Have you ever wondered how to write a Christmas play for your church? If so, this blog post is for you! We bring to you short Christmas programs for church, free Christmas play scripts for primary schools, and Sunday school Christmas program ideas. Here are some free scripts, plus several tips on how creating short Christmas plays can be an exciting and worthwhile activity for your congregation. If you’re looking for Christmas plays, scripts and programs to use with your youth group, this list will get things started.
Christmas is around the corner and you wanted to prepare your church community for a special Christmas program. You picked up the phone and called your family and friends, asking them to fill these roles: narrator (singer), mime and fairy godmother. To make things easy, you started typing the names into a word document, writing down their role descriptions and creating an outline with short openings and closings so that everyone could remember all the lines for rehearsals. But it ended up being such a huge hassle! There’s no way I’ll remember what to say in every scene. When will this ever get done?
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Christmas Program Ideas For Youth
| Christmas Program Idea | Description |
|---|---|
| A Live Nativity Scene | Reenact the nativity scene with congregation members, puppets, or live animals. |
| Hanging of the Greens Service | Members bring evergreen plants and wreaths to symbolize new life in Christ. |
| A Children’s Pageant | Kids dress up as Bible characters and perform in a Christmas worship service. |
| A Movie Night | Host a movie screening of Christmas classics for church members. |
| A Salvation Army Bell Ringing | Encourage members to ring bells for the Salvation Army and raise money for charity. |
| A Cookie Walk | Hold a cookie drive for members to bake and sell homemade cookies. |
| Social Media Christmas Challenge | Challenge members to participate in a 25-day Christmas challenge on social media. |
| A Christmas Carol Sing-Along | Host a sing-along with Christmas carols and provide lyrics for everyone to follow along. |
| A Toy Drive | Collect toys for families in need or donate to a local toy drive. |
| A Christmas Potluck | Have a potluck dinner where members bring their favorite holiday dishes. |
5 Short Christmas Programs for Church
1. “The Nativity Story”
– 5 actors (for Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the angel, and a narrator)
– Costume for each character
– Props such as a manger, shepherd staff, and angel wings
– Script detailing the story of Jesus’ birth
2. “A Christmas Carol Readers’ Theater”
– 4 readers (for Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Jacob Marley, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come)
– Victorian-era costumes
– script adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”
– Props like a candle and chains for Marley’s ghost
3. “The Christmas Alphabet”
– 5 children (one for each letter of the word “Christmas”)
– Simple costumes or letters to hold up
– Script with a word assigned to each letter that relates to Christmas (ex. C for caroling, H for holly)
– Optional Christmas decorations for the stage
4. “The Joyful Sounds of Christmas”
– Choir or group of singers (number varies based on the size of the choir)
– Music sheets for Christmas carols
– Optional instruments like bells or tambourines
– Stage decorations or backdrop with a festive theme
5. “The Christmas Miracle Play”
– 6 actors (for Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wise men, and a narrator)
– Costumes representing characters
– Props like gifts for the wise men and a baby doll for baby Jesus
– Script detailing the journey of the wise men to see Jesus
These short Christmas programs for church are perfect for spreading the holiday spirit and sharing the message of Jesus’ birth with the congregation. Each program can be easily adapted to fit the resources and size of your church community, making them ideal for any Christmas celebration.
How to Organize Short Christmas Programs for Church
Most churches will have a Christmas play for the youth group. They can also use short plays that are easy to set up and can be performed with minimal cost. Youth programs should have fun things for the kids in order to keep them interested. Finding the perfect script for your church Christmas play is a challenge. There are thousands of options, and it can be hard to narrow down what you want, need and like.
There are many Christmas plays that you can use for church. The best kind of Christmas play to use if you want a short play is one where the characters talk to each other or where there is an ensemble cast. These plays can be divided into three types:
Free Christmas Programs for Children’s Ministry
August 12, 2016 by Tony Kummer
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unFrozen Christmas Program
Fall is here and it won’t be long before the annual church Christmas program is upon us. Today, I want to point out some free materials from our friends at Children’s Ministry Deals. They’ve released a nice collection of Free Christmas programs and scripts for churches to use. These are high quality resources, downloaded by something like 20,000 people.
Don’t miss our free Christmas plays
In total, they have 7 options. So you can find the one that best fits your church. So click the link above and decide for yourself. There is no charge, you just have to select ADD TO CART and go through the checkout process. No payment is required because they are offering these 100% free as a promotion.
Not Sold In Stores Christmas Program Journey to Bethlehem Christmas Program Manger Tales Christmas Program Heaven and Nature Sing Christmas Program A Star Is Born Christmas Program unFrozen Christmas ProgramStar
Trip Christmas Program
Several of these programs offer a Sunday School curriculum that goes alongside. That will maximize the teaching element this Christmas season and help tell even more kids about Jesus.
These children’s Christmas plays are great for small churches, but can be as big as your imagination (and resources). If you need extra help, get the youth group involved too. They will enjoy the fun characters and biblically sound telling of the story of Jesus birth. Add a few classic hymns and these scripts can become a musical that the congregation will truly enjoy.
I’d love to hear your feedback after you’ve tried these free materials. Simply leave a comment below and tell us how the Christmas pageant when this year.
With the ongoing health concerns of Covid-19, many churches will skip their annual Christmas programs for children. That leaves a big gap in the ministry calendar since many congregations plan their pageants for months
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Christmas Plays for Children: 5 Free Printable Programs for Churches
By Tony Kummer -November 18, 2021
Christmas plays for children
Have you started planning your Sunday school Christmas program yet? If not, browse these free printable Christmas plays for children. Then download the one that’s right for your church or ministry.
Yes, you can buy some excellent Christmas programs fairly inexpensively on Amazon. But many churches want to create something a bit more original. So read on to see some great options!
Free Christmas Play Scripts for Primary School
5 Printable Christmas Plays for Children
- The Birth of Jesus
This traditional Christmas play script is easy to use and simple for small churches to perform. It mixes classic Christmas carols and some light narration. The pageant works with a cast of preschoolers as well as a children’s church with ages 2 through 10. A narrator (or team of narrators) does all the speaking. This program is a simple, meaningful way to celebrate the Christmas story. - Christmas Hope
This is another great Christmas option, especially for smaller churches. It mixes a traditional manger scene with modern-day family life. Only a handful of actors fill the cast, but each has substantial speaking parts. Add more Scripture readings to accommodate more participants. You could pair this simple script with a choir for a full-length Christmas pageant. - A Super Christmas
Free Bible Lesson 3D Thumbnail
This modern, funny Christmas play script is perfect for older kids and youth. A group of famous superheroes discover that while Baby Jesus came to save the world, he won’t be stealing their jobs! At our 5 p.m. Family Christmas Eve Worship, a cast of teenagers and adults performed this in lieu of a sermon. It’s a creative alternative to the more traditional Christmas pageants listed above. - The 12 Symbols of Christmas
This program script is based on our free “12 Symbols of Christmas” book. The scene features a family decorating their home for Christmas. As they add items, they discuss each one’s meaning and how it leads to Jesus. Think of this as a Christmas object lesson turned into a full performance. It features a traditional set, and church members will enjoy the Christmas story from a different perspective.
Free Printable Short Christmas Programs For Church
Finding a Christmas Play Script For Your Church Is Simple. Here is What You Need To Know: The search for a Christmas play script that will inspire your youth is easier than you think, especially if you have access to the internet. It’s true that writing your own script for a church play isn’t easy, but with the help of online resources (like this) and some creativity, no one should have any trouble writing a great Christmas play.
If you are looking for local church Christmas plays, then you’ve come to the right place. Short Christmas plays that can be performed at your church or community center. Grab a few and let’s get these scripts over to your church friends!
If you’re looking for free Christmas plays for church, I have just the thing!
Have you considered using your church to put on a wonderful Christmas play? Or how about youth group performing a short one-act play of Miracle on 34th Street.
The short Christmas program script is an age-appropriate play that can be prepared and performed in a day. By selecting the right plays, you can use these scripts to produce a festive event for your church organization. There are also several ways in which you can present these scripts to children of different ages and abilities so as to get them involved in the process from start to finish. Through many discussions involving various constituent groups of your congregation, you will be able to put together a project that will be appreciated by all those involved.
Looking for a great Christmas play for your church or group? You’ve come to the right place. All of our Christmas plays are written by talented professionals and feature original music. Whether you’re looking for Christmas plays that are funny or inspirational, drama or comedy, we have them all.
Christmas Plays for Small Churches: Easily Produced, Bible Based Christmas Programs for Small Congregations Paperback – September 28, 2016
Are you looking for a last minute Christmas play?
Look no further, the play “The Christmas Surprise” is a no-rehearsal play that can be produced within forty-eight hours. The actors are drawn from the audience on the morning of the play. This is a hilarious play where the actors themselves do not know what is coming next. This makes for the surprise. The play itself is very funny but it has a surprise ending which makes the message very real to both the actors and the audience. This is a perfect play about God’s calling people to Himself. It can be used to present a profound Gospel presentation or as a general call to service in the Kingdom of God.
Who said small churches cannot produce quality, thought provoking Christmas programs? If you are looking for Christmas programs with a real Christian message that are designed for small stages, then this book is for you.
These plays truly fit all size churches and are written in such a way as to minimize rehearsals and memorization.
The book contains five plays:
– “The Nativity” (9-11 actors) utilizes a liturgical format and focuses on worshiping Christ. This play works well even in churches which do not normally use formal liturgy.
– “What Child is This?” (15-28 actors) is humorous yet has a strong evangelistic message.
– “It’s the Gift that Counts” (6 actors) presents an emotional presentation of the Gospel. The Christmas story is told utilizing both traditional and non-traditional Bible passages focusing on finding God’s greatest gift to us.
– “An Interview with Scrooge” (10 actors) is a hilarious play that will not only cause your audience to laugh out loud, it will challenge the audience to examine the difference between true Christianity and rote religion.
– “The Christmas Surprise” (4 actors) is even funnier than “An Interview with Scrooge.” The beauty of this play is that you cannot rehearse it. The pastor should go out of his way to advertise this play and when people ask, “who is in it and when is the rehearsal,” he just replies by saying, “it’s a surprise.” This play seems to be random, but it has a very poignant message challenging the audience to answer God’s call (be it for salvation or Christian service).
Sunday School Christmas Program Ideas
In addition to the five plays, there is an interactive Church Christmas Decoration Service that can become a new Christmas tradition for those churches that do not celebrate Advent services.
Also included is a chapter with helps and hints for small churches, which includes:
- Stage Directions
- Hints for Working in Small Churches
- Hints for Working with Amateur Actors
- Hints for Keeping the Play Moving, and
- Keeping Christ in Christmas.
“Remember the Reason for the Season” is not an add-on cliche for these plays; Christ and the Gospel are the foundation these plays are built upon.
If you’re looking for a short Christmas program for your church, we’ve got you covered.
We have a wide range of options based on the time your congregation can dedicate to a service.
Our most popular option is our 25-minute performance, which includes a message about the season and a selection of carols sung by professional musicians. It’s perfect for smaller churches with limited time for services or for more casual events like coffee hours or community gatherings.
If you have more than an hour to devote to your service, we also offer 50-minute and 75-minute programs. These include all the same elements as our 25-minute program but with additional readings and musical performances. They’re great for larger churches or those looking to offer something special during their regular holiday services.