Coffee Shop Christmas Eve
Drama
Lectionary Worship Workbook, Series IV, Cycle C
Soul Motion
Object:
Characters
Rebecca
Lucy
Sarah
Gail
Jeff
Grandma
Lee
Robert
Max
Curt
Ryan
Jeanne
Carolers (choir members)
Props
Three small bistro tables
Chairs
Three candles (one on each table, one for everyone in the congregation)
Coffee cups
Manger with puppet animals and doll
Shopping bag
Loaf of bread
Christmas Tree
Theme
A holiday evening is both tiring and inspiring. Children and adults express real interests while aware that Christians around them are telling an ancient story of angelic messages, pregnant women, and a baby born in a barn. Not wanting to go to church, they tell the story for each other in the coffee shop, strangers no more.
Plot
Children, parents, and one grandparent are tired from their shopping and looking at beautiful things. They resist joining others already at church for "traditional" Christmas Eve celebrations. Yet they tell the parts of the story they each remember and sing the carols they recall. The waiter is a narrator of sorts, reminding his customers that he wants to go home yet he wants to help tell the story of God and love and birth, of angels and shepherds, and important messages.
(Inside a coffee shop, loud music is playing -- "Chestnuts roasting...." One family is already seated: Rebecca, Lucy, Sarah, Gail, Jeff, and Grandma. Another family approaches.)
Rebecca: I'm thirsty. I want a "splash."
Sarah: Me, too.
Lucy: Me, three.
Gail: I'd like a cup of coffee.
Jeff: It's 5:00.
(They seat themselves at a table.)
Jeff: We could have a snack now and drop by church for the Christmas program on the way home.
Grandma: I'd like that.
Rebecca: I don't want to go to church. I'm tired of songs about trees and snow and babies.
Jeff: Who wants what? Here comes the server.
Lee: Hi. I'm Lee. What can I get you?
(Everyone orders.)
Lee: Be back in a couple.
Rebecca: (to waiter) Hurry. I'm wilting!
(Rebecca goes to explore the manger in the back of the shop; "Chestnuts roasting ..." is still playing.)
Lucy: We've heard this song in a zillion different versions today!
Sarah: Heh! We could write a new song! (music fades out)
Smell the coffee beans.
Get a whiff of chai tea.
Shake a leg; clap your hands
I gotta go....
Grandma: Uh, uh.
Jeff: I have to keep reminding myself that this is a holiday.
Rebecca: (returns to the table) What holiday?
Sarah: We can tell the story. I'll start.
Rebecca: I want to start. Once upon a time ...
(Lee returns with the beverages.)
Lee: 'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house ...
Rebecca: No! (laughs)
Lee: Not a creature was stirring, not even a louse ...
Lucy: No!
Sarah: Mary and Joseph were pregnant ... (stands up to demonstrate)
Lee: And they were traveling but they wanted to be at home -- like me.
Sarah: They needed to stay overnight.
Gail: So they looked for a motel.
Jeff: But "no vacancy" signs were everywhere: No room!
Lucy: So they got desperate and creative ...
Jeff: Joe and Mary asked the barn animals if they could stay with them.
Rebecca: (gets a puppet from the manger in the back of the shop) "Moo-sure," said the cow.
(People at the other table join the storytelling.)
Robert: (gets a puppet from the manger) "Baa, baa-sure" says the sheep.
Max: (gets a puppet from the manger) "Sure, braaa," said the donkey.
Curt: I think it would have been very smelly!
Max: But the animals liked having company.
Jeff: The straw was softer to lay on than the sidewalks.
Sarah: You mean "lie on." The hay was nicer to "lie on."
Jeff: Good call.
Waiter: (approaches table; to Sarah) Mary, dear, may I put more ice in your drink? (to Grandma) Gran'ma, sweet, may I warm your coffee? (to Curt) Sir, may I add some cream to yours? The next line of your story is "Waaaa!" A human baby was born with the animals watching -- (to the children) usually it's the other way around.
Ryan: Okay, so a baby was born --
Jeanne: I wonder how many babies are being born tonight ...
Robert: That baby was named Jesus.
Rebecca: His whole name was Jesus Immanuel Counselor Peace-maker Teacher.
Lee: That's too long. I think of him as "Friend at your service."
Sarah: You mean like "God with us"?
Lee: Yeah.
Jeanne: Where do you suppose the baby got that name?
Gail: From some old poet-prophet named Isaiah, I think.
Lucy: There's a boy in my class named "Isaiah."
Gail: Is he a poet, too?
Lucy: Sometimes.
Lee: What's the next part of our story?
Rebecca: There was a star. (sings) There's a star in the East on Christmas morn, rise up shepherds and follow!
Ryan: There were shepherds.
Sarah: And astronomers.
Max: And nifty gifts!
Lee: And more travel, this time to Egypt!
Sarah: Ah, the Sphinx.
Lucy: I bet Jesus loved to crawl up the paws of the Sphinx!
Lee: I bet they just wanted to be at home -- like me.
(Jeanne gets loaf of bread out of her shopping bag, takes a piece and passes it to the others.)
Grandma: Umm, this would be especially good with a cup of hot chocolate.
Lee: House special. Coming right up. (goes to get hot chocolate)
(Carolers pass front of shop singing "Silver Bells.")
Curt: It's almost church time.
Rebecca: (whines) I don't want to go to church.
Sarah: I like our version of the story, don't you?
Gail: Have we left out any important parts of the real story?
Jeanne: We didn't mention God or love ...
Rebecca: Or Gabriel flying in wearing combat boots.
Grandma: We didn't tell the part about Mary being overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit.
Jeff: Nor did we name Joseph who probably wondered if he was crazy!
Lee: (delivers the hot chocolate) My grandmother sang the story to me:
C is for the Christ Child born upon this day
H for herald angels in the night
R is our Redeemer
I means Israel
S is for the star that shone so bright
T is for three wise men they who traveled far
M is for the manger where he lay
A is for all he stands for
S means shepherds came
And that's why there's a Christmas Day.
Ryan: We know that story.
Jeanne: Here it is, the night before Christmas ...
Lee: And I want to go home.
Max: Me, too. I want to open a gift.
Jeanne: Gold, frankincense, and myrrh ....
Sarah: I hope for ballet slippers.
Ryan: I want a new soccer ball.
Robert: I want a longer violin bow.
Curt: I want healthy, happy children!
Jeff: Look at us; we missed church.
Lee: Look what time it is!
'Twas the night before Christmas
And here in this shop
We told the old story
Amid coffee, tea and, soda pop ...
Grandma: We shared our time and broke some bread
Strangers now friends -- with our story --
Sipped tea and soothed our heads
Truth about birth and love, about God and hope.
Rebecca: 'Tis the night before Christmas
And songs filled our minds ...
Jeanne: While we talked of gifts
To please us and waiting for a new day's sun to shine.
Sarah: We've shared our time with hot chocolate and bread ...
Gail: It's dark now and only hours before
We celebrate divinity coming to our door.
Curt: 'Tis the night before Christmas and we must go
Knead the St. Lucia braid and finish the tree ...
Jeff: Morning will come and evening, too
Of the day we've waited all year to see;
Soon we will have only memories and gifts
From you and me.
Lee: It's been good. Thanks for telling the story.
Put your cups on the counter when you're through.
Would you sing "Silent Night/Night Of Silence" as I close up the shop?
Blow out your candles.
Rebecca: Oh, may I carry this one so we can see our car?
(The lights go out except for the one candle.)
Lucy: One candle is very bright with the darkness all around it!
Grandma: The Christian story says Mary's baby Jesus, God's Child is light for all the world to see.
Max: Come on.
(Everyone stands and heads for the door.)
Lee: Where's the candle? I need it to see the lock in the shop door.
Hold the candle so I can see.
(Rebecca holds the candle so Lee can see.)
Ryan: Is it soon morning?
Max: Did we tell the whole story?
Robert: Can I open a gift?
(Door is locked -- Lee and Curt walk up the center aisle lighting the candles at the ends of each pew; each person passes on the light.)
Lee: (to everyone/no one in particular) The Christ Child brings light into our world.
(The choir begins to sing, "We Wish You A Merry Christmas...." One family exits left; the other family exits right. At the end of the song, the lights come up for the rest of the service.)
__________
1. "C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S" words by Jenny Lou Carson and Eddy Arnold, 1961. Can be found in The Reader's Digest Merry Christmas Songbook (Pleasantville, New York: The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., 1981).
Rebecca
Lucy
Sarah
Gail
Jeff
Grandma
Lee
Robert
Max
Curt
Ryan
Jeanne
Carolers (choir members)
Props
Three small bistro tables
Chairs
Three candles (one on each table, one for everyone in the congregation)
Coffee cups
Manger with puppet animals and doll
Shopping bag
Loaf of bread
Christmas Tree
Theme
A holiday evening is both tiring and inspiring. Children and adults express real interests while aware that Christians around them are telling an ancient story of angelic messages, pregnant women, and a baby born in a barn. Not wanting to go to church, they tell the story for each other in the coffee shop, strangers no more.
Plot
Children, parents, and one grandparent are tired from their shopping and looking at beautiful things. They resist joining others already at church for "traditional" Christmas Eve celebrations. Yet they tell the parts of the story they each remember and sing the carols they recall. The waiter is a narrator of sorts, reminding his customers that he wants to go home yet he wants to help tell the story of God and love and birth, of angels and shepherds, and important messages.
(Inside a coffee shop, loud music is playing -- "Chestnuts roasting...." One family is already seated: Rebecca, Lucy, Sarah, Gail, Jeff, and Grandma. Another family approaches.)
Rebecca: I'm thirsty. I want a "splash."
Sarah: Me, too.
Lucy: Me, three.
Gail: I'd like a cup of coffee.
Jeff: It's 5:00.
(They seat themselves at a table.)
Jeff: We could have a snack now and drop by church for the Christmas program on the way home.
Grandma: I'd like that.
Rebecca: I don't want to go to church. I'm tired of songs about trees and snow and babies.
Jeff: Who wants what? Here comes the server.
Lee: Hi. I'm Lee. What can I get you?
(Everyone orders.)
Lee: Be back in a couple.
Rebecca: (to waiter) Hurry. I'm wilting!
(Rebecca goes to explore the manger in the back of the shop; "Chestnuts roasting ..." is still playing.)
Lucy: We've heard this song in a zillion different versions today!
Sarah: Heh! We could write a new song! (music fades out)
Smell the coffee beans.
Get a whiff of chai tea.
Shake a leg; clap your hands
I gotta go....
Grandma: Uh, uh.
Jeff: I have to keep reminding myself that this is a holiday.
Rebecca: (returns to the table) What holiday?
Sarah: We can tell the story. I'll start.
Rebecca: I want to start. Once upon a time ...
(Lee returns with the beverages.)
Lee: 'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house ...
Rebecca: No! (laughs)
Lee: Not a creature was stirring, not even a louse ...
Lucy: No!
Sarah: Mary and Joseph were pregnant ... (stands up to demonstrate)
Lee: And they were traveling but they wanted to be at home -- like me.
Sarah: They needed to stay overnight.
Gail: So they looked for a motel.
Jeff: But "no vacancy" signs were everywhere: No room!
Lucy: So they got desperate and creative ...
Jeff: Joe and Mary asked the barn animals if they could stay with them.
Rebecca: (gets a puppet from the manger in the back of the shop) "Moo-sure," said the cow.
(People at the other table join the storytelling.)
Robert: (gets a puppet from the manger) "Baa, baa-sure" says the sheep.
Max: (gets a puppet from the manger) "Sure, braaa," said the donkey.
Curt: I think it would have been very smelly!
Max: But the animals liked having company.
Jeff: The straw was softer to lay on than the sidewalks.
Sarah: You mean "lie on." The hay was nicer to "lie on."
Jeff: Good call.
Waiter: (approaches table; to Sarah) Mary, dear, may I put more ice in your drink? (to Grandma) Gran'ma, sweet, may I warm your coffee? (to Curt) Sir, may I add some cream to yours? The next line of your story is "Waaaa!" A human baby was born with the animals watching -- (to the children) usually it's the other way around.
Ryan: Okay, so a baby was born --
Jeanne: I wonder how many babies are being born tonight ...
Robert: That baby was named Jesus.
Rebecca: His whole name was Jesus Immanuel Counselor Peace-maker Teacher.
Lee: That's too long. I think of him as "Friend at your service."
Sarah: You mean like "God with us"?
Lee: Yeah.
Jeanne: Where do you suppose the baby got that name?
Gail: From some old poet-prophet named Isaiah, I think.
Lucy: There's a boy in my class named "Isaiah."
Gail: Is he a poet, too?
Lucy: Sometimes.
Lee: What's the next part of our story?
Rebecca: There was a star. (sings) There's a star in the East on Christmas morn, rise up shepherds and follow!
Ryan: There were shepherds.
Sarah: And astronomers.
Max: And nifty gifts!
Lee: And more travel, this time to Egypt!
Sarah: Ah, the Sphinx.
Lucy: I bet Jesus loved to crawl up the paws of the Sphinx!
Lee: I bet they just wanted to be at home -- like me.
(Jeanne gets loaf of bread out of her shopping bag, takes a piece and passes it to the others.)
Grandma: Umm, this would be especially good with a cup of hot chocolate.
Lee: House special. Coming right up. (goes to get hot chocolate)
(Carolers pass front of shop singing "Silver Bells.")
Curt: It's almost church time.
Rebecca: (whines) I don't want to go to church.
Sarah: I like our version of the story, don't you?
Gail: Have we left out any important parts of the real story?
Jeanne: We didn't mention God or love ...
Rebecca: Or Gabriel flying in wearing combat boots.
Grandma: We didn't tell the part about Mary being overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit.
Jeff: Nor did we name Joseph who probably wondered if he was crazy!
Lee: (delivers the hot chocolate) My grandmother sang the story to me:
C is for the Christ Child born upon this day
H for herald angels in the night
R is our Redeemer
I means Israel
S is for the star that shone so bright
T is for three wise men they who traveled far
M is for the manger where he lay
A is for all he stands for
S means shepherds came
And that's why there's a Christmas Day.
Ryan: We know that story.
Jeanne: Here it is, the night before Christmas ...
Lee: And I want to go home.
Max: Me, too. I want to open a gift.
Jeanne: Gold, frankincense, and myrrh ....
Sarah: I hope for ballet slippers.
Ryan: I want a new soccer ball.
Robert: I want a longer violin bow.
Curt: I want healthy, happy children!
Jeff: Look at us; we missed church.
Lee: Look what time it is!
'Twas the night before Christmas
And here in this shop
We told the old story
Amid coffee, tea and, soda pop ...
Grandma: We shared our time and broke some bread
Strangers now friends -- with our story --
Sipped tea and soothed our heads
Truth about birth and love, about God and hope.
Rebecca: 'Tis the night before Christmas
And songs filled our minds ...
Jeanne: While we talked of gifts
To please us and waiting for a new day's sun to shine.
Sarah: We've shared our time with hot chocolate and bread ...
Gail: It's dark now and only hours before
We celebrate divinity coming to our door.
Curt: 'Tis the night before Christmas and we must go
Knead the St. Lucia braid and finish the tree ...
Jeff: Morning will come and evening, too
Of the day we've waited all year to see;
Soon we will have only memories and gifts
From you and me.
Lee: It's been good. Thanks for telling the story.
Put your cups on the counter when you're through.
Would you sing "Silent Night/Night Of Silence" as I close up the shop?
Blow out your candles.
Rebecca: Oh, may I carry this one so we can see our car?
(The lights go out except for the one candle.)
Lucy: One candle is very bright with the darkness all around it!
Grandma: The Christian story says Mary's baby Jesus, God's Child is light for all the world to see.
Max: Come on.
(Everyone stands and heads for the door.)
Lee: Where's the candle? I need it to see the lock in the shop door.
Hold the candle so I can see.
(Rebecca holds the candle so Lee can see.)
Ryan: Is it soon morning?
Max: Did we tell the whole story?
Robert: Can I open a gift?
(Door is locked -- Lee and Curt walk up the center aisle lighting the candles at the ends of each pew; each person passes on the light.)
Lee: (to everyone/no one in particular) The Christ Child brings light into our world.
(The choir begins to sing, "We Wish You A Merry Christmas...." One family exits left; the other family exits right. At the end of the song, the lights come up for the rest of the service.)
__________
1. "C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S" words by Jenny Lou Carson and Eddy Arnold, 1961. Can be found in The Reader's Digest Merry Christmas Songbook (Pleasantville, New York: The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., 1981).
