Adult Christmas

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.

41 pages

4 m, 5 w, 1 boy, 2 girls, extras.

Hollister Day is not sure why on Christmas Eve he is keeping open his hamburger stand, Holly Day's Inn. So many of the customers are unhappy including a young, troubled minister and his wife two girls, whose parents have seriously quarreled and a battling newlywed couple. But God works in mysterious ways with those who come into the inn and they find their answers. Performance time: About 60 minutes. 

28 pages

1 m, 4 w, 1 flexible, 1 boy, 1 girl

If you’ve ever thought that Christmas has become too commercialized (and who among us hasn’t felt that as we pulled out the credit card yet again) this is the play for you. Several customers wander in to a rather bare, nondescript store during the Christmas shopping season. All of them, younger children, teenagers, and twenty-somethings, are looking for the same thing, but for different reasons. Some aren't even sure what they want: they just know that they are missing something. Naomi, the elderly widow working behind the counter, answers their questions kin...

40 pages

3 m, 2 w, 2 teen girls

Mark Kingston has been pastoring the same church for seven years. This particular year has been a stressful one. His kids want him to find a new job, his wife is trying to lead every program and ministry herself, and his congregation has an opinion about everything! One day, Mark wishes his life were “normal,” that he didn’t have the stress of being a pastor. When he wakes up, his wish has come true. Will Mark’s new life be easier having a typical job, or will he discover that his old life was exactly the way it should be? About an hour.

66 pages

6 m, 3 w, 2 flexible, extras

Heather Finley is bringing home her fiancé, Kevin, to meet her devout Christian family. There is only one problem: Kevin is an atheist! Meanwhile, Heather's bickering grandfathers, Jeremiah and Roosevelt, are returning from a failed expedition to find Noah's Ark. After the death of their beloved wives, they sought tangible proof that God is real. Needless to say, when the grandfathers and the rest of the family, including Mom, Dad, and underachieving brother Cameron, meet the somewhat condescending fiancé, firecrackers start exploding! It doesn’t help when th...

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...

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 ...

23 pages

6 adults, 2 children

The angel Gabriel has enough on his mind with lining up the Savior’s birth. He’s appeared before Mary, arranged for the Heavenly Hosts, and even ensured it will be a clear night for Jesus’s birth. All he needs to do now is figure out a plan to notify the whole Earth about the birth of the Christ child. Suddenly, Adele, Lyric and Rachel burst into Gabriel’s office complaining about the two hooligans. Hark and Harold are at it again, screaming like banshees rather than singing, creating an unexpected meteor shower, and running off to create more shenanigans. Wh...

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...

40 pages

3 m, 5 w, 2 flexible, 1 young child

The lives and struggles of several individuals come together in this light-hearted story when popular radio psychologist, Dr. Terri, decides to hide out at the Pear Tree Inn. Facing burnout and questioning the value of her career, she longs to be a normal person again. At the inn she meets Beverly, a retired school teacher who feels unappreciated and useless and who spends her days reading the newspaper and listening to her favorite talk show host — Dr. Terri. Beverly's daughter Lisa and husband David, owners of the inn, have problems of their own since compe...

41 pages

2 m, 4 w, 1 boy, 1 girl.

Erika, an 18-year-old adopted daughter, has developed a rather touchy and secretive attitude during the past few weeks. When she admits that she is working with her teacher, Rachel Duvall, to locate her natural parents, the world explodes for Mom and Dad, young R.B. and Grandma. And when Miss Duvall calls the day before Christmas to tell Erika that she is ready to introduce her to her natural mother, Christmas really falls apart. Through prayer, family love and faith, we learn that nothing can really ruin Christmas for those who have been "adopted" into the f...

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...

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.

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...

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 ...