Simple Complicated Christmas Message

A group of young people are recruited, some unwillingly, to participate in the church Christmas drama. They try, with some humour, to get to the bottom of why this Christmas message has been around for thousands of years yet just doesn’t seem to resonate with many people.
Easily staged drama, includes a short song.

Cast: 10 (could be male or female)
Penny teen
Susan teen
Wendy teen
Donna teen
Peter teen
Dean pre-teen
Patti pre-teen
Brenda pre-teen
Darlene pre-teen
Johnny young boy (5-7)

Set: blank

Lighting: standard

Sound: wireless mics would be useful if available
MP3 file of “Message Of That First Christmas” song to the tune of “White Christmas” can be downloaded from DramaShare site

Costumes: standard leisure clothes

Sample of script:

At lights up Donna, Dean and Darlene are sitting on stage, staring at the floor, shaking heads, sighing
The rest of the actors come on stage after a few seconds, Johnny is in a downstage position so he will be seen

Penny: Isn’t this exciting? . . To be part of the church Christmas concert!

Patti: I’m with you Penny, I could hardly wait to get to the church before Mrs. Thompson handed out all the parts; I simply had to be in this concert! It is like . . heaven . . to get this opportunity!

Johnny: Wooohooo!

Peter: Well I am glad to be part of the drama as well, I just hope they have a mature part for an older man.

Brenda: But I thought this play was all kids, where are we gonna get an older man?

Peter, annoyed: I was talkin’ about me, Brenda!

Penny: All I know is this is this is about the greatest thing that could ever happen to any of us!

Johnny: Dynamite!

Donna: You guys don’t get out much do you?

Penny: Well if you didn’t want to be in the Christmas play why did you volunteer?

Donna: I did not volunteer! . . I put my hand up to ask if I could go to the bathroom and Mrs. Thompson went and wrote my name down for a part.

Darlene: My mom volunteered me. . . (phoney smile) . . But I’m so happy to be here! . . . Not!

Wendy: My Dad said, “You gotta be a joiner, Wendy!” . . Now if I could just figure out how to be an unjoiner!

Penny: Come on guys, it won’t be all that bad, likely.

Brenda: Kinda like pokin’ your finger in your eye . . feels so good when its over.

Patti: Never know, we might find that we have some talent for this kinda thing.

Peter: Oh there’s no doubt I have talent, it’s just do I want to use up my talent in a church skit.

Donna: Everyone needs a fan Peter, and you are for sure your number one fan.

Darlene: How come we gotta go and have a Christmas skit every Christmas?

Donna: Yeh why can’t it be like leap year, come around every ten years.

Peter: Leap year happens every four years Donna.

Donna: Except when cancelled through lack of interest. . . if you get the connection.

Susan: I really wish you guys wouldn’t be so negative; this could be a ton of fun.

Donna, frowns: Don’t you see the big happy smile on my face?

Dean: Maybe I could tell Mrs. Thompson I got some awful disease and can’t be around people until after Christmas.

Brenda: What disease you gonna have Dean?

Dean: I dunno, . . maybe rabies.

Peter: I don’t think rabies is contagious unless you bite someone.

Patti: You try bitin’ me I smack you real good Dean Richards!

Donna: Who do you suppose we have to be in this dumb Christmas skit?

Darlene: Likely shepherds again.

Peter: I hate bein’ a shepherd! . . Other guys wearin’ the shepherds beards go and drool all over the beards and they stink real bad!

Susan: It’s not that bad Peter!

Peter: Not that bad? . . Last Christmas I had to hold my breath the whole time I wore that sick beard.

Dean: You just might be stretchin’ it a little Peter. . . The skit lasted over an hour . . Likely you can’t hold your breath that long.

Brenda: Go on and show us how you can hold your breath for an hour Peter . . anything I can do to help?

Brenda: I hear one more time about wise guys I just might upchuck!

Brenda: I was the centurion in our Easter play . . and I just know this will be even way more fun.

Darlene: A lotta times a Roman centurion was a man, way I heard it.

Dean: Well this drama thing is silly, mostly, far as I’m concerned.

Wendy: I think I would make an awesome centurion, with my excellent singing voice and all.

everyone stops, tries to focus

Darlene: Whatever Wendy!

Susan: Personally I enjoy drama, making a character come alive.

Penny: You are a good actress Susan, I don’t have your talent but I just think it’s great to be in the Christmas pageant, lots of people will be at the performance, it’s our chance to tell them the story of the birth of Jesus.

Donna: Again? . . . Do you have any idea how gazillion many times people have heard the story of the birth of Jesus?

Patti: I know Donna, they have heard it . . . but have they understood? . . I mean this is like our opportunity to make them understand what the birth of Jesus was all about.

Donna: Oh sure Patti! . . . Like the world is waiting for a bunch of kids to explain what preachers and stuff can’t explain!

Peter: Not kids, all of us . . some of us are . . . mature.

Darlene: Give it a rest Peter . . You are like a couple of years older than me, so get a life!

Susan: I think that is like the cool thing about doing drama, people of all ages, and all talents can do drama.

Wendy: Me too! . . I wonder if Mrs. Thompson will have a singing part for me?
(sings, badly off key)
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know. .

all others except Susan and Johnny make faces, say: “Oh no!” “Please stop!” “That’s awful” etc.

Johnny: That was cool Wendy!

Susan: Well I am sure that there will be several parts that don’t require singing Wendy. . . (realizes what she has said) . . . Sorry I didn’t mean anything bad by what I said I mean it’s just that . . .

Brenda: What Susan meant to say is . . “As a singer you would make a great baseball player.”

The complete script, plus all 2,000 other DramaShare scripts, are available at no charge to DramaShare members, non-members may purchase the individual script.

Christmas message is more than 2,000 years old.

Why does God's message of love not resonate even though it has been explained and proclaimed over and over.A group of young people are recruited, some unwillingly, to participate in the church Christmas drama and they try, with some humour, to get to the bottom of why most people simply aren't listening.

Cast: 10 could be m or f

• Penny teen
• Susan teen
• Wendy teen
• Donna teen
• Peter teen
• Dean pre-teen
• Patti pre-teen
• Brenda pre-teen
• Darlene pre-teen
• Johnny young boy (5-7)

Bible Reference: Luke 2:30
Set: standard
Sound: wireless mics if possible
Song:

• MP3 file of "Message Of That First Christmas" song to the tune of “White Christmas” which can be accessed and downloaded from several locations on the internet.

Lighting: standard
SFX: none
Props: none
Costumes: standard leisure clothes
Special Instructions: none
Time: 30

Sample of script:

At lights up Donna, Dean and Darlene are sitting on stage, staring at the floor, shaking heads, sighing
The rest of the actors come on stage after a few seconds, Johnny is in a downstage position so he will be seen

Penny: Isn’t this exciting? . . To be part of the church Christmas concert!

Patti: I’m with you Penny, I could hardly wait to get to the church before Mrs. Thompson handed out all the parts; I simply had to be in this concert! It is like . . heaven . . to get this opportunity!

Johnny: Wooohooo!

Peter: Well I am glad to be part of the drama as well, I just hope they have a mature part for an older man.

Brenda: But I thought this play was all kids, where are we gonna get an older man?

Peter, annoyed: I was talkin’ about me, Brenda!

Penny: All I know is this is this is about the greatest thing that could ever happen to any of us!

Johnny: Dynamite!

Donna: You guys don’t get out much do you?

Penny: Well if you didn’t want to be in the Christmas play why did you volunteer?

Donna: I did not volunteer! . . I put my hand up to ask if I could go to the bathroom and Mrs. Thompson went and wrote my name down for a part.

Darlene: My mom volunteered me. . . (phoney smile) . . But I’m so happy to be here! . . . Not!

Wendy: My Dad said, “You gotta be a joiner, Wendy!” . . Now if I could just figure out how to be an unjoiner!

Penny: Come on guys, it won’t be all that bad, likely.

Brenda: Kinda like pokin’ your finger in your eye . . feels so good when its over.

Patti: Never know, we might find that we have some talent for this kinda thing.

Peter: Oh there’s no doubt I have talent, it’s just do I want to use up my talent in a church skit.

Donna: Everyone needs a fan Peter, and you are for sure your number one fan.

Darlene: How come we gotta go and have a Christmas skit every Christmas?

Donna: Yeh why can’t it be like leap year, come around every ten years.

Peter: Leap year happens every four years Donna.

Donna: Except when cancelled through lack of interest. . . if you get the connection.

Susan: I really wish you guys wouldn’t be so negative; this could be a ton of fun.

Donna, frowns: Don’t you see the big happy smile on my face?

Dean: Maybe I could tell Mrs. Thompson I got some awful disease and can’t be around people until after Christmas.

Brenda: What disease you gonna have Dean?

Dean: I dunno, . . maybe rabies.

Peter: I don’t think rabies is contagious unless you bite someone.

Patti: You try bitin’ me I smack you real good Dean Richards!

Donna: Who do you suppose we have to be in this dumb Christmas skit?

Darlene: Likely shepherds again.

Peter: I hate bein’ a shepherd! . . Other guys wearin’ the shepherds beards go and drool all over the beards and they stink real bad!

Susan: It’s not that bad Peter!

Peter: Not that bad? . . Last Christmas I had to hold my breath the whole time I wore that sick beard.

Dean: You just might be stretchin’ it a little Peter. . . The skit lasted over an hour . . Likely you can’t hold your breath that long.

Brenda: Go on and show us how you can hold your breath for an hour Peter . . anything I can do to help?

Brenda: I hear one more time about wise guys I just might upchuck!

Brenda: I was the centurion in our Easter play . . and I just know this will be even way more fun.

Darlene: A lotta times a Roman centurion was a man, way I heard it.

Dean: Well this drama thing is silly, mostly, far as I’m concerned.

Wendy: I think I would make an awesome centurion, with my excellent singing voice and all.

everyone stops, tries to focus

Darlene: Whatever Wendy!

Susan: Personally I enjoy drama, making a character come alive.

Penny: You are a good actress Susan, I don’t have your talent but I just think it’s great to be in the Christmas pageant, lots of people will be at the performance, it’s our chance to tell them the story of the birth of Jesus.

Donna: Again? . . . Do you have any idea how gazillion many times people have heard the story of the birth of Jesus?

Patti: I know Donna, they have heard it . . . but have they understood? . . I mean this is like our opportunity to make them understand what the birth of Jesus was all about.

Donna: Oh sure Patti! . . . Like the world is waiting for a bunch of kids to explain what preachers and stuff can’t explain!

Peter: Not kids, all of us . . some of us are . . . mature.

Darlene: Give it a rest Peter . . You are like a couple of years older than me, so get a life!

Susan: I think that is like the cool thing about doing drama, people of all ages, and all talents can do drama.

Wendy: Me too! . . I wonder if Mrs. Thompson will have a singing part for me?
(sings, badly off key)
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know. .

all others except Susan and Johnny make faces, say: “Oh no!” “Please stop!” “That’s awful” etc.

Johnny: That was cool Wendy!

Susan: Well I am sure that there will be several parts that don’t require singing Wendy. . . (realizes what she has said) . . . Sorry I didn’t mean anything bad by what I said I mean it’s just that . . .

Brenda: What Susan meant to say is . . “As a singer you would make a great baseball player.”