Style: Lighthearted. Duration: 20min
Actors: Flexible cast, from 10-40
Script
Song: I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas
(During the song White Christmas a small group of students come out and onto the stage dressed in blankets and scarves.)
Person 1: Hang on a second, White Christmas? When did we ever have a white Christmas?
Person 2: Well once my brother got a beanbag as a present and my mum tried to help him fill it up while the fan was still on and the little beans went everywhere and it was almost a …
Person 3: I don’t think that’s what the song is about.
Person 4: No, it’s about snow
Person 5: Everyone knows that Christmas is all about snow.
Person 6: And presents,
Everyone: Yeah and presents
Narrator One: Do you all want to know what Christmas is really about? I could tell you the story of the first Christmas.
Everyone: Was it white?
Narrator Two: No I don’t think it was
Everyone: Phew (drop blankets)
Narrator Two: But there were some great presents. You see, it all started about 2000 years ago in a town a long, long way away.
Narrator Two: Was it a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away?
Narrator One: Not in a different galaxy, but something supernatural was about to happen. About two thousand years ago, in the town of Nazareth, there lived a young woman named Mary. She was engaged to be married to Joseph, a carpenter. When God saw Mary, he knew she was a faithful and wonderful person.
Song: O Come All Ye Faithful
(While song is playing Mary and Joseph enter, Joseph does some carpentry work while Mary folds the blankets dropped by the White Christmas group etc.)
Narrator Three: Mary was just going about her daily business when an angel appeared before her.
Angel: Mary I am an Angel, I am appearing before you.
Mary: Merry Christmas
Narrator Four: Wait a second, how can Mary wish him a Merry Christmas? You said this was the story of the first Christmas.
Narrator Three: Oh yeah, sorry, so Mary just said hello politely then, but it was what the angel said that was really important anyway. You see, the Angel came to Mary and said…
Angel: Mary.
Narrator Four: And he said…
Narrator Three: He? How do we know the angel was a boy, it could have been a girl angel.
Narrator Four: That’s true, and maybe it was, but you are forgetting that it was what the angel said that was important not what they looked like.
Narrator Three: Okay, well what did the Angel say?
Angel: Mary, you have been chosen to have a baby, a very special baby. The baby will be God's son and you will call him Jesus.
Narrator Four: Wow, that is a pretty cool thing to say.
Narrator Three: Told you.
Song: Joy to the World
Narrator Five: But things were not easy for Mary and Joseph. Joseph had a visit from an Angel, as well so he knew all about Jesus, but there was this Roman ruler named Caesar Augustus who decided that he was going to hold a census.
Narrator Six: What’s a census?
Narrator Five: It’s sort of like taking the roll for a really big group of people.
Narrator Six: I guess that doesn’t sound too bad.
Narrator Five: But everyone had to go back to the city in which they were born before they could take the census.
Narrator Six: Just like going to our classrooms to take the roll.
Narrator Five: Sort of, but Joseph was born in a place called Bethlehem and it was about 70 miles (110 kilometers) away from where they were.
Narrator Six: Is that like all the way to (insert teachers classroom or Sunday school room name) room?
Narrator Five: No, it’s even further than that, it’s almost as far as (appropriate city that far from performance).
Narrator Six: Okay, that would be a long way, did they have to catch the bus?
Narrator Five: There were no buses. This happened thousands of years ago, way before anyone invented the bus. Joseph had to walk but Mary got to ride a donkey over the hills of Galilee.
Song: Little Donkey
(During this performance Mary, Joseph and Donkey need to travel over the hills. This was originally performed completely with puppets but can be modified to suit cast numbers and skills of available people)
Narrator Seven: After a very long and bumpy trip, Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem.
Narrator Eight: How many people had to go back to where they were born?
Narrator Seven: Everyone.
Narrator Eight: I bet it was pretty busy in the city.
Narrator Seven: It was very busy. People were rushing around and the city was very full.
Narrator Eight: I hope Mary and Joseph rang and booked ahead.
Narrator Seven: No, Mary and Joseph didn’t book ahead. How could they book ahead? The telephone wouldn’t be invented for another 1876 years.
Narrator Eight: I don’t know, they could have sent a pigeon.
Narrator Seven: A pigeon?
Narrator Eight: A carrier pigeon with a little note requesting a room with a view.
Narrator Seven: Unfortunately Mary and Joseph did not think to send a pigeon with a note and so they had to try to find a place to sleep when they arrived.
No Room at inn Montage
(This was originally done with a group of students giving reasons various reasons why Mary and Joseph couldn’t stay at their inn. This scene could easy be omitted from the play)
Narrator Nine: Finally, after Mary’s feet were very sore, they came across a pleasant inn keeper.
Joseph: Hello
Inn Keeper: Hello, I am a pleasant inn keeper.
Joseph: Could we stay here tonight? My wife is going to have a baby and we can’t find anywhere to stay.
Inn Keeper: I’m sorry I have no room left at my inn, there is a census going on, we have been booked out for weeks. You really should have sent a pigeon.
(They turn to leave)
Inn Keeper: Wait, if you don’t mind a bit of mess you could stay in the stable. There are lots of old tools in the corner and Daisy my goat is tied up on a post but it is warm and will keep you dry for the night. I can ask my wife to get you some blankets and a few pillows.
Joseph: That would be wonderful.
Narrator Nine: So Mary and Joseph spent the night in the stable, surrounded by hay and animals.
Song: Away in a manger
Narrator ten: During the night, Mary gave birth to a beautiful baby boy and they named him Jesus.
Narrator Eleven: She had him right there in the stable?
Narrator Ten: Well, yeah.
Narrator Eleven: With the cows and the sheep and the horses?
Narrator ten: I’m not sure how many animals were there, but yes she had the king of kings in a stable.
Song: Silent Night
Narrator Twelve: At the same time, on a hillside overlooking Bethlehem, some shepherds were watching over their sheep.
Song: When Jesus Was Born
(This was originally accompanied by Shepherd and Sheep dance number, the students dressed up as sheep and shepherds and danced together)
Narrator Thirteen: A bright light appeared in the sky. The shepherds were very afraid.
Narrator Twelve: Was it a lighthouse?
Narrator Thirteen: Sorry?
Narrator Twelve: The bright light, was it a lighthouse on the hill.
Narrator Thirteen: Why would the shepherds be afraid of a lighthouse?
Narrator Twelve: Were they near the ocean?
Narrator Thirteen: Not exactly.
Narrator Twelve: Well, I’d be afraid of a lighthouse if it wasn’t anywhere near the water.
Narrator thirteen: It wasn’t a lighthouse.
Narrator Twelve: Was it a ..
Narrator Thirteen: No, it wasn’t.
Narrator Twelve: You don’t even know what I was going to say.
Narrator Thirteen: Were you going to say an angel sent by God?
Narrator Twelve: No.
Narrator Thirteen: Then you would have been wrong because that is exactly what it was.
Narrator Twelve: Cool
Narrator Thirteen: The angel told them not to be afraid, because he had some good news. He said the Son of God had been born and they would find Him in Bethlehem.
Song: Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Narrator Fourteen: The shepherds went to go and see the baby in the stable, they were filled with joy at seeing Jesus lying in the manger.
Narrator Fifteen: Who was looking after their sheep?
Narrator Fourteen: Sorry?
Narrator Fifteen: Their sheep, did they just leave their sheep all by themselves, that’s not very responsible. Or did they take the sheep with them, it probably wasn’t very hygienic to take sheep near a new born baby.
Narrator Fourteen: At the end of the night most of the sheep would have been asleep and so I am sure that one of the shepherds could have stayed behind while the others went to see Jesus.
Narrator fifteen: That’s not very fair
Narrator Fourteen: What isn’t very fair?
Narrator Fifteen: He would have missed out on meeting Jesus, then all his friends would have come back and been talking about it and he would have to just pretend he was there and laugh along.
Narrator Fourteen: Maybe he went to visit after the others came back.
Narrator Fifteen: Really?
Narrator Fourteen: Mary and Joseph stayed in Bethlehem for a while so I’m sure that the last shepherd could have visited him later.
Narrator Fifteen: That’s okay then.
Narrator Fourteen: Happy?
Narrator Fifteen: Happy.
Narrator Fourteen: So the shepherds went to Jesus and they knelt down and worshipped Him.
Song: Mary’s Boy Child
Narrator Sixteen: Far away in the East, Wise Men saw a new star shining high in the sky. These men studied the stars and they knew this was a very special star.
Narrator Seventeen: You mean they were astronomers.
Narrator Sixteen: Sorry?
Narrator Seventeen: People who study the stars are called astronomers, don’t they teach you anything at that fancy school of yours.
Song: We Three Kings
(Wise men walk across the stage following student dressed as star.)
Narrator Eighteen: The wise men set off to find the king.
Narrator Nineteen: Did they have donkeys too?
(all of the puppet students run out onto the stage excited)
Narrator Eighteen: No, they probably rode horses or camels (Donkeys puppeteers walk off sadly)
Narrator Nineteen: Sorry guys, I’m sure they all liked donkeys.
Narrator Eighteen: Um yes, sorry, the donkey is a very noble animal; I’m sure they all had pet donkeys. The wise men followed the star to the stable in Bethlehem. Here they knelt down and worshipped Jesus. They gave him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
(Originally at the conclusion of the play there was a small sermon followed by the entire cast and singers singing:
Jingle Bells
Do You Hear What I Hear
(And concluding with)
We Wish you a Merry Christmas
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