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The Meaning of

7 actors 15-30 minutes Theme: Meaning of Christmas ​ Summary: A fun mix between puppets and live actors that explores the true meaning of ​ Christmas.

Mr. R: C – H – R – I – S – T – M – A – S—Christmas! I put these letters up here in front of all of us so that we can use the word itself to remind us of what Christmas is really all about. There are so many sights and sounds and even smells and tastes that we associate with Christmas, but the problem comes when we think of those things as “Christmas”. Those sights and sounds and smells and tastes are supposed to be expressions of our celebration over the real meaning of Christmas! (Puppets [GIRL (Girl), BOY (Boy), Ms. Slithers (Snake), Moe (Monkey), Spot (Leopard), ​ Wally (Parrot)] pop up singing “Mister Santa” [Tune: ‘Mr. Sandman’]) ​ BOY & GIRL: Mister Santa Bring me some toys! Bring Merry Christmas To all girls and boys, And every night I’ll go to sleep singing And dream about The presents you’ll be bringing! Miss Slithers: Santa, Promise me please, Give every reindeer A hug and a squeeze. I’ll be good As good as can be! Mister Santa, Don’t forget me!

Moe: Mister Santa, Poor old Saint Nick, Be awful careful, And please don’t get sick. Put on your coat When breezes are blowin’ And when you cross the street, Look where you’re goin’! Wally: Santa, We’ve been so good! We’ve washed the dishes And done what we should, Made up the beds, Scrubbed up our toesies, We’ve used a Kleenex When we’ve blown our nosies! Spot: Oh, Santa, Look at our ears. They’re clean as whistles, We’re sharper than shears. Now we’ve put you on the spot. All: Mister Santa, Bring us a lot! Mister Santa, Bring us A LOT!

Mr. R: Hey, GIRL, interesting song.

GIRL: Oh . . . Merry Christmas, Mr. R. You like our song, then?

Mr. R: GIRL, weren’t you supposed to get all songs approved by me?

GIRL: Well, yes, but . . . well, we thought . . . I mean, we didn’t think you’d mind . . . we practiced real hard!

Mr. R: GIRL, I’m sure you did. It’s just that this banquet is meant to emphasize the real meaning of Christmas.

GIRL: The REAL meaning of Christmas? I’m not sure what you mean. Didn’t you hear the song, Mr. R? (sings) “Mister Santa, Bring us A LOT!” Doesn’t that sum up all of the ​ ​ real meaning of Christmas in a nutshell!

Mr. R: Surely, GIRL, you don’t really think that that’s the REAL meaning of Christmas?

GIRL: But Mr. R, Christmas has to be all about GIFTS. See, I’ve just finished writing ​ ​ out list (long list unrolls to floor) and I think I have everything that I need ​ ​ on the list.

Mr. R: Need? (picking up list) You NEED a Chicken Dance Elmo doll and a Swing ‘n ​ ​ Sing Karaoke Barbie?

GIRL: Well, OK, maybe I don’t NEED all that stuff, but, come on, what would Christmas be without GIFTS---and wrapping paper---and crowds of shoppers in the mall. I mean even at church they tell us that the wisemen brought gifts on that first Christmas. Christmas has to be about GIFTS---and I’m not missing out! I’m going to mail my list ​ ​ NOW before it’s too late! Bye!

BOY: (appearing with a giant HICCUP!) Hey Mr. R! Do you know any home remedies ​ ​ for---(HICCUP)---hiccups. ​ ​

Mr. R: Have you tried drinking a glass of water?

BOY: Yep. (HICCUP) ​ ​

Mr. R: Have you tried holding your breath?

BOY: Yep. (HICCUP) ​ ​

Mr. R: Have you tried a spoonful of sugar?

BOY: Yep. (HICCUP) ​ ​

Mr. R: Have you tried blowing into a paper bag?

BOY: Yep. (HICCUP) ​ ​

Mr. R: Have you tried . . . wait, hold still---there’s a huge spider crawling up your neck---

BOY: (going BALLISTIC!) AAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! A spider! Get it off me! I hate ​ ​ spiders! Don’t let it bite me! How big is it? Is it poisonous? HELLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPP!!!!

Mr. R: Calm down, BOY! There’s not a spider on you!

BOY: There’s not a big, hairy, eight-legged spider crawling on me?

Mr. R: No.

BOY: Then why did you scare me like that?

Mr. R: Are you hiccupping?

BOY: Hey, you scared away my hiccups! You’re great! Thanks! I don’t know what it is, but every time I drink eggnog I get the hiccups, but there’s nothing like some eggnog with some of my mom’s Christmas cookies. I just love Christmas! My mom always has hot cookies just coming out of the oven, and there’s always peppermint sticks---and ---and ---and nuts---and then to top it all off, there’s the Christmas to look forward to on Christmas day!

Mr. R: BOY, I was just talking with GIRL about Christmas, and she seems to think Christmas is all about gifts.

BOY: Gifts?! How silly! I mean, gifts are great, but everyone knows that Christmas is really about FOOD!

Mr. R: BOY! You’ve got to be kidding me. You don’t really think that FOOD is what Christmas is all about, do you?

BOY: Sure, Mr. R! What do you leave for Santa on ? Cookies and milk!

Mr. R: Santa?! What about ?

BOY: Well, when Jesus was born, where did they lay him?

Mr. R: In a manger.

BOY: And what’s a manger?

Mr. R: A feeding trough for animals.

BOY: You see, a FEEDING trough---FOOD! UMMMM, I can smell sugar cookies coming out of the oven right now---See ya later, Mr. R!

Moe: (monkey sounds are heard then Moe swings in singing) O, ! O, ​ ​ Christmas Tree! How lovely are your branches! O Christmas Tree! O, Christmas Tree! How lovely are your branches---

Mr. R: Hey, Moe---Moe!

Moe: Oh, hi, Mr. R! I was just singing my favorite Christmas song, “O Christmas Tree!” Don’t you just love Christmas? It’s the only time of the year when you can go into anyone’s home and find a tree---and that’s a pretty great thing for a monkey! (monkey sounds)And not only that---they’re all decorated with twinkling lights and shiny ​ ​ ornaments and sparkling , and there’s always a beautiful angel or star at the top.

Mr. R: Well, I like Christmas trees too, Moe, but I was just talking with GIRL and BOY, and they seem to have some wrong ideas about what Christmas is really all about---you know the real meaning of Christmas.

Moe: You’ve got to be kidding, Mr. R. What did they think Christmas was all about?

Mr. R: Well, GIRL thought it was all about GIFTS, and BOY thought it was all about FOOD!

Moe: Gifts and food?! I’ll try to get with them and let them know that Christmas isn’t about those things at all---it’s about TREES!

Mr. R: Moe, did I hear you wrong or did you just say that Christmas was all about TREES?

Moe: Of course! Just take a stroll down the street and take a peep in every window, and what do you see in each and every home---a Christmas tree! What good are presents if you don’t have a tree to put them under, and who ever heard of celebrating Christmas without a tree. It just wouldn’t be Christmas, because Christmas is all about TREES!

Mr. R: Moe, what about Jesus?!

Moe: What was Jesus’s occupation?

Mr. R: A carpenter.

Moe: You see, he was a woodworker and wood comes from TREES. And when he was born it says that they laid him in a manger---which is made of what?

Mr. R: Wood, but . . .

Moe: You see, Trees, Trees, Trees! Oh, that reminds me---I’ve got an appointment to help some friends put up their tree. A monkey’s awful handy to have around when you’re putting up a Christmas tree. Merry Christmas, Mr. R!

Wally: (appearing) And Cousin Polly makes 63; and Aunt Myrtle and Uncle Buck makes 65---Oh, and I mustn’t forget Great-Grandma Featherly---

Mr. R: Merry Christmas, Wally. What are you counting?

Wally: Christmas guests! My nest has been chosen for this year’s annual Christmas Family Gathering. Parrots from as far away as Peru, South America will be flying in for Christmas. You see, parrots keep strong family ties, and what better time to get together than Christmas! Oh, and that reminds me---I need to brush up on my Spanish. Feliz Navidad, Senor R!

Mr. R: That sounds really special, Wally, but I’m a little worried that everyone’s missing out on the real meaning of Christmas.

Wally: Why, whatever do you mean, Mr. R?

Mr. R: Well, GIRL thinks Christmas is all about GIFTS and BOY thinks it’s all about FOOD and Moe seems to think it’s centered around TREES!

Wally: What a bunch of bird-brains! Pardon the expression! But my Mama taught me from the time that I was hatched that Christmas isn’t about gifts or food or even trees, it’s about FAMILY! It’s the one time of the year where everyone puts aside their differences and come together as family---we even let Cousin Clyde come and everyone knows that he’s a former jailbird!

Mr. R: Wally! I think getting together with family is fabulous at Christmastime, but what about Jesus?

Wally: Mr. R, surely you know that in the story of Jesus’s birth, Mary and Joseph traveled to because that was their hometown---they were returning to their FAMILY’s roots and every has three people---Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus---the Holy FAMILY! Oh, heavens to Betsy, I forgot to count all of my dad’s oldest sister’s children and their spouses and children. I’ve got to go order some more Ritz Bits for the snack tray! Merry—I mean, Feliz Navidad!

Miss Slithers: (singing) “SSSilver Bellsssss! SSSilver Bellssss! Itsss Chrisssstmasss ​ ​ time in the ccccity! Ring-a-ling! Hear them ring! SSSSoon it will be Chrisssstmasss Day!” Oh, Mr. R! Isn’t Christmas sssssuper?! I sssuppossse you noticccced that I’m in the Chrissstmasss Ssspirit!

Mr. R: I noticed that you were singing a lovely Christmas song, but I’m not sure anyone understands the true spirit of Christmas anymore.

Miss Slithers: What do you mean, Mr. R?

Mr. R: I mean, in the last few minutes I’ve heard that the real meaning of Christmas is GIFTS, FOOD, TREES, and FAMILY, but no one seems to understand what really makes Christmas so special.

Miss Slithers: You mean the MUSSSSIC!

Mr. R: The music?

Miss Slithers: Yessss, Ssilent Night and SSSilver Bellsss and all the ssssspecial ssssongssss that make Chrisssstmasssss sssso sssstupendoussss! As ssssoon as Decccember ssstartssss, I jussst can’t help singing, “Let it SSSnow! Let it SSSnow! Let it SSSnow” There’s nothing that makes a cold-blooded snake all warm and fuzzy on the inside like caroling door-to-door on a sssnowy evening and singing, “We Wish You a Merry Chrisssstmasss, We Wish You a Merry Chrisssstmassss, We Wish You a Merry Chrisssstmassss, and a Happy New Year.”

Mr. R: But Miss Slithers, what about Jesus?

Miss Slithers: Well, of coursssse, Mr. R, everyone knowsss angelsss sssang the firssst Chrissstmasss sssongss to shepherds, and sssinccce then the Chrissstmasss sssseasssson has become a ssseassson for sssinging---whether it’s “All I want for Chrisstmass is my two front teeth” or “”. Oh, no, I’d better hurry or I’ll be late for my Chrissstmasss concccert, and I have a sssolo in “Deck the Halls”! Sssooo long, Mr. R! (singing as she goes) “Fa La La La La La La La La” ​ ​

Mr R: (a giant roar then Spot appears) Spot, what was that all about? ​ ​

Spot: Oh, Mr. R, you’re just the person I needed to see. I’ve always assumed that Christmas was really all about MONEY. I mean I always spend more at Christmas than any other time of the year, but this year I’m out of money! I don’t have money for a single gift; I don’t have money for a Christmas tree; I don’t have money for a bell ringer; I don’t even have money for our Christmas ham---we’ll have to have Christmas franks and beans---or maybe just beans! (starts to cry) The only way I know to earn any money ​ ​ at all---is to---is to sell my leopard coat! (bawling)

Mr. R: Spot, I have some good news for you. You don’t need to sell your leopard coat. You see, you can have the best Christmas ever without any money or any gifts---without fancy food or even a Christmas tree or . The truth is that the real meaning of Christmas often gets swallowed up in our pursuit to celebrate Christmas in these other ways.

Spot: (sniffling) Well, if Christmas isn’t money or gifts or food or music or trees or ​ ​ family, then what is it?

Mr. R: See the word “C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S” here, Spot. Now, let’s turn the “M” over here and we’ll see the answer to your question. See what it says now, Spot?

Spot: It says, “C-H-R-I-S-T W-A-S”.

Mr. R: That’s right. That’s the message of Christmas that we so often miss. The whole reason for the gifts and the food and the tree are just ways that we celebrate the fact that Christ was---The Bible tells us that He was in the beginning when the world was created, but 2000 years ago God did something special. He sent Jesus to the earth in the form of a man. He was still God---He could tell a storm to be still and He could raise the dead to life, but He became a man, too---He got tired and he suffered pain just like we do. And Jesus did this for us. You see, we’re all born in sin---our first thought is always to please ourselves---that’s why we do the wrong things that we do that hurt others and, in the end, hurts ourselves. Well, God loves man but He hates sin and knows that the punishment for sin is always death. The reason Christmas is so special is that when Jesus was born in a manger over 2000 years ago. He was born without sin---His first thought was always to please God in every thing that He did. So Jesus lived a perfect life on this world for over 30 years, but men didn’t love Jesus---in fact the “T” here in Christmas reminds us that they nailed Him to a cross and there He bled and died. Remember the punishment for sin is always death. Well, Jesus didn’t have to die because He didn’t have any sin, but He died so that we wouldn’t have to separated from God forever. We only need to trust in Him for everlasting life. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” He gave His Son to the world, first in a manger, then on a cross so that we could go to Heaven and live with Him when we die. You see the other great thing that we find in Christmas is the fact that Christ not only “was”, but (pulls down duplicate I-S ​ so that it hangs beneath C-H-R-I-S-T) “Christ is”. If we just had a story of Jesus in a ​ manger and dying on a cross, it would be a beautiful story, but what makes it all a reason to celebrate is that He didn’t stay dead, He rose again and He wants us all to believe in Him so that we can live with Him forever. That’s why every one of us have a reason to celebrate in our hearts even if we have no MONEY and no GIFTS and we’re all alone, because the real meaning of Christmas is Jesus Christ and what He’s done for us will never change!

Mr. R: (sound of crying is heard then GIRL appears) What’s wrong, GIRL? ​ ​

GIRL: (still crying) Mr. R, I mailed my Christmas list that took me weeks to get just ​ ​ right, and after I put it in the mail box I realized that I forgot to put a stamp on it. And you know what that means---No Christmas list---No Christmas gifts---My Christmas is ruined! Do you hear me? Ruined!

BOY: (appearing) Did someone say “ruined”? You can say that again! Ruined! Mr. R, ​ ​ after all that talk about food, I ran home expecting some wonderful cookies right out of the oven, and then Mom told me that the oven was broken, and no one can come fix it until after Christmas. That means no more cookies served warm from the oven and not even a Christmas ham. Mom said we might order pizza---(in disgust) Pizza for ​ ​ Christmas! My Christmas is ruined! Do you hear me? Ruined!

Moe: (Urgent monkey cries then Moe appears) Mr. R! You’ve got to help me! I’ve got ​ ​ an awful problem! I never want to see another Christmas tree as long as I live!

Mr. R: What in the world is wrong with you, Moe?

Moe: I was helping some friends decorate their Christmas tree and I noticed this festive vine that wound its way through the branches. Then I started itching and scratching. That was when I realized that I’d been playing with---poison ivy! I’m covered from head to foot with it and it’s driving me bananas! My Christmas is ruined! Do you hear me? Ruined!

Wally: (A great groan then Wally appears) OOOOOhhhhhhhhhhhh! It’s just the worst ​ ​ thing that could possibly happen! The very worst thing!

Mr. R: What’s wrong, Wally?

Wally: There was a change of plans concerning Christmas and my notification was lost in the mail until today! My family’s not celebrating Christmas at my nest! They’re meeting in Peru! It’s too late to fly there now, so that means I’ll be spending Christmas alone---just me and 25 boxes of Ritz Bits Crackers! My Christmas is ruined! Do you hear me? Ruined!

Mr. R: (Miss Slither appears with mouth moving furiously but no sound coming out) Is ​ ​ there something wrong Miss Slithers?

Spot: (Miss Slithers gets close to Spot’s ear and mouth moves furiously) Miss Slithers ​ ​ says she’s lost her voice and the doctor says it won’t be back until the New Year. She says she missed her Christmas concert and she won’t be able to go caroling or even sing a single this year. And she adds that her Christmas is ruined! She adds, ‘Do you hear me? Ruined.”

Mr. R: That’s what I was trying to tell all of you. If you’re looking to MONEY or GIFTS or FOOD or FAMILY or MUSIC or even a Christmas TREE for a wonderful Christmas, you can be sorely disappointed because those things are temporary---there are times in our lives where we have those things and there’s times when we don’t---but even if our Christmas doesn’t include ANY of those things we can still have a wonderful Christmas if we remember that Christmas isn’t about us, it’s about JESUS! Christmas is a time to celebrate the things that we can have because CHRIST WAS and even more so, because CHRIST IS. The fact is, GIRL and Spot, because Jesus came, we have a greater GIFT than MONEY could ever buy! And Miss Slithers and Wally, we have something to SING about because he’s given us the opportunity to be part of His FAMILY! And BOY and Moe, some day all those who have accepted Him as their Savior from sin can go to live with Jesus and EAT from the TREE of Life and live forever right there in the presence of God Himself. That’s why Christmas is so wonderful! His birth in a stable in Bethlehem opened the door for all these things that He had planned---FOR US!

GIRL: We’ve all been pretty selfish, haven’t we?

SPOT: (after Miss Slithers whispers to him) Miss Slithers wants to know if we can sing ​ ​ “Away in a Manger” for her.

Mr. R: I think that would be very appropriate, Miss Slithers.

Away in a manger No crib for His bed, The little Lord Jesus Lay down His sweet head. The stars in the sky Looked down where He lay The little Lord Jesus Asleep on the hay.

We love you, Lord Jesus, We ask you to stay Close by us forever, And love us, we pray. Bless all the dear children In your tender care, And take us to Heaven To live with You there.