Adult Christmas

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...

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...

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...

10 pages

4 speaking parts.

Let your congregation sing their way into the Christmas spirit or let your choir shine in this special "Hymn Sing." In a cantata framework, three heavenly angels are in awe as they watch the nativity unfold. At appropriate times in the story, a narrator reads scripture and well-known hymns are sung. Memorized or simply read, here is an easy yet meaningful and joyous celebration, perfect for any sized church.  Performance time: 60 minutes.

28 pages

2 m

Something is wrong with Melchior, and it is driving Balthasar insane. Ever since Melchior went to see the baby, he has changed. After a long journey with his fellow magi travelers, Balthasar wants to experience what happened to his friend as he impatiently waits for the third companion to finish meeting the newborn “King.” And what could be more peculiar than the bright star shining above them against the dark night? Finally Melchior explains: “You will walk in with your gift and your prepared speech. Then you will see the babe and everything will change. It ...

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...

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...

19 pages

4 m, 2 w, 1-2 flexible

A reader’s theatre play. Howard Sinclair is ready to direct the church’s outdoor manger pageant again, but since the previous one five years ago was a complete disaster, his wife Gladys wants everything to run smoothly. But of course that doesn’t happen! First the rented animals are delivered a week early, but instead of a camel, a goat is sent and it promptly starts eating the neighbor’s bushes. To appease their prickly neighbor, Howard agrees to let him play the part of a shepherd, even though another church member had been promised the role. Then there’s t...

56 pages

6 m, 5 w, 1 extra, 1 boy, 1 girl

Grandpa, along with Luke, Ellen, and their two teens, fly to Texas to celebrate Christmas with the rest of the family. Grandpa's other son is a real down-home cowboy, and, unbeknownst to everyone else, has recently gotten married. His new wife, a former New Yorker and Jewish, is a recent convert to Christianity. She very likeable, but the family can't understand half the words she's saying! Even more puzzling is her teenage son, who misses the big city, resists speaking to anyone, and is on a "religious break." Family confusion rises to new heights when Grand...

33 pages

5 m, 6 w, 2 boys, 4 girls, extras.

Some 10 years earlier a dying little boy taught B.J. Grant, a skeptical teenager, about Christ ("To See Christ at Christmas"). Now a youth minister, B.J. gets a chance to do the same. He arranges a Christmas church camp where Gary, a lonely boy, finds love in the family of Christ, and Mae, the camp director, finds the courage to go on. Ending allows for optional Christmas program of your choice. Very touching. Performance time: 35 minutes.

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...

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...

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 ...

33 pages

3 m, 6 w, 1 boy

It's almost Christmas and it's hectic! Ragan and Sabrina Carpenter, young marrieds, are trying to help Sabrina's mother and sister get Grandma Lois moved into the garage apartment. In addition, Ragan is expecting his brothers to join him, including Ryan, alone due to marital problems, and Reed, a busy college student. On top of that, the pastor's family needs help with their Christmas drama. In the midst of everything, Ragan has an unexpected visit from a social worker. In tow with her is R.J., a young boy whose sole parent, his mother, has just died. He is a...

27 pages

4 m, 4 w, 1 child.

This is not a happy Christmas Eve in the Stewart home. While young Cory prepares, unwillingly, to be an angel in the church pageant, the oldest son, J. J., who has just returned from several months in juvenile hall for burglary, struggles to regain the trust of his mother, Maureen, and very angry father, Joe. But when he is accused of shoplifting at the mall, Joe is so angry, he won't even attend church with them to see Cory's performance. A juvenile hall chaplain tells him that sometimes you have to work on faith - that maybe an angel in a dream will convinc...