Summary: A conversation between friends about handling the Christmas season and stress of life.
Style: Dramatic/comedy Duration: Approx. 5 minutes
Actors: 2F
Script
(Woman 1 on phone)
Woman 1: Hey hon, I was just checking. Do you know if your sister is coming for Christmas? Unhuh, ok, I see. Ok, I guess I’ll mark that down. Alright, I love you, see you tonight.
(Hangs up and makes notes on her paper.)
Woman 2: What are you doing?
Woman 1: Oh, I’m just writing down all the stuff we have coming up to do, either Christmas or the kids concerts and their sporting events.
Woman 2: Woah, that’s a lot!
Woman 1: Tell me about it. And I’m sure I’m forgetting something.
Woman 2: What’s the second column for?
Woman 1: Oh, that’s for my coping ideas.
Woman 2: Coping ideas?
Woman 1: Yeah, from the sermon on Sunday. Pastor was talking about coping and how this is the season for coping. Oh man, did I feel that to the very depths of my soul.
Woman 2: What? Were we listening to the same sermon?
Woman 1: I think so, it was just this last Sunday.
Woman 2: He talked about hope.
Woman 1- That’s right chope
Woman 2: No, hhhhope, not ccchope
Woman 1: Oh, I guess I was a little distracted breaking up my kids fighting and then the youngest spilled his drink. It was a hot mess. But man, I felt like he was speaking right to me about coping.
Woman 2: I guess you don’t need the list anymore.
Woman 1: Are you kidding me? Did you see how long this list is? I’m overwhelmed just looking at it. I really need to start on this second column. There isn’t a reason not to finish it.
Woman 2: I see what you mean. So what ideas do you have for the second column?
Woman 1: I was thinking something along the lines of pounds of chocolate and gallons of coffee.
Woman 2: That doesn’t seem super helpful.
Woman 1: I know, I know. I’m just being honest. Throw in a few tears and that’s my usual method. But I was thinking of maybe adding something different. Like taking a walk or bubble baths.
Woman 2: That sounds nice. But I’m not sure if that’s really the right idea.
Woman 1: What do you mean? Do you have some other way to deal with all this? Sports, family, Jr High band concerts Look, I don't want to do anything illegal.
Woman 2: It just seems like if you think about the sermon, you should be focusing on hope.
Woman 1: Hope? Like I really hope that kid that plays the flute hits the right notes this year or stays home sick? Because I really do hope that. I mean, really, really hope that.
Woman 2: I feel you there, but I was talking about real hope.
Woman 1: I’ve heard it all, this is the season of hope. Hope doesn’t disappoint blah, blah. I just don’t know. It feels like honestly, hope sucks. You get excited about something and it feels good, but then reality isn’t everything you hoped it would be and you’re left feeling worse than you were before. It would be easier to just not get your hopes up.
Woman 2: No, I’m talking about hope that isn’t based on our circumstances. It doesn’t matter what’s going on around us, it’s this deep hope that comes from God.
Woman 1: Again I hear what you’re saying. I just don’t see how it applies to this. I’m just trying to keep my head above water here. I really need better coping skills, I just don’t think hope is going to help me in this.
Woman 2: I get how it can feel that way, but hear me out. Coping is all about you and what you can do. If I do this, then I will be able to survive. Hope is about Him and what He already did.
Woman 1: Ok.
Woman 2: Listen, I know that right now you are just looking at this list and thinking, “Thanks a lot. I really just want to curl up in a ball and cry and you’re over here kicking me while I’m down.” I’m not trying to do that at all.
Woman 1: I’m not going to lie, that’s exactly what I’m feeling. I’m overwhelmed and you’re just putting one more thing on my to do list. Hope?
Woman 2: Why do we call Christmas the season of hope?
Woman 1: I don’t know. We hope that we can survive it? We hope that winter won’t last forever and that spring will come. We hope that the kids will like the presents we got them.
Woman 2: It’s called the season of hope, because of what we are celebrating. We’re celebrating Jesus being born. Emmanuel, God with us. God with us, that’s hope!
Woman 1: I see what you’re saying. Ok, but how does that get me through the hours of bleacher sitting and Jr High band concerts?
Woman 2: How can it not? You have God with you, sitting right there on the bleachers with you. You have God right beside you enjoying that joyful noise that the flute is making. It doesn’t change the circumstances, it changes your heart.
Woman 1: I need that.
Woman 2: Trust me when I say this, me too!
Woman 1: So what you’re saying is that I don’t need better coping skills, I need better hoping skills.
Woman 2: Haha, I love it! Yes!
Woman 1: So how do we do that?
Woman 2: I think it starts with this. Acknowledging that maybe we have a problem and we need His help.
Woman 1: I can do that.
Woman 2: And maybe next we spend some time taking that walk or bubble bath, but while we do it we talk to Him.
Woman 1: Hey I can do that too. I could even talk to Him while I’m eating my chocolate and sipping my coffee.
Woman 2: Sign me up for that!
Woman 1: Suddenly this list doesn’t seem so long anymore.
Woman 2: And that my friend is hope. Real hope
…………………………………….
© Michelle Patterson, All rights reserved.
This script may be used free of charge, on the condition that copies are not sold for profit in any medium, nor any entrance fee charged to a performance. In exchange, the author would appreciate being notified of any occasion the poem is used in public performance. She may be contacted at: