Christmas

10 pages

by Charlee Cardon Wilson.

19 pages

2 m, 2 w

Perhaps the most perfect Christmas parable ever written is O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi." In this one-act play version is the timeless story of Della and Jim, a struggling young couple who seek to give the other the ideal Christmas gift. They barter their most valued possessions to purchase each other's gifts: Della's beautiful long hair for a watch fob and chain, Jim's watch for a tortoise shell comb set for Della. While the physical gifts prove useless, their love is enriched beyond measure. About 35 minutes. 

15 pages

1 w, 7 flex.

A federal court has ordered that a traditional Christmas cross on top of the fire station not be lighted this year. At a town meeting numerous people voice their opinions, including an ACLU attorney, a born-again Christian, and the free-thinker who brought the suit against the city in the first place. Into this melee walks a pregnant, illegal refugee who needs help. A fascinating play which shows that being a Christian takes more than putting up a Christmas cross.  Performance time: 25 minutes.

18 pages

Flexible cast

Here is an impressive, 45-minute, candle-lighting service for the congregation. The program can be presented with minimum time for rehearsals for there is little memory work needed. Most portions may be read. It's a new and different presentation to interest those who have become bored with the same message heard in the same way.

12 pages

10 speaking parts, angel choir, optional extras.

Here is a beautiful pageant for children with easy-to-learn lines and simple staging and costuming. It's Christmas Day in the year 2050 and the spaceship crew wants to celebrate the holiday - all except for the captain. He says Christmas is just for children. When they come upon three lost angel children there's nothing to do but follow their map to return them to heaven. Once there the crew sings carols and exchanges gifts with all the angels. The captain, however, cannot see anything because he doesn't believe - until he receives the gift of love. About 20 ...

43 pages

2 m, 3 w, 1 teenage girl, 1 boy, extras.

Hollister Day wants to spend the day before Christmas at home with his beloved wife, Mamie, but she insists they help their friend, Octavia, who is weak and bitter from surgery. And help they do - first with Octavia's divorcing daughter and son-in-law, and then with a teenage neighbor who is facing an unplanned pregnancy alone. Holly asks a battered angel doll to help. Through prayer, peace and goodwill is spread and somehow, the battered angel is beautiful again. A unique nativity scene, with children portraying the shepherds spreading the good news of Jesus...

43 pages

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

Hollister Day is trying to get home to his beloved wife, Mamie, in time for the Christmas church service, but his detour to a small motel may be heaven sent. He's needed to unite a regretful grandmother with her lonely grandchild and bitter daughter-in-law to show a young couple the sacredness of marriage and remind a feuding older couple that true love never really dies. Marriage, divorce, the rights of children and grandparents - everyone will identify with these problems which are faced with faith and humor. Performance time: About 70 minutes. 

13 pages

4 m.

A modern retelling of the Job story from the Bible. A fascinating discussion about the differences in modern religions. In the waiting room of an airport in the American Midwest, Joe Barnes, a prosperous businessman, is met by his doctor, Ed Tishman. Joe's wife and children were aboard a plane that crashed at the Tel Aviv airport, and he's waiting to hear what happened to them. Dr. Tishman offers pills to calm Joe's nerves, but he refuses them. Joe recounts his toughness in riding out business losses, but confesses his confidence and faith have now been shake...

20 pages

2-3 adults, 7 children

It’s Christmas Eve in the 1770s, and a father is depressed he cannot afford to buy his eight motherless children any gifts. Suddenly he thinks of a present that won’t break or wear out, one they can all enjoy together. He sings a beautiful round about the Savior’s birth and the children quickly join in. An old sea captain living upstairs offers them money for peace and quiet. But without singing, the family’s mood becomes somber once again. Father tells the oldest child to return the moneythe family is going to sing! Ultimately, the old captain still gives th...

32 pages

3 m, 1 w.

Three wounded Confederate soldiers are confined to a makeshift field hospital and cared for by Liddy, a black woman. As the men's differing personalities begin to clash, they gradually uncover a dark, common past which has shaped their present, and threatens to destroy their future. They become embroiled in their own personal "civil war," and each struggles with his own form of slavery. Liddy, assumed to be a slave, offers the only key to freedom for them all: the self-denial and humility of the first Christmas. This uniquely American drama is beautiful and p...

17 pages

Large, flexible cast.

PowerPoint visuals, music, and narration blend together to form this beautiful Christmas program that you personalize to make uniquely yours. "God's Great Gift" is seen through three program parts: the Creation story, the Christmas story, and your own church story. Start with our eight photos of the heavens taken from outer space (included) and collect your own slides along with statements of thanksgiving from each of your Sunday school classes. Adults and children alike can celebrate together in this service of worship because the production is done ahead of...

29 pages

20 characters. (2 m, 1 w plus other parts which can be played by males or females.)

Friar Francis and Friar Juniper decide to re-enact the First Nativity for the people of their town at Christmas. They ask the nearby animals if their ancestors were at the First Nativity and could tell them what it was like. They encounter an amusing variety of creatures, reflecting a range of human follies. But the animals they encounter are all too busy with themselves to give Friar Francis what he wants. In despair, Friar Francis lies down for a nap. As he sleeps it is disclosed that Friar Juniper and all the animals have secretly been rehearsing for weeks...

0 pages

5 m, 3 w, and two choruses

Ivan and Victor, two somewhat weary and cynical men, have just finished playing the roles of the magi in the church's Christmas pageant when they realize the third man, who was recruited at the last minute, insists upon still being called Balthazar. Confused about him and curious why the other church members haven't returned to change out of their costumes, the two men return to the nativity scene on stage to find the cast, like Balthazar, really believe themselves to be at the stable that special, holy night. Five original, unforgettable songs. This is an id...

14 pages

2-3 puppet masters, 2-3 voices, 2 narrators, 1 stagehand

How can an angel do an important job when he can’t fly? This heartwarming and delightful story, told by narrators and shown with puppets, takes us back to the journey Mary and Joseph made to Bethlehem. Complete with a donkey seller, innkeepers, an innkeeper’s wife, shepherds, and a wise guy, the angel must deliver important messages, often after crashing from the sky! Ultimately the angel and the visitors come to worship the baby, the king, and someday, the Savior of the world. With gentle humor, “The Stable Story” shows us that Christmas is filled with mirac...

0 pages

flexible cast

These five different Christmas pageants put the Gospel of Jesus firmly at the center of spiritual dramas that grapple with the events and basic needs of everyday life. Each hour-long program represents an entire service, including a responsive reading, a place for a message from the pastor and an offering, all interspersed with suggested songs that can be sung by a choir, a group of children, or the congregation as a whole. Each script offers active speaking and non-speaking roles for 40 to 50 participants. These pageants present an ideal opportunity for wors...