Christmas
Pageants

The Christmas pageants are meant to be fun for everyone while presenting the Christmas story. Each of the pageants is a “play within a play.” There are plays that are silly and humorous for the older youth and adults, but those plays eventually lead into a traditional pageant complete with shepherds, angels, Mary, Joseph, and the animals.

In our church, we have performed these pageants with only a few rehearsals for the larger parts, and just one rehearsal for the little children. Also, there are few costumes required and, while most of the pageants may include many actors and actresses, they are all flexible in terms of the numbers of cast members who must be involved.

At FaithDrama.com, we believe that Advent is busy enough without destroying the very thing you are trying to accomplish with the pageant, namely, joy and community.

Over the past eight years I have written many pageants. My approach is ...

	Everyone should enjoy themselves.
	The season is busy; therefore, practices must be kept to a minimum.
	The pageant should be first and foremost for the children, but adults also want to tell and hear the story.
	The pageant must be of sound theology, and ...
	Sets, lights, costumes, etc., should be kept to a bare minimum. At our church, we have used the same set for 15 years, with only slight alterations and additions.
	Whenever possible, the congregation should have the chance to participate in the plays by singing Christmas carols.

You will notice that each pageant has a similar structure. Each is a play within a play. Each play “ends” with a traditional Christmas pageant, complete with angels, shepherds, Mary, Joseph, wise men, the innkeeper, and even the soldier declaring that every one must be enrolled. “Caesar says so!” There is, however, a reason for the story to be told. It may be to give hope to the hopeless ("A Wild West Christmas") or a gift to Mrs. Luther ("A Luther's Christmas").

I am often asked which pageant is my personal favorite. That's a tough question because each has its strengths. "An Animal Farm Christmas" may be one of the more unique pageants, though, because it came about as we talked about the parts of the Christmas story that are never told, namely the terror brought upon Bethlehem by Herod.

	PAGEANT 1 An Animal Farm Christmas

What happens when a rooster comes to an animal farm where the pigs have a firm grip on power and stirs up trouble? The pigs have ordered that no Christmas story be told, for they know it will give the animals hope, and hope can empower the weak and the lowly. What if someone dares to go against their wishes?

	PAGEANT 2 A Space Age Christmas

Captain Kirk is deathly ill. His wife, Captain Skirt, is in charge of the ship. They are lost in space and the crew has lost hope. She decides they need a Christmas pageant, but the “space age” director tells her that they must spruce it up for the new age. For instance, the wise men must use a transporter beam, not camels. The angels must use communicators, not their songs. Of course, each thing goes terribly wrong. It is Spock who points out the logic ... that the tale is timeless. Imagine the humor as Spock and Dr. McCoy fight over lines in the traditional Christmas story narration. In the end, Captain Kirk recovers because of the songs and a story told by the children.

	PAGEANT 3 The Children of Bethlehem

The children of a contemporary church struggle to be part of decorating the Chrismon tree and the church. They are pushed aside. Only one kind man takes one child aside, in his sorrow, and tells him a tale. This man is known for his tall stories, but the child agrees to listen. It is the story of the children of Bethlehem, who were also pushed aside that first Christmas, but who witnessed and believed the wonderful story. Imagine the shepherd children, the child of the innkeeper, the children of Roman soldiers, all friends, and all witnessing parts of the story. In the end, they gather around the newborn King of their lives.

	PAGEANT 4 Of Mice And Christmas

A simple yet very enjoyable pageant, this story was inspired by the tale that the hymn "Silent Night" was originally composed because mice chewed through the workings of the organ of the church. Suddenly the congregation needs a simple, quiet piece suitable for the guitar. In this pageant, the mice of the church sabotage the pageant in order that they might be included. After all, they are animals just as were those first animals at the manger! Humorous consequences develop as they strike terror into the heart of the pageant director who maybe has forgotten what the Christmas story is all about!

	PAGEANT 5 A Wild West Christmas

One man owns the town. He is cruel. He wants more. Even on Christmas Eve he has worked his evil trying to gain the land of a gentle old man. He has the man locked up and accused of stealing. He is to be hung in the morning. The old man's little friend, Cory, a young boy, is distraught, and wonders what he can do. Then it comes to him. We must tell him the Christmas story, right there in jail. In the end, justice is secured. The old man is freed, and the greedy man storms away, vowing revenge.

	PAGEANT 6 A Luther's Christmas

The simplest of the pageants to stage, this is also possibly one of the best. Martin Luther is accredited with bringing the first Christmas tree into the house. Can you imagine his wife's response? Luther argues with her, and tells her that it is a gift from the children. They then proceed to decorate it. Luther then tells his wife to sit back, that the children have a Christmas gift for her. What is it, she asks? The children of the church and of their home are going to give her the Christmas story.

	PAGEANT 7 The Revolting Choir Angels

One of the shorter pageants, this one is very simple to do. It takes place in heaven as the angelic choir practices for a big concert. God has not told them what it is for, but they know it is big. There is one angel in particular who wants to revolt until he finds out more. After all, how can we trust God? Gradually, the angel Gabriel and the others share what they were told to tell Mary and Joseph, and the story unfolds. How could this be true? God’s son, born to a poor virgin, in Bethlehem? How ridiculous!

In the end, the revolting angel refuses to believe. He walks off to practice something else God told him to prepare. He says it is something about rolling away a big, big rock. The angels ask to hear from Gabriel what will happen, and this angel narrates the upcoming Christmas story.

	PAGEANT 8 The Not-So-Wise Men

One of the funniest pageants, this is the story told by one wise “person” about the many wise people who were told to find the baby. However, as they travel along, one by one these wise people fall prey to a variety of temptations.  One leaves for fame, another for money… until there are only three left.  Oh yes, there is also the one who is telling the story. How did she/he come to know the story if only three arrived in Bethlehem? 

	PAGEANT 9 Elves On The Run

Jesus and the holy family were refugees. They fled to Egypt right after Jesus was born. What if there were elves who were fleeing the North Pole? A certain evil factory owner is doing everything he/she can to keep the elves out of town. In the end, maybe they need to hear how, like them, Jesus was a refugee.