Christmas drama and music, anyone?

When Noel blesses everyone in the family by presenting each of us with a copy of her Christmas wish list in…oh…June or so, she always writes at the top, “It’s never too early to start!”

And so keeping in step with my earlybird daughter, I’m posting the gist of a Christmas program we did at our school this past Christmas. I wrote it to be as flexible as possible with the music. Take a look, and if you can use any part of it this holiday season, it’s free for the taking. Just think of it as my early Christmas gift to you. All I ask is that you give me credit for the writing.

SMALL THINGS

By Denise Day Spencer 

MUSIC

One or more Christmas carols sung by choir, solo or congregation

DRAMA

Narrator: Have you ever noticed it’s often the little things in life that are most important? Think about it. Is there anything more annoying than getting a tiny pebble in your shoe?

It’s the same way with people, too. It can be the most minute habit that gets on your nerves. Like how great-aunt Matilda always clears her throat (clears throat noisily) before she speaks. Or the way Grandpa (drumming fingers) drums his fingers on the dinner table.

But little things can be the best things, too. Have you ever been having a really bad day, and then someone you’d never expect just smiles at you? Such a small thing. But it can mean so much when you need it the most.

MUSIC

One or more Christmas carols

DRAMA

Elizabeth: Have you ever dreamed of having something that’s really important
to you, but it would seem like just a small thing to anyone else? So you keep your dream a secret, something special to think about at night as you drift off to sleep.

But what if that dream is something you can never have? All I ever wanted was one child. I would look around at my neighbors with five or six children apiece and I would pray, “Lord, I only want one! Is that asking too much?”

And then God told us we would have a son! He said to name him “John,” and that he would make people ready for the coming of the Lord…the Messiah!

That is another dream, not just of myself but of our people. For hundreds of years we’ve waited for a Savior. That may sound like a small dream to you, but we are a small people.

Now I wonder…what kind of child will my son be? What kind of child will the Messiah be?

MUSIC

“What Child Is This?”
One or more other Christmas carols

DRAMA

Innkeeper’s Wife: Did you ever hear the story of the city mouse and the country mouse? Remember how they traded places and at first, life seemed grand? But it didn’t take long for both of them to decide they liked it better at home.

I guess I’m a country mouse. Oh, I live in town, but on the very outskirts. And it’s a small town. “Bethlehem” is its name.

Some people don’t like small towns. They say nothing exciting ever happens. But we had some excitement around here tonight, let me tell you! My husband and I run this inn and we’ve been overrun with lodgers the past few days. Well, after we’d rented the last room, along came this young couple. She was not only expecting a baby; she was already in labor!

There were no other rooms in town, and I couldn’t just turn them away. The best I could do was to make a nice bed of straw for her in the stable. I’m going back to check on her right now. But since it’s her first time, I expect it’ll still be several hours before–(sound of baby cry offstage) Oh! Oh! It’s come! So much excitement in such a small town! (she runs offstage)

MUSIC

“Oh Little Town of Bethlehem”
“Over in Bethlehem” (maybe sung by the children)
One or more other Christmas songs

DRAMA

King #2: We (pointing to self and the other two) are the three kings!

King #1: Or “wise men!”

King #3: Or “magi!”

King #2: Take your pick!

King #3: It doesn’t matter what you call us, because we’re not literally the
three kings.

King #1: We’re figuratively the three kings.

King #3: In fact, you don’t even know that there were three kings, do you?

King #2: But there are three of us because we represent what the kings represented:

King #1: Riches!

King #2: Power!

King #3: And worship!

King #1: We are kings! The wealth of the world is at our fingertips! And so we bring gifts to the new king. (unwrapping a gold bar & holding it up for all to see) Gold!

Kings 2 & 3: (gathering around him and speaking overdramatically) Ooh! Aah!

King #2: We are wise men! And powerful. Wisdom and power don’t always go together, but it helps. Powerful men are remembered long after they die–for better or for worse. I bring him myrrh, a spice used to anoint the dead. (holding it up)

King #1: Well, that’s kind of creepy!

King #2: Uh…Long live the king!

King #3: We are magi! We seek the truth. And what is truth, if not a route to worship? I bring the new king frankincense, the incense of worship.

MUSIC

“The Three Kings”
“We Three Kings”
One or more other Christmas songs

DRAMA

Narrator: Small things. they can make all the difference.

(enter Innkeeper’s Wife carrying a candle) The light of just one candle can drive away the darkness.

(enter Three Kings, looking up at the sky) A single bright star can lead the way to the adventure of a lifetime!

(enter Elizabeth, carrying baby) And one face, one tiny face, can be the sweetest sight in the world if it’s the face of the one you love.

Who would think that our huge God would perform His greatest act in the history of mankind with such a little thing? Who would believe the biggest gift of all time would be the birth of one, small Child?

MUSIC

“One Small Child”
One or more other Christmas songs

THE END