Adult Christmas

28 pages

3 m, 5 w, 2 girls, 3 flex.

The Biblical story of the prodigal son is the basis for this modern-day play. Steve, a high school senior, hates living at home and wants to quit school to escape. His dad, also fed up, gives him the money he has saved for him for college. Out on the street, Steve finds he has friends - as long as he has money. At his lowest point he meets Gabby who shows him the importance of God and family. At her urging, Steve writes his parents saying if the one flickering light in their Christmas decorations is visible, he'll know he is welcome back home. A very heartwar...

24 pages

1 w, 1 flexible

This is the story of two displaced people: Esther, an escapee from a nursing home, and Nathan, a young runaway who is fresh to the streets. They break into an apartment and she feeds Nathan a meal he will never forget. Together they create memories, making up events that they each wish would have happened, from merry Christmas holidays to lazy summer days at baseball games. The more they pretend, the more we see that Esther misses her family members who have passed away and that Nathan is deeply hurt by his divorcing parents. The memories they create will tak...

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...

16 pages

8 m, 4 w, 4 flex, extras.

The Shoemaker and his wife want so much to have Christ visit their home during the Christmas season. They feel certain they'll know Him when He comes, but their only visitors are a poor woman and her baby, a rich old spinster, a beggar, and a young boy in trouble, all of whom they invite willingly into their home. Later in a dream, the Shoemaker sees those he helped that day worshipping at the manger where the Christ Child lay. He realizes that, through them, Christ had visited. Performance time: 30 minutes.

15 pages

8 speakers.

Relive the nativity when each of 7 speakers tells about Jesus' birth from his or her point of view. Thoughts and emotions of that holy night come from Elizabeth, the Innkeeper, Joseph, Herod, a Wise man, a Shepherd, and Mary. Each insightful monologue is followed by a special prayer given by the leader or minister. This drama can be performed almost anywhere with little rehearsal.  Performance time: 15 minutes.

14 pages

2 m, 3 w

Time has passed. Della and Jim, the young couple from O. Henry's short story, are now elderly. At their yearly Christmas Eve visit to a simple coffee shop, they encounter a melancholy woman. Touched by her sadness, they tell their story in a flashback scene of their first Christmas together when they each sold their most precious possession to buy the other a present. That experience changed forever their idea of buying expensive Christmas gifts. Instead they exchange the most priceless of all, love.

27 pages

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

Here's the story of a mysterious stanger who, one night, changes forever the lives of a small group of stranded travelers. Each traveler has his own fear or weakness. The cripple depends on his crutches to gain sympathy; the woman feels she must wear valuable jewerly to be worthy; the preacher has lost sight of God and can only see as far as his flask; the young husband and wife are running away, afraid to go home again. Charley, the bus station agent, uses tall tales to hide his true soul. Afraid at first of being robbed by this mysterious, bleeding man whos...

51 pages

10 m, 11 w.

A year ago two angels, Angela and Debra, found themselves on a mission to keep a homeless shelter open. They did so with the help from a busload of stranded travelers and a couple of loveable bums. Now, a year later, the angels have returned for a happy reunion party which turns into assignment number two. The shelter owner's son plans to commit his father to an asylum and sell the property for a profit. Aaron is being influenced by a demon who is posing as an attorney. It's an even tougher undertaking for Angela since the demon is one she has yet to defeat i...

24 pages

3 m, 3 w, 1 flexible, extras.

The host of a television talk show investigates the recent birth of a King. She interviews several people, all of whom give her insight into the nativity of the new King of the Jews, and at the same time, display prejudices - theirs and ours - against those who are different. Her guests include a gossip, who looks down on the pregnant Mary; unsympathetic officials; a greedy business owner; a selfish, materialistic guest; and an Egyptian who feels threatened by asylum-seekers. At the end, the TV guests return to the stage and argue that the host made them look...

23 pages

4 m, 7 w, 2 boys, 1 girl.

Looking for a play that will bring forth the holiness of the season and unite your congregation as never before? This exquisitely moving play is our choice. The Grant family is a family divided. Mrs. Grant and the daughters are strong Christians, but they can't convince Bruce Grant or son, B.J., of the importance of God in their lives - until a heart attack lands Bruce in the hospital shortly before Christmas. There he and B.J. meet other faithful Christians. But it isn't until they get to know Thad, a critically ill little boy whose dying wish is to see Chri...

28 pages

9 m

It’s Christmas Eve, 1944, in the midst of a raging blizzard…and the throes of a battle that is expected to become the last major assault of WWII, the Battle of the Bulge. A small patrol of battle-fatigued American soldiers, who have captured a German SS officer to interrogate, are lost and seek refuge in a bombed-out church somewhere south of Bastogne, Belgium.

Although united in brotherhood through the danger they face, the men are very different; from the tough but well-respected fi...

20 pages

4 m, 4 w, 4 teen g, 1 teen b, 2 b, 2 g, extras.

An old man, puzzled about Christianity and the purpose of Christmas, sets out to learn about it by looking in on four different families, all of whom call themselves Christians. At the end he discovers to look toward Christ as an example, not other Christians. About 40 minutes. 

28 pages

Flexible Cast and staging

As "The Reluctant Shepherd," ten-year-old Toby invents numerous excuses to keep from participating in the live nativity at his church. Later, standing on the cold hillside under the sparkling stars, Toby and the other shepherds bring the true meaning of Christmas to life for passing motorists.

A well used crèche helps bring calm to the chaos as two exuberant children decorate for Christmas without adult supervision. The nativity figures, though scratched and broken, can be used, "One ...

34 pages

5 m, 4 w

In 1933 the Depression had taken the merriment from the holidays. After a private party cancels, diner owner Mabel decides to stay open on Christmas Eve. That’s a good thing for a gangster, two thespians, and an out-of-town couple who wind up in a small diner just to get out of the cold and warm up with a hot cup of coffee. But when an inept robber takes them hostage these strangers find a Christmas miracle. This heartwarming holiday comedy tells an offbeat story of down-and-out strangers discovering the joy of Christmas at gunpoint. About 45 minutes.

14 pages

4 speakers

Add something special to your holiday service with one of these beautiful monologues. Titles include "Footprints in the Snow," about a lonely old lady whose Christmas guest left only footprints leading into her home; "Old Otto's Song," about a young boy who receives an old man's gift of song which saves his village; "Silent Night, Heavenly Light," about a new minister who helps a bitter old man find peace; and "Once Upon a Midnight Clear," about a little shepherd boy on the first Christmas Eve.

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 ...

20 pages

3 m, 3 w.

What do you say when you see an angel? How do you say thank you when the child you've longed for is finally born? How do you let go of your daughter to her new husband and expected child? What are your first words to the tiny, newborn Son of God? Through Christ's birth, God entered and shared our humanity. In this monologue collection, Elizabeth, Zacharias, Mary, Mary's mother, Joseph and a shepherd tell their stories. They are stories of worship and stories of wonder at a God who would want to be such an intimate part of our lives. Each monologue tells its o...

17 pages

5 m, 4 w, 2 flex, doubling possible.

Strangers meet at an inn in Bethlehem after the birth of Jesus. They all had things they wished to give Him but one by one, they gave their gifts to needy people. Finally, as a group, they decide to go to the stable and seek out the baby with the one thing they have left to give - their love. A symbolic story which shows that we are all strangers, in a way, until we meet through the person of Jesus Christ. An optional nativitiy scene creates a beautiful ending. Performance time: 25 minutes.

18 pages

9 m, 2 w, 3 flexible (some doubling possible).

In this hilarious comedy Ben Filbert is a successful businessman who has all that money can buy, except one thing: a new heart. This Christmas Eve the modern-day Scrooge revels in belittling his employees and brusquely refuses an employee's invitation to attend a church service. Ben's guardian angel, who has found him to be a tough charge over the years, allows him to be mugged. After escaping from his robbers, Ben finds himself in a strange neighborhood, without any money, and he seeks refuge in the very church he refused to visit earlier. After being welcom...

28 pages

6 m, 7 w, 1 g, 10 children, extras, doubling.

Dave Moore is home for the holidays having given up a successful army career for a "new line of work." His progressive parents wonder what fabulous paying job this might be. When David explains he is going to be a minister, they are deflated momentarily. David tells about his change in a dramatic story of life and death, and a new life which ended forever his Christmases without Christ. Performance time: 45 minutes.

15 pages

6 m, 3 w, plus choir of angels.

How Far Is It To Bethlehem? That question is asked from four different perspectives including Joseph and Mary, the wise men, the angels, and the shepherds. This play is simple to produce because each short scene except the last, a traditional nativity scene, can be rehearsed independently. Little or no scenery or lighting is required. Song suggestions are included. Performance time: 45 minutes.

52 pages

5 m, 8 w, 1 flexible, 4 teen girls, 1 boy

Volunteers from several local churches have opened a mission kitchen, but they soon discover it’s not just the hungry and homeless who need help this Christmas. Claire, one of the mission organizers, is shocked to see her long-estranged sister Jackie coming to the kitchen with her two children. Another worker, Mavis, admits her difficult past to Marvin, a homeless man who is afraid to get back in touch with his family. Plenty of humor is added by Jolee, a naïve, over-eager volunteer, and Albert, a college student overwhelmed by the attention from Wynetta and ...

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...

38 pages

2 m, 3 w, 1 boy.

Lyne and Gary Ambrose don't have the Christmas spirit yet, and may not get it at all this year! Their somewhat spoiled daughter and pampered son-in-law are living with them while he's out of work, and it's a little tense around the house, to say the least. On top of it all, Lyne and Gary agreed to take in a foster child for the holidays, against the advice of their daughter, and the child happens to be the same one who stole Lyne's purse at the mall! Real characters with real problems make this play an affirmation of faith as it reminds us that God does not s...

35 pages

2 m, 2 w, 1 flexible, 1 child, extra voices

Rev. Cordell opens the play as he recalls a Christmas some 20 years earlier when he was trapped with a handful of other strangers by a blizzard in a small Oklahoma diner. He wasn't a pastor then, but a young man full of questions. Seamlessly, we join the group: the owner of the diner who is set in her ways, a middle-aged man with a secret past, an edgy newspaper reporter from out of town, and a young mother completely on her own with a small child who does not speak. No one in the lonesome diner is quite sure of the real meaning of life or where theirs should...

54 pages

6 m, 8 w, 4 children, extras. Doubling possible.

Here’s a wonderful comedy that’s sure to charm audiences of all ages. When pre-teen brats Jimmy Pate and his cousin Brianne don’t get the gifts they think they deserve, they pray to God and ask for no more Christmas. The next year as the holiday fails to materialize, the two kids are the only ones who notice, in hilarious and heart-wrenching ways, that it’s missing. The store owner doesn’t have a clue about Christmas displays, the cable company operator never heard of Christmas movies, and even Jimmy’s older sister thinks the only holiday in December is New Y...

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.

28 pages

Large, flexible cast for adults and children

It’s Christmas Eve and Jim and Nancy Marley, with their three kids, Tom, Belle, and Tony, have just returned from buying more presents at the mall. They agree that they’re too tired to go to church, so after a quick prayer, they head off to bed. But when young Tony makes a special request, Gabriel, the Angel of Christmas Past, appears. He starts the family on a special journey which is soon led by Mike, the Angel of Christmas Present, and then Archie, the Angel of Christmas Future. Needless to say, the family’s journey to Bethlehem that wonderful night change...

35 pages

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

The Christmas manger scene that James Bradbury put up for his children's pleasure five years before has become a neighborhood tradition. It is the WHOLE of Christmas to young Oliver. This year, family conflicts and a death on the street have quenched the Christmas spirit. Father believes it best to forget the usual tableau. But when Ollie makes a sign to nail across the empty shed, the people on the street realize that they all need to get closer to the "grown-up" Christ who came to help. Realistic and touching with a message to make Christmas joyful. Perform...

16 pages

7 m, 10 w, extras.

Each Christmas season an eccentric philanthropist disguises himself to bestow a reward on some worthy recipient for outstanding moral characteristics. This year, disguised as a beggar in the city park, he encounters some colorful characters such as Disco Danny and his Dancing Dolls, who are much too intent on their careers two society ladies who deceive themselves that they are contributors to charity a thief with a smooth tongue and a coat lined with stolen watches the Sweet Singers of Charity and finally Harriet, who gives of herself completely to the orpha...