Christmas

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 ...

52 pages

9 boys, 8 girls, 1-5 flexible, many extras, choir

Christmas is a time for singing, and this children's musical features festive folk music for a lively portrayal of the birth of Baby Jesus. Eight original songs including a warm welcoming song, "Shalom!" and a song with claps, "The Angels' Song," keep the action moving and the children totally involved. Some other songs include "May's Song," and "I Know His Name." There are also opportunities to add a favorite carol or two, if desired. The costumes, props and staging are simple, the narratives short enough for easy memorization, and the music arranged for the...

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.

45 pages

5 m, 5 w, 1 flexible, 2 boys, 1 girl, extras, choir

Imagine the Christmas story written, directed and performed by teenagers! Follow the antics of CJ, the author of this wild and crazy nativity scene, along with Amos and Jordy, two idiotic stagehands, as they try to retell the story of the nativity from a "teenager's point of view." After watching a rehearsal and weathering an emotional explosion from a stuffy lady of the congregation, the Pastor reminds CJ and the rest of the teens that, although it is okay to have fun in the Christmas program, there is still a holiness about the entire event that should neve...

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...

14 pages

3 m, 4 w.

A group of modern teenagers discuss how disenchanted they are with Christmas. By a miracle, the television becomes a time machine. Mary appears and tells them what it was like to be a young, frightened girl visited by an angel and finding herself pregnant in an era when that was punishable by death. The kids are amazed to realize that teens were involved in the first Christmas.

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.

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...