I went to a convent school. So, the concept of plays is something that I have grown up with. Christmas is one of the few holidays that has the capacity to bring the world together. No matter which hemisphere you belong to or religion you follow, everyone looks forward to Christmas and its festivities.

• Play #1
• Play #2
• Play #3

Be it a crib in the corner of the room, a star, a "three kings" costume, or simply caroling in the neighborhood, the Christmas spirit flows through each one of us. This play was written by a very active mother, Cheryl Roan, for her daughter's Sunday School. I loved it at first sight as it is one of the best scripts for kids. Hence, this is my first recommendation. Characters Our scene begins with the Angel sitting high off to one side singing - "Oh Holy Night" (1st verse) ANGEL: The time is early evening, the year is 1995. Mary, who is very pregnant, and her husband Joseph are on their way to Jerusalem, Ohio to spend the holidays with family. As they are traveling in their car just outside Bethlehem, Pennsylvania... (Mary and Joseph enter through the side door in their car and drive to the center aisle turn. They drive down the center in a cardboard cutout of a car, each carrying one of them making it look like they are riding in it. Someone makes the car sounds, then the car dies. Mary and Joseph should be in the middle aisle, about 4 rows down. They drop the car when it dies.) JOSEPH: Oh great!!! Car trouble. This is just what we needed. MARY: Oh Joseph, what are we going to do? JOSEPH: I see a town up ahead. We'll have to walk to get a room for the night and fix the car tomorrow. (Mary and Joseph walk down the center aisle to the back of the church, turn left, then walk up the side aisle to the front) (From the back of the church, Mary speaks.) MARY: How much further, Joseph. I don't think I'll make it. JOSEPH: Hold on, Mary, we are almost there. (He puts his arm around Mary to support her). (Almost to the front of the church) JOSEPH: Here's a motel. I'll get us a room. (Enters motel - a clerk is standing in the front corner of the church) (To the clerk, Joseph says) We'd like a room for the night. MOTEL CLERK 1: I'm sorry. I don't have any vacancies. JOSEPH: Okay. Thank you. (He and Mary leave and go to the next motel.) (The 2nd clerk is standing in the front center of the church) JOSEPH: We'd like a room for the night. MOTEL CLERK 2: I'm sorry, I don't have any rooms left. There is a big Christmas celebration in our little town of Bethlehem. You will probably have a hard time finding a room. JOSEPH: Thank you. (He and Mary go on to the 3rd motel.) (The 3rd clerk is standing on the left side of the front of the church) (As they go into the 3rd motel, Mary who is tired & worn and beginning to have pains, holds her stomach and says) MARY: Joseph, I think the baby will be born tonight, we must find a hospital. (Joseph now speaking to the 3rd motel clerk) JOSEPH: Where is the nearest hospital. My wife is going to have her baby. MOTEL CLERK 3: Our nearest hospital is over 70 miles away and she doesn't look like she'd make it that far. We have someone in town who delivers babies in our homes. JOSEPH: Then I need a room, and could you call this person. MOTEL CLERK 3: I'm sorry, I don't have any vacancies. (Joseph looks frantic and Mary is about to faint.) (The clerk realizing the situation is desperate says...) MOTEL CLERK 3: I have a room out back in my barn you may use. Here are some blankets and I'll call the nurse to come and check on your wife. (Mary and Joseph who are grateful, take the blankets) MARY and JOSEPH: Thank you. (Mary and Joseph exit carrying their blankets. They walk back on stage towards the center, open blanket, and settle down on it.) (Curtain is closed to cover Mary and Joseph. They quietly get into their costumes to play the roll of Biblical Mary and Joseph.) ANGEL: While Mary and Joseph are in the process of becoming parents, the townspeople and visitors are gathering around the town tree to celebrate the Christmas season. (Piano plays softly while Townspeople walk up to the corner of the stage where the tree is, but Person # 1 stops to talk to Clerk # 3, while they aren't talking out loud we will soon see what they were talking about. Clerk # 3 heads toward the town tree with the rest of the townspeople. Person # 1 looks at the townspeople and sees 2 friends whom Person # 1 motions to them to come here. They come back down off stage to see what he/she wants. Piano should be playing very softly while the townspeople are beginning to feel the mood of Christmas.) WISE MAN # 1: Guess what? A baby was just born in the barn behind Bethlehem Inn. WISE MAN # 2: Really?? There was no room for them at the inn? (Person # 1 shakes head no) Let's go see. WISE MAN # 3: Maybe they are hungry, let's take some food for them as a gift and we can see the baby. WISE MAN # 1 & # 2: (in unison) Yea! (They each grab food and run toward the barn.) (Have a basket of fruit sitting nearby, a bottle of drink, and some cookies) (The 3 persons put on their wise men costumes behind the curtain and gather their gifts wrapped in silver and gold). Towns people sing song - "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem". Nursery class recites pieces (young children reciting very small parts that they have memorized... such as the youngest saying just "Merry Christmas") (If we need more time to get dressed townspeople will sing - "Away in the Manager") then the Angel speaks: ANGEL: While the townspeople celebrate, Mary who is exhausted falls into a deep sleep and begins to dream about the Christ child. This is her dream. Curtain opens. (3 wise men walk toward Mary & Joseph with presents in their hands.) WISE MAN # 1: We are the wise men. WISE MAN # 2:We have traveled far to see the Christ child. WISE MAN # 3: We have come to worship our Savior and have brought him gifts. WISE MAN # 1: I have brought him a gift of gold (wise man kneels) WISE MAN # 2: I have brought a gift of silver for him. (wise man kneels) WISE MAN # 3: I bring to him the gift of frankincense & myrrh. (wise man kneels) (Mary and Joseph look at them and smile their thanks and bow their heads) (Curtain closes.) (Mary, Joseph, and the wise men remove their costumes to go back to 1995.) Townspeople sing song - (ask audience to join in singing) "We Three Kings" Primary class recites pieces (ages 6 & 7 saying small parts that they have memorized. may be one line or whole verse depending on capabilities of each child) (Curtain opens.) (Mary is asleep. 3 townspeople are walking towards them with gifts of food.) JOSEPH: Mary... Mary, honey - wake up - we have visitors. (Mary awakens - looking a little bewildered, sits up) WISE MAN # 1: Hi - we were celebrating with the townspeople down by the town tree when we heard about a baby being born in a barn. WISE MAN # 2: We thought maybe you would be hungry and we brought you some gifts of food. WISE MAN # 3: This is just like the birth of our Savior so many years ago... (All the Persons smile and hand them the gifts of food and look at the baby.) (Mary looks out at the audience & says) MARY: It wasn't a dream. . . . (Spoken in a kind of "awed" "wow" sounding voice) Isn't this play just awesome. Yes, it embodies the birth of Christ, then and now! It can be played by any age group and can take a time span of 30 minutes to an hour, depending on editing. You can have a play along the concept of a boy who is lost, and guided into the right way of thinking by 3 of his brothers. Synopsis: Christopher was a typical 14 year old. He was tall and smart. Unfortunately, he used his abilities to bully his classmates and manipulate people. His family knew he was a good person deep down, but was just in the wrong company. He had 3 elder brothers who always looked out for him. One Christmas break, his brothers take him to another city and enroll him in a school there. Soon, he learns what it is like to be all alone and have no friends. He tries to be the way he was in his previous school, but here, there are bigger boys, and meaner girls. He now realizes that he would rather try to befriend people than bully them. Slowly, he starts making friends, and softens up. He lets himself care about people and concentrate on studies. Now, his brothers take him back to his old school, and he is still the caring and good person he was in the previous one. This is when his brothers sit him down and tell him why they did this. He thanks them and promises them that he will stay away from being a bully. This play is a great way to give teenagers some perspective and relativity. This play can go on for around 45 minutes to an hour. This one is about Santa and Mrs. Claus. It is called "Can Mrs. Claus Save Christmas?" Synopsis: It is two weeks until Christmas and exhausted Santa wistfully dreams of a vacation in Hawaii. But even with the elves working hard and Mrs. Claus checking the list of good girls and boys, he just doesn't have the time. Meanwhile, villain Gil Bates, a multimillionaire video game manufacturer, longs for the one thing he does not have - the love of children. Bates knows that Santa is loved by all kids, so he decides to kidnap Santa and force him to reveal the secret of his magic. Bates successfully lures Santa to Hawaii, supposedly to check out a new video game, but he underestimates the determination of Mrs. Claus and her helpful elves, Shimmer and Twinkle. Alas! Even when Santa does reveal the secret behind his magic, Bates' meanness proves to be his own undoing! Driving the sleigh drives him crazy, and he is taken away to jail by his own employees. Santa is free and with the help of Mrs. Claus and the elves, he can work his holiday magic once again. Christmas is saved! This is a typical fantasy play which can be enacted by people of any age. In fact, it is one of the best Christmas acts for small churches. It can go on for around 40 minutes. If you have a time restraint of 30 minutes, the right kind of editing and direction can help you maintain it.