DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?

by Leone Castell Anderson Copyright Notice

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Do You Hear What I Hear? A children’s program in sound and song by Leone Castell Anderson 2

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Leader (May be male or female. Use appropriate Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss, or first name.) Child 1-6 Mary Joseph Shepherds (Two or more) Choir

All Scripture is the author’s paraphrase from Luke 2.

This perusal script is for reading purposes only. No performance or photocopy rights are conveyed. 3

PRODUCTION NOTES

Ringing and singing, the sounds of Christmas abound — in church, at home, in the stores, all around. This program for Sunday school students has an easy and informal feel, as the children explore what we hear at Christmastime with their teacher. All will smile at the youthful energy of their comments as they warm to the topic. It’s not just noise, but a veritable orchestra of bells (jingle, sleigh, Salvation Army, door, and church), weather (the howl of winter winds and the crunch of snow), people (Christmas greetings, laughter, and gift-receiving gratitude), nuts cracking, and fireplaces crackling in a cadence of good cheer! It’s even the sacred hush of silence. This program also includes traditional elements, like the Christmas story from Luke 2 and a Nativity tableau, plus many opportunities for congregational carol-singing and child instrumental solos.

Cast Extra children may be included as singers or bell-ringers.

Costumes You will need biblical robes, headpieces, and sandals for Mary, Joseph, and the Shepherds. Additionally, the Shepherds should also hold staffs. The Children and Leader may dress as they normally do for church.

Props Child 3 needs sleigh bells and a drum, Child 4 needs jingle bells and his or her musical instrument, and Child 5 needs a handbell and his or her musical instrument. You will also need a manger with a doll wrapped in a blanket inside for the Nativity tableau and a wrapped gift for the Leader.

Set You will need seven stools for the Leader and the Children.

This perusal script is for reading purposes only. No performance or photocopy rights are conveyed. 4 1 (LEADER enters and arranges stools, etc. Off-Stage sounds of 2 voices and jingling bells may be heard. LEADER and 3 CHILDREN ad-lib words of greeting to each other as they come 4 in and seat themselves on stools.) 5 LEADER: I could hear as you came in that some of you 6 remembered to bring what we talked about last 7 Sunday. 8 CHILD 1: I wasn’t here last Sunday. Were we supposed to 9 bring something? 10 LEADER: Not necessarily. I asked everyone to give some 11 thought to sounds — sounds that we associate with 12 Christmas. 13 CHILD 2: I didn’t bring anything, but I thought of a sound. 14 (Pauses.) 15 LEADER: (Encouraging him or her) Yes ... ? 16 CHILD 2: Oh, you’ll probably all laugh ... 17 ALL: (Ad-lib) Go ahead, What is it? Come on, tell us, etc. 18 CHILD 2: (Hesitantly) Well ... listen. (Moment of silence) 19 CHILD 3: I don’t hear anything. 20 CHILD 2: That’s what I mean. At first, when you’re waiting 21 and waiting for Christmas to come, the sound is inside 22 you ... 23 CHILD 4: (Catching on) Sure. It’s like a little voice ... 24 CHILD 5: And it says, “Wait ... wait ... wait ... ” 25 CHILD 6: That’s right. When I’m waiting for something 26 special to happen, it’s like I’m listening for it. 27 LEADER: We might call that the sound of anticipation. Yes, 28 that’s a sound of Christmas. And when we’re waiting for 29 Christmas in the church year, we call it ... 30 SEVERAL CHILDREN: (Together) Advent. 31 LEADER: So we could say that one of the first sounds of 32 Christmas is the sound of Advent. 33 34 SUGGESTED SONG: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” or 35 another appropriate Advent song by Choir. 36 37 CHILD 2: So there’s a waiting sound inside us, but there are 38 other sounds too. When I think of Christmas, I hear

This perusal script is for reading purposes only. No performance or photocopy rights are conveyed. 5 1 bells! (Those who brought bells ring them all together.) 2 CHILD 4: (Shaking bells) Jingle bells! 3 CHILD 3 (Shaking bells) Sleigh bells! 4 CHILD 5: (Ringing handbell slowly) I thought of the Salvation 5 Army people who stand with their kettles, asking for 6 donations. 7 CHILD 1: I didn’t bring any bells, but I’ve thought of one. A 8 doorbell! 9 ALL: (Ad-lib reactions) A doorbell? You’re kidding! Really? 10 etc. 11 CHILD 1: Well, sure. The doorbell’s always ringing during 12 the holidays. The mailman with Christmas cards or 13 packages ... relatives and friends coming to visit ... 14 LEADER: (Laughs.) I think we all agree that bells are a sound 15 of Christmas — even doorbells! 16 CHILD 2: What about church bells? 17 LEADER: Right. Church bells have always been rung to 18 proclaim the good news. 19 20 SUGGESTED SONG: “Carol of the Bells” or another 21 appropriate song by Choir. 22 23 CHILD 5: When I hear bells ringing, I always feel — well, 24 cheerful. 25 CHILD 3: I know what you mean. It’s a really happy sound. 26 LEADER: All right, what other “happy” sounds of Christmas 27 can you think of? 28 CHILD 4: When our family’s all together during the 29 holidays — my brothers back from college, and my 30 aunts and uncles and cousins — we’re quite a bunch, 31 and we do a lot of laughing. 32 CHILD 1: You should hear us when we’re trimming the 33 tree — we make plenty of noise. 34 CHILD 2: We always have a big bowl of nuts on the table at 35 Christmas. I like the sound of cracking nutshells. 36 CHILD 3: We always have a fire in the fireplace. It snaps and 37 crackles. You just can’t help feeling good when you hear 38 it.

This perusal script is for reading purposes only. No performance or photocopy rights are conveyed. 6 1 CHILD 5: Even the winter wind howling outside is sort of 2 fun to listen to when you’re nice and snug inside by the 3 fire. 4 CHILD 6: I like the crunch of snow under my feet. 5 CHILD 5: When it’s really cold, the snow squeaks. 6 CHILD 4: I like the sound of everyone stomping the snow off 7 their feet when they come inside. 8 CHILD 2: And everyone calling, “Merry Christmas!” 9 CHILD 1: We do a lot of singing around the piano. 10 CHILD 4: Oh, we always have a lot of music at our house. 11 That’s why I brought my ______(Insert appropriate 12 musical instrument) as a sound of Christmas. 13 CHILD 5: (Shows his or her instrument.) And I brought my 14 ______. I mean, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas at 15 our house unless I played “Silent Night” for my family. 16 CHILD 3: I brought my drum. The little kids in the family 17 always dance around and get a big kick out of it when I 18 play the drums for them. 19 LEADER: I think what you’ve all been saying — with the 20 “happy” sounds you’ve mentioned — is that being 21 together with your family, sharing laughter and music, 22 is a pretty significant part of Christmas. We might call 23 it the sound of good cheer. 24 CHILD 2: Couldn’t you play us some music right now? 25 ALL: (Ad-lib) Sure, Why not? OK, etc. 26 27 SONG: Group or solo instrumental Christmas number. 28 29 LEADER: Music is one of my favorite sounds of Christmas. 30 CHILD 6: Everybody loves to sing Christmas carols. 31 CHILD 3: They sure are a sound of Christmas. You hear them 32 wherever you go — on the street, in the grocery 33 stores ... 34 CHILD 4: In the shopping malls … on TV and radio ... 35 CHILD 1: And carolers sometimes visit our neighborhood. 36 CHILD 5: But Christmas carols really mean the most to me 37 when I’m actually singing them — especially in church, 38 with the rest of the people.

This perusal script is for reading purposes only. No performance or photocopy rights are conveyed. 7 1 CHILD 2: Couldn’t we sing some right now? 2 LEADER: Let’s do that. 3 4 SUGGESTED SONG: “O Come, All Ye Faithful” by the Choir, 5 congregation, and CAST. 6 7 (Following the song, the CAST, except the LEADER, huddles 8 together, consulting over something. They break up, then ... ) 9 CHILD 5: Now? 10 ALL: (Ad-lib) Sure, Why not? Of course, etc. 11 CHILD 5: Well, (Turns to LEADER) we couldn’t think of a 12 sound that meant this part of Christmas, but it is an 13 important part, so — (Looks at others, who nod) so we all 14 got together to give you this gift. (Hands package to 15 LEADER.) 16 LEADER: Why, thank you. (Begins to open gift, then pauses.) 17 And you’re right. Giving is an important part of 18 Christmas. 19 CHILD 4: Maybe sometimes we let it get too important. 20 CHILD 3: Yeah, like how many presents will I get? 21 CHILD 4: I know some kids who are disappointed if they 22 don’t get everything they want. 23 CHILD 6: I’ve heard kids bragging about how much 24 expensive stuff they get. 25 LEADER: Maybe “giving” does have a sound, after all. 26 ALL: (Ad-lib) Huh? Whaddaya mean? What sound? etc. 27 CHILD 1: The rustling of wrapping paper? 28 CHILD 2: The sound when you say “Thank you”? 29 LEADER: Well, that’s part of it. The sound of gratefulness ... 30 whether it’s for a gift under the tree, or for all the 31 things we receive and take for granted all through the 32 year. 33 CHILD 5: Like — our parents’ love. 34 CHILD 4: And everything else they give us — food and 35 clothing, and ... 36 CHILD 2: For our friends. 37 CHILD 3: And for living here in America. 38 CHILD 6: And for our education.

This perusal script is for reading purposes only. No performance or photocopy rights are conveyed. 8 1 CHILD 1: You mean I should be grateful for school? (Others 2 groan and make faces at CHILD 6.) OK, just kidding. How 3 about for church? 4 LEADER: You’re all right, of course. But many of us find it 5 hard to express our gratitude aloud. 6 CHILD 5: So we give gifts instead? 7 LEADER: But gifts don’t always come wrapped in tissue 8 paper and ribbons. You give of yourself. 9 CHILD 5: You mean like you’re doing, by teaching a Sunday 10 school class? 11 CHILD 4: Or like some kids that give time to a tutoring 12 program at school. 13 CHILD 3: Or singing in the choir. 14 CHILD 6: Or serving on committees. 15 CHILD 2: Helping around the house? 16 CHILD 1: Baby-sitting, with our little sisters or brothers. 17 Doing the dishes. 18 CHILD 4: Giving our dads a hand with chores, like washing 19 the car or shoveling the snow. 20 CHILD 5: Visiting the people at the nursing home. 21 CHILD 6: How about when we go caroling there? 22 CHILD 3: Hey, let’s do that again this year. 23 ALL: (Ad-lib) Good idea, I like that, Sounds good, etc. 24 LEADER: You’ve all got the idea. We could call it the sound 25 of sharing. 26 CHILD 1: OK. Hey — aren’t you going to open your package? 27 LEADER: (Opens package and ad-libs reactions.) Oh! How 28 lovely! Thank you, etc. 29 CHILD 1: Well, we couldn’t find any gold or frankincense or 30 myrrh. (ALL except LEADER ad-lib reactions, groans, etc.) 31 LEADER: Those were the first Christmas gifts, weren’t 32 they? The three wise men, sharing their riches with the 33 Christ child. 34 35 SUGGESTED SONG: “We Three Kings” by Choir. 36 37 LEADER: We talked about music in church, but there are 38 other sounds of Christmas in churches as well.

This perusal script is for reading purposes only. No performance or photocopy rights are conveyed. 9 1 CHILD 6: The church service. 2 CHILD 5: All of us worshiping together. 3 CHILD 1: The minister talking. 4 LEADER: And of course, one of the sounds he shares with us 5 is ... 6 CHILD 2: The Christmas story! 7 LEADER: What do you think of when you hear those words 8 read? Why don’t I read it to you now. (Reads.) “In those 9 days a decree was issued by the Emperor Augustus for 10 a general registration throughout the Roman world. 11 This was the first registration of its kind. For this 12 purpose everyone made his way to his own town.” 13 CHILD 3: That was so they could tax everybody, wasn’t it? 14 CHILD 4: I wonder what my dad would say if he had to 15 travel to his home town to be taxed! 16 LEADER: (Continues reading.) “And so Joseph went up to 17 Judea from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to be 18 registered at the city of David by descent; and with him 19 went Mary who was betrothed to him.” 20 CHILD 5: Poor Mary. What an awful ride that must have 21 been for her. 22 CHILD 2: The back of a donkey couldn’t be very soft. 23 CHILD 1: And the road probably wasn’t very smooth. 24 CHILD 4: It was likely a road the caravans traveled. It was 25 in the desert, wasn’t it? 26 CHILD 6: How many miles did they have to cover from 27 Galilee to Bethlehem? 28 LEADER: Those are good questions. Why don’t you dig into 29 that and find out for us? 30 CHILD 4 and CHILD 6: (Ad-lib) Will do, OK, I’m on it, etc. 31 CHILD 2: I can just see them coming into Bethlehem ... 32 CHILD 1: All covered with dust from the road. 33 CHILD 5: And so tired. 34 CHILD 3: And then that old innkeeper, making them go to 35 the stable ... 36 LEADER: (Continues reading.) “ ... And while they were there 37 the time came for her child to be born, and she gave 38 birth to a son, her first-born. She wrapped him round

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