The Christmas Story
Drama
Seven Advent Programs for Children
Object:
Synopsis And Stage Directions For
The Christmas Story
Two chairs (you could use rocking chairs) for Father and Mother are set to the side of the manger scene. Father holds a large Bible. They invite all the children in the audience to come forward and sit around them as they retell the Christmas story.
The Play:
This is a good program for a small church with very young children and it requires minimum rehearsal time. It is Christmas evening. Mother and Father gather their children around them to retell the Christmas story. Many of the children are dressed as one of the participants in the manger scene. As the story is read, the children, one by one, take their place in the Nativity scene. When all the children have taken their places, Mother completes the scripture. The story ends when the manger scene is complete, and at that time it becomes a photo opportunity.
The Christmas Story
"While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the Inn."
-- Luke 2:6-7
Mother and Father gather their children around them, open the Bible, and read the Christmas story. The children are dressed appropriately to take their places in the Nativity scene as their parts are read. While the story is read, the children have an opportunity to share their feelings about what it must have been like to have lived in that time. When the story ends, the manger scene is complete.
Characters
Mother
Father
Joseph
Mary
First Reader
Second Reader
Angels
Shepherds
(Setting: Elevated at left center stage is a manger scene consisting of a small chair and an empty manger. There is no special lighting. At stage right is an easy chair and a rocking chair and a small Christmas tree, or candle decoration. Mother and Father gather the children around them. Mother sits in the rocking chair holding the youngest, and Father sits in the easy chair with a large Bible on his lap. The children are in their costumes.)
Mother: Gather close, my children, so we can hear Father read this special story from the Bible about the very first Christmas.
Father: (Ceremoniously opens the large Bible in his lap. Turns to the page with a book mark) Tonight, my children, we will read from Luke 2. This is a special story that tells us what this holiday is all about. (Reads) "In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child" (Luke 2:1-5).
Mother: Bethlehem was a small village, a town where the shepherds and their families lived. Many people had come into town in order to register for the taxes, but, the town had only one Inn, and it was full to overflowing.
Choir: "Oh, Little Town Of Bethlehem" (one verse)
(Action: As the children sing, Joseph and Mary [in costume] rise from the group of children and take their places at the manger scene. Mary is carrying a baby doll wrapped in swaddling cloths.)
Mother and Father and Children: (Ad lib) Talk with the children about Bethlehem. Talk about why the people had to travel to their hometown and about how crowded it was. Have you ever been so tired that you couldn't take another step? Think about how tired Joseph and Mary must have been after their hard trip.
Father: (Reads) "While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn" (Luke 2:6-7).
(Action: Spotlight goes to manger. Mary lays the baby doll in the manger.)
Mother: The only place they could find to stay was in a stable where baby Jesus' crib was a manger, a place where straw and seeds were kept to feed the animals. Humble as it was, the straw was soft and warm and the stable sheltered them from the cold winds.
Mother and Father and Children: (Ad lib) Have you ever seen inside of a barn where they keep animals? The place where they put the feed is a called a manger. Is that a nice clean bed for a baby? You could talk about how cold it must have been and how hard it was to keep a tiny baby warm and comfortable.
Children: "Away In A Manger"
Father: (Reads) "In that region there were shepherds living in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night" (Luke 2:8).
Children: "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night"
Mother and Father and Children: (Ad lib) Does anyone know what a shepherd is? Have you ever seen a sheep? (Encourage children to talk about their own experiences in camping out)
(Shepherds get up and go to a place on the far side of the manger scene.)
(An Angel walks over to stand at the side of Shepherds with arms raised.)
Father: (Reads) "Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for see -- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord' " (Luke 2:9-11).
(The rest of the Angels join the first Angel around the Shepherds.)
First Reader: "The First Noel" (arranged by John Stainer, 1871, a reading)
The first Noel the angel did say was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay,
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep, on a cold winter's night that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, born is the King of Israel.
Father: (Reads) "This will be a sign for you; you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors' " (Luke 2:12-14).
(Children dressed as Angels circle around Mary, Joseph, and the baby and finally stand behind them with half of the group on each side of manger scene.)
(Action: More lights are turned onto Angels.)
Children: "Angels We Have Heard On High" (one verse and chorus)
Mother and Father and Children: (Ad lib) Imagine what it must have been like to have angels everywhere singing just to you.
Father: (Reads) "When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us' " (Luke 2:15).
(Action: Shepherds and Angels go to the manger scene with Shepherds kneeling before the manger and the Angels gathering around behind.)
Father: "So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known that which had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them" (Luke 2:16-17).
Second Reader: "Once In Royal David's City" (a reading by Henry Gauntlett, 1849)
Once in royal David's city stood a lowly cattle shed
Where a mother laid her baby, in a manger for his bed:
Mary was that mother mild, Jesus Christ her little child.
He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all,
And his shelter was a stable, and his cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean and lowly, lived on earth our Savior Holy.
Mother: "But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19).
The End
The Christmas Story
Two chairs (you could use rocking chairs) for Father and Mother are set to the side of the manger scene. Father holds a large Bible. They invite all the children in the audience to come forward and sit around them as they retell the Christmas story.
The Play:
This is a good program for a small church with very young children and it requires minimum rehearsal time. It is Christmas evening. Mother and Father gather their children around them to retell the Christmas story. Many of the children are dressed as one of the participants in the manger scene. As the story is read, the children, one by one, take their place in the Nativity scene. When all the children have taken their places, Mother completes the scripture. The story ends when the manger scene is complete, and at that time it becomes a photo opportunity.
The Christmas Story
"While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the Inn."
-- Luke 2:6-7
Mother and Father gather their children around them, open the Bible, and read the Christmas story. The children are dressed appropriately to take their places in the Nativity scene as their parts are read. While the story is read, the children have an opportunity to share their feelings about what it must have been like to have lived in that time. When the story ends, the manger scene is complete.
Characters
Mother
Father
Joseph
Mary
First Reader
Second Reader
Angels
Shepherds
(Setting: Elevated at left center stage is a manger scene consisting of a small chair and an empty manger. There is no special lighting. At stage right is an easy chair and a rocking chair and a small Christmas tree, or candle decoration. Mother and Father gather the children around them. Mother sits in the rocking chair holding the youngest, and Father sits in the easy chair with a large Bible on his lap. The children are in their costumes.)
Mother: Gather close, my children, so we can hear Father read this special story from the Bible about the very first Christmas.
Father: (Ceremoniously opens the large Bible in his lap. Turns to the page with a book mark) Tonight, my children, we will read from Luke 2. This is a special story that tells us what this holiday is all about. (Reads) "In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child" (Luke 2:1-5).
Mother: Bethlehem was a small village, a town where the shepherds and their families lived. Many people had come into town in order to register for the taxes, but, the town had only one Inn, and it was full to overflowing.
Choir: "Oh, Little Town Of Bethlehem" (one verse)
(Action: As the children sing, Joseph and Mary [in costume] rise from the group of children and take their places at the manger scene. Mary is carrying a baby doll wrapped in swaddling cloths.)
Mother and Father and Children: (Ad lib) Talk with the children about Bethlehem. Talk about why the people had to travel to their hometown and about how crowded it was. Have you ever been so tired that you couldn't take another step? Think about how tired Joseph and Mary must have been after their hard trip.
Father: (Reads) "While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn" (Luke 2:6-7).
(Action: Spotlight goes to manger. Mary lays the baby doll in the manger.)
Mother: The only place they could find to stay was in a stable where baby Jesus' crib was a manger, a place where straw and seeds were kept to feed the animals. Humble as it was, the straw was soft and warm and the stable sheltered them from the cold winds.
Mother and Father and Children: (Ad lib) Have you ever seen inside of a barn where they keep animals? The place where they put the feed is a called a manger. Is that a nice clean bed for a baby? You could talk about how cold it must have been and how hard it was to keep a tiny baby warm and comfortable.
Children: "Away In A Manger"
Father: (Reads) "In that region there were shepherds living in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night" (Luke 2:8).
Children: "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night"
Mother and Father and Children: (Ad lib) Does anyone know what a shepherd is? Have you ever seen a sheep? (Encourage children to talk about their own experiences in camping out)
(Shepherds get up and go to a place on the far side of the manger scene.)
(An Angel walks over to stand at the side of Shepherds with arms raised.)
Father: (Reads) "Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for see -- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord' " (Luke 2:9-11).
(The rest of the Angels join the first Angel around the Shepherds.)
First Reader: "The First Noel" (arranged by John Stainer, 1871, a reading)
The first Noel the angel did say was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay,
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep, on a cold winter's night that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, born is the King of Israel.
Father: (Reads) "This will be a sign for you; you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors' " (Luke 2:12-14).
(Children dressed as Angels circle around Mary, Joseph, and the baby and finally stand behind them with half of the group on each side of manger scene.)
(Action: More lights are turned onto Angels.)
Children: "Angels We Have Heard On High" (one verse and chorus)
Mother and Father and Children: (Ad lib) Imagine what it must have been like to have angels everywhere singing just to you.
Father: (Reads) "When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us' " (Luke 2:15).
(Action: Shepherds and Angels go to the manger scene with Shepherds kneeling before the manger and the Angels gathering around behind.)
Father: "So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known that which had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them" (Luke 2:16-17).
Second Reader: "Once In Royal David's City" (a reading by Henry Gauntlett, 1849)
Once in royal David's city stood a lowly cattle shed
Where a mother laid her baby, in a manger for his bed:
Mary was that mother mild, Jesus Christ her little child.
He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all,
And his shelter was a stable, and his cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean and lowly, lived on earth our Savior Holy.
Mother: "But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19).
The End
