In Celebration of Jesus

In Celebration of Jesus" is a heartwarming and powerful story about loss, faith, and redemption. The story follows Papa, a man who has turned away from God after the death of his wife, and Nora, his young daughter who remains steadfast in her faith. Despite his bitterness, Nora continually reminds Papa of Jesus' love, praying that he will return to God.

As Christmas approaches, Nora longs for a tree to celebrate Jesus, but Papa refuses. In frustration, she runs into a blizzard to find him, leading to a desperate search. When Papa finds her barely conscious, he realizes the depth of his love for both Nora and God. 

This touching story beautifully illustrates God's power to heal broken hearts and restore faith through love and devotion.

Run-Time

Approximately 30-40 minutes

Cast Number

• Papa (Father, grieving and distant)
• Nora (His loving, faith-filled daughter)
• Grandmother (Caring and wise)
• Doctor (Small but pivotal role)
• Narrator (Optional for storytelling format)
• Additional Roles (Optional for townspeople, hospital staff, or church members)

Biblical Reference

• John 11:25-26 – “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.’”
• Psalm 34:18 – “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
• Luke 15:24 – “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”

.How This Story Can Be Told

"In Celebration of Jesus" can be presented in multiple formats:

1. Narrative Play Format – A mix of narration and acted-out scenes to keep the story flowing smoothly while allowing deep emotional engagement.
2. Traditional Play Format – Fully acted scenes with dialogue adapted from the story.
3. Readers' Theater – A dramatic reading where actors voice the characters with minimal staging.
4. Monologue with Visuals – A single narrator tells the story while images or live-action moments are displayed.

Sample Script:

Papa trudged on into the night, stumbling through the deep snow, snow sometimes to his knees. He held the lantern high, as though he could force it to pierce the dark curtain of snow and ice that bit into his face like a thousand tiny needles. The wind seemed to use the snow and ice like a hand to slap his face until it burned and stung. Still holding the lantern high, he tried to use his other hand to hold his collar over his cheek, peering through the crack between his coat and cap. If it was this hard for him, he thought, what must it be doing to little Nora?

Nora is his little girl. Nora is seven years old. Every day when papa comes home from work, Nora is there, waiting for him by the door. She comes running and jumps flying into his arms, squealing with delight. First, she hugs him, squeezing him around the neck and kissing him, then she holds his face in her little hands and gazes at him as though he was her special treasure, and tells him how much she loves him.

Nora is so tiny and delicate, very small for her age, very fragile, like a beautiful flower. She's always laughing, always smiling, always there. She would take Papa by the hand, and pull and tug on him, leading him in front of his big easy chair. Then he would take off his coat and give it to Nora, and she would run to hang it up. Then she would come and gently shove him into his chair and pick up his feet, one at a time, and place them on the footstool. She would take off his shoes, put on his slippers, and bring him the daily paper.

Then Nora would come to the side of Papa's chair, putting her elbows on the arm of the chair and her face in her hands. She would watch him intently as he read his paper.

Sometimes Papa would say, "Nora, why don't you go play?"

"No, thank you," Nora would say, "I'm fine right here. I like to watch you."

When he was through with the paper, they would go eat supper. Nora would not eat supper until Papa came home, no matter how late it was. Papa would pull his chair up to the table, ready to dig in, but Nora would always remind him,

"It's time to pray."

Then they would give thanks for the food and eat.

Want to see how the story unfolds? DramaShare members get this complete script— and access to our entire library—free! Not a member? You can still grab this individual script and bring it to life.