your real estate buddy to lend you a million-dollar home for the holidays. Melvin and his wife Miranda end up telling a string of lies to keep the ruse going. The last thing Melvin wants is his parents or in-laws to discover that he is a failure. Melvin’s rich hillbilly neighbors, Prudy and Pruitt, even pretend to be his servants. But...

44 pages

3 m, 4 w, 2 flexible, 3 girls, 2 boys

Delmas, a father of three daughters and several grandchildren, is fighting a losing battle to cancer. This comes only one year after his wife passed away. Delmas also grieves over an estranged brother with whom he wants to reconcile before it is too late. Two of Delmas’s daughters are dealing with their own problems, with the third daughter caught in the middle. The sisters, with emotions on edge, begin to argue over inheritances and cause added pain to an already difficult situation. Four grandchildren struggle with losing someone they love so much, and how ...

56 pages

3 m, 7 w, 5 teenage girls, 2 teenage boys.

Jacob and Marie Carlson have been married for 17 years, and all that time, Jacob's father, Melvin, and Marie's mother, Antoinette, have hated each other. Disastrous holidays have been avoided by alternating their parents' invitations to special occasions. But this Christmas, Antoinette changes her mind and surprises the family by arriving after Melvin has already settled in! Their little jabs at each other soon escalate when Antoinette hides Melvin's false teeth and he retaliates by hiding her wig. The tension and hilarity rise even more when the extra outdoo...

52 pages

9 m, 6 w

Just one year ago, Doc Nash’s Free Health Clinic was facing closure. With a visit from the Undercover Boss, Lou Grant from the Matthew Chapter 25 Foundation approved a grant, thus saving the Clinic. But town councilwoman Beatrice Chandler now wants the Free Clinic closed. Her son will be opening a new medical practice and she doesn’t want any competition. She pays a visit to Doc, hoping to buy him out. When Doc refuses, Mrs. Chandler storms away in anger as she is accustomed to getting what she wants. Then, the unthinkable happens – a fire! It destroys much o...

55 pages

4 m, 5 w, 2 flexible, 1 girl and extras

No one loves Christmas more than Chrysanthemum Parker. As she and her grandma Gertie are discussing plans for a possible Christmas celebration show, Sheriff Gideon Gumption arrives to say that escaped convict Jedediah Thornside is on the loose. Jedediah actually is in the area with his partner-in-crime, Belinda Burnheart. They’ve concocted a sinister plan to swindle the town away from its current deed holder, the sheriff himself, AND cancel Christmas! Through a series of blunders, Sheriff Gumption falls for their scheme and the town now belongs to the villain...

74 pages

5 m, 6 w, 6 boys, 4 girls, extras

It's the 1800s and Emily Ainsley, an idealistic young lady, is trying to provide a home to young orphans. She rents space from a greedy businessman, Aloysius Penningham, but gets behind in the payments. He proposes marriage to her (so that he can manage her inheritance which she receives after marrying) or threatens eviction if she refuses. While other well-meaning folk attempt to help Emily, Penningham is visited by Harrold, an angel in the guise of a gentleman. A ragtag band of pickpockets creates havoc and humor as Penningham must confront the consequences...

40 pages

Very fluid cast. Minimum: 7 m, 5 w.

“The Gift of the Magi” is probably one of the most beloved stories for Christmas. It, along with two other tender stories by O. Henry, “The Last Leaf” and the lesser known “Christmas by Injunction,” are dramatized here, set in the framework of O. Henry’s life which in itself is a story. In the early 1900s he was one of the most widely read authors in America. O. Henry, whose real name was William Sydney Porter, was known, however, to have spent some time in jail for allegedly embezzling from an employer, and it is believed that he started writing there in ord...