Christmas

52 pages

4 m, 5 w, 1 teen boy, 1 teen girl, 1 boy, 6 girls

It is Christmas time. The Rasmussen family is gathering at Grandma's country home for the holidays. Everyone will be there - except Grandpa, who died recently. All are concerned for Grandma in her first Christmas without Grandpa, but Danni McKenna, a sort of step-granddaughter, may be the solution. Danni is now living with her stepmom, Samantha, who is Grandma's daughter. Danni has problems. She doesn't want to fit in or maybe she's decided that she can't fit in. She feels unloved and unwanted. By solving Danni's problems Grandma eases the loss of her beloved...

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...

32 pages

4 m, 3 w, 1 flexible, extras.

This innovative play follows a news show's attempt to broadcast the Sorrow of Ramah. Studio hosts, Paula and Jack, try to put the pieces together as investigative reporters, Madeline (in Bethlehem) and Frank (in Jerusalem), talk to various citizens. They interview a scribe from the royal palace, one of the killer soldiers, other-worldly Magi, an earnest innkeeper and his wife, two shepherds, a couple from Mary and Joseph's home town of Nazareth, and an old prophetess at the temple in Jerusalem. As the fascinating interviews unfold, a much bigger story is brou...

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...

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 ...

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.

36 pages

6 m, 6 w.

Here is a modern story of a "prodigal son" and a "prodigal father" as well. Matt McCord left home at an early age because his wealthy father, Sam, who claimed to be a Christian, was so strict. Now, years later, Matt has come home this Christmas Eve, saved and repentant of his earlier, wasted lifestyle and anxious to make peace with his family. Everyone welcomes him with open arms, but father Sam refuses - at first. But, as the family points out, Sam has been a "prodigal father" wasting the love of God and his family in favor of business concerns. Together the...

29 pages

3 m, 2 w, 1 girl.

Meet two families who struggle to remember Christmas without allowing "Time" and "Money" to overtake their lives. Susan and Bob, young marrieds, don't even have time to talk once a week, let alone plan for Christmas. Bob is always flying out of town on business, and Susan is involved in her job and too many other organizations. Their next door neighbor, Claude, helps Susan see the necessity to simplify their lives. Meanwhile, Claude's young granddaughter, Jessica, has written a six-page Christmas wish list. Her parents are frantic, knowing they cannot begin t...

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.

11 pages

9 speaking parts (8 adults, 1 child).

An assorted group of people are more than a little tense when the elevator they're on gets stuck just as the mall is closing on Christmas Eve. But their forced confinement makes them think more seriously about the "mindless celebration" that they've been rushing through, often with some resentment. The more they discuss the real meaning of the season, the more their hearts change. As they are rescued, they realize that although they may never see each other again, they will remember this Christmas forever. Super simple to stage, yet very effective. Performanc...

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...