1. A Not So Silent Night

2. Mary Had a Little Lamb

3. The Truest Gift

4. Andrea's Christmas

5. Too Much Hay!

See details of each below:

A Not So Silent Night

This play explores the Christmas story from the viewpoint of the animals in the stable. They are crowded and unhappy that so many have been pushed into their area. The cat, 'Stuck-Up' who is irritating to everyone, plays a joke on the group. Her joke, however, backfires and results in lovable old Barley leaving the safety and protection of the stable. The rest of the animals want to find him and bring him back. The costuming, characters and simplicity of one set makes this a great play at Christmas time!

Cast:

• Barley: An old mule
• Stuck-up:  A snotty old cat
• Mr. Turtledove: A newlywed
• Mrs. Turtledove: His bride
• Ram:  A proud father
• Baby Lambs: cute
• Professor: An old wise owl
• Mother Cow:  Very caring and protective
• Boy Calf
• Girl Calf
• Shaggy: A horse, Barley's sparring buddy.
• Wolf:  A goofy, over eager dog
• Mary
• Joseph
• Add as many other animals in the barn as you wish.

Approx  25 Minutes

Mary Had a Little Lamb

Mary Had A Little Lamb draws from a variety of children's stories and creates a common theme 'Stay Away From the Big Bad Wolf!' 

Approx 30 minutes

Cast:

• Little Bo Peep
• Big Bad Wolf
• Narrator
• Sparky
• Bell
• Ma
• Pete
• Little Lamb
• Mary
• Joseph
• Pansy
• Porky
• Ginger
• Fluffy
• Ted
• Little Red Riding Hood
• Goldie Locks
• Papa Bear
• Mama Bear
• Baby Bear
• Ann
• Jay
• Betsy
• Shepherd 
• Many of these characters can be combined, depending upon the size of your available cast. 

The set can be very simple. An area to one side that belongs to the sheep. It has a bench or rocks, maybe a well. An area on the other side for Little Red's Grandmother's bed, which is converted quickly to the three bear's cottage. The center is used for most of the action. We had about 35 children in the cast, about half of them extra Little Lambs or characters with one or two lines. We found it advisable to have the sheep exit during scenes they were not involved in. If this is done quickly and simply you avoid the problems of wiggly, squirmy children! 

At the end we used a laser light with a Star insert to represent the Star of David. One of the shepherds carried it and beamed it on the wall as he came forward. It gave the children something to focus upon and created a nice effect.

The Truest Gift

• In a young girl's dream various 'Christmas Gifts' witness to their
  experience at Christmas time. A fun play for the costumer!
  Cast:
  The Girls
  Melanie
  Penny
  Christmas Gifts (11 speaking, but there could be more gifts around)
  Boxer
  Rapper
  Charity
  Lacey
  Bagit
  Tiny
  Parcel
  Tag
  Flyer
  Noel
  Dolly
  

Approx 25 minutes

Andrea's Christmas

Andrea's Christmas follows a new convert as she discovers the love of God at work in her daily life. Hassled by former friends because of her new faith she goes from class to class in Sunday school to discover more about God's plan. During her weeks of learning she begins to see God working in the hearts of her friends as one by one they join her in Sunday school. 

This play uses all of the age groups in the Sunday school. Depending upon your needs every student can be in the play. The names are male or female, but you can change them and adapt as you need. There are moments for various songs to be sung. These can be performed by the students, an adult choir or small groups. Whatever combination you desire.

Approx. 40 Minutes 

Characters:

• Andrea: New Convert
• Zack: Fellow student, doubter
• Michael: Fellow student, but open
• Pat: Fellow female student, doubter
• Linda: Fellow student, Christian
• Grant: Nursery/Kindergarten Teacher
  • Nursery/Kindergarten Class:
  • Chrissy
  • Mary
• North, Junior Class teacher
  • Junior Class:
  • Cal
  • Kevin
  • Rose
  • Lance
• William: Beginner/Primary Class
  • Candace
  • Gail
• Jackson, Jr High Teacher
  • Junior High Class:
  • Jackson
  • Jake
  • Tom
  • Megan
  • Tim
• James, High School Teacher

Too Much Hay!

The Premise

The children are rehearsing a Christmas program and one of the children has an issue with the amount of hay.

Approx. 25 minutes

Staging

The stage is set for a normal Christmas program, but only half finished. There can be partially painted animals on the backdrops, partially painted rafters, doors, etc. A couple of modern items can be added to give it the 'rehearsal' feel. I.E. folding chair, metal ladder, tricycle. Something to represent the manger is needed. It can be a completed prop or a stand like a wash basin.  

Several bales of hay need to be present. 

A box or chest is somewhere and holds various costumes and props as indicated for the scenes.

Cast of Characters

There are two major parts for the guys and two for the girls. The other characters have just a few lines. These can be divided up as you need for your cast. Add or take away minor characters as needed. This version is written with 4 boys and 4 girls. 

Boys

• Stephan - Strong, know it all
• Blake - Has hay fever, but is willing to do whatever it takes for the play
• Mikey
• Preston 

Girls

• Amanda - A Peace Maker
• Clarissa -   Whiny and irritating
• Melinda
• Jasmine 

Unless indicated all songs are from Marantha! Kids' Praise! Company Christmas album.