A Christmas Surprise For Daddy Play Script

A Christmas Surprise For Daddy is comedy about belief and family. It’s the night before Christmas and the family is decorating the tree and discussing Santa Claus. The younger girls explain that their classmates don’t believe in him anymore and that they would like to see him with their own eyes. Daddy decides to dress up as Santa to convince the girls that he exists but it’ll be Daddy who gets the biggest surprise of all! A sweet story about the magic of Christmas for all ages!

Olivia Arieti, a US citizen with a degree from the University of Pisa, lives in Torre del Lago Puccini, Italy, with her family. Her plays have been published by Heuer Publishing, Brooklyn Publishers, Desert Road Publishing, JAC Publishing & Promotions, Independent Playwrights, Green Room Scripts, Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, USA and Lazy Bee Scripts, UK. FLIGHT ATP12 was produced by Gulfport Community Players, FL, JUST FOR YOU, by Blue Box Productions, NYC, CONTEMPTUOUSLY IN LOVE, by Ciona Taylor Productions, NYC; her one minute works by Gi60 Screaming Media Productions NYC, UK, Spare Change Theatre, NYC and Eclectic Theatre Company, FL. UP NORTE and NIGHT INTRUDERS, finalists in the R.J. Flores Short Play Reading Series had staged readings in NYC. THE TEACHER, an adaptation of A. Chekhov’s story, “The Teacher of Literature”, was produced at the Viaduct Theatre, Chicago, for the Neapolitans Off-Chekhov Festival. SOMETHING IN COMMON was produced by Spokane Radio Theatre, WA. Her poems and short stories have appeared in several literary magazines and anthologies in the USA and UK.

Excerpt from the play:

CAST OF CHARACTERS

ROBERT – Daddy
HELEN – Mommy
EILEEN – Early teens
JANE – Six years old
LINDA – Seven years old
SANTA CLAUS

TIME
Christmas Eve.

SETTING
The living-room.

Props list:
A Christmas tree, decorations, tree ornaments (onstage)
Santa costume (Robert)
Plate with cookies, glass of milk, carrots (Eileen)
Sack, presents, list (Santa)

At rise: HELEN is putting up some decorations, EILEEN, LINDA, JANE are decorating the tree.

HELEN
Thank goodness we’re almost through.

EILEEN (winks at HELEN)
Just in time before Santa arrives.

ROBERT enters.

ROBERT (looks around)
Wow, you did a great job, girls. You, too, Helen. Santa will be most pleased.

LINDA
Last week our teacher told us the legend of Santa Claus, but Joe said he doesn’t exist.

ROBERT
Who’s Joe?

LINDA
My classmate. His big brother told him it’s all make-believe.

JANE
A girl in my class said she never saw him.

EILEEN
That’s normal, Jane, we all know Santa comes when we’re fast asleep.

LINDA
Also the story of his magic sleigh with the reindeer landing on rooftops is made up, Joe said.

HELEN
Our Joe seems to have a truly big mouth.

ROBERT
Indeed.

HELEN
You have to believe in Santa and be very good if you want him to fill your stockings, girls.

LINDA
We’re big, Mom, you can tell us the truth now.

HELEN
Better get the cookies and the glass of milk, dear; I’m sure Santa’s looking forward to his quick snack.

EILEEN
I’ll see to it, Mom.

EILEEN exits.

LINDA
I bet Daddy’s going to drink the milk.

JANE (laughs)
And Mommy will eat the cookies.

EILEEN enters.

EILEEN
Cookies, milk and carrots for the reindeer, too.

LINDA (giggles)
The carrots are for Eileen then.

HELEN
You silly girls!

ROBERT
You’ll end up on the naughty list if you go on with all that nonsense.

HELEN
Most true. Whatever, it’s bedtime now.

LINDA
Got to see Santa with my own eyes to believe he really exists.

JANE
Me, too.

HELEN
That’s enough, girls.

ROBERT
We’ll give you a call when he arrives.

JANE
Isn’t Eileen going to bed too?

EILEEN
Just a few more minutes and I’ll be snuggled under the blanket; don’t want to miss the chance of getting my new tablet.

LINDA
Night, guys.

LINDA, JANE exit.

HELEN (shakes her head)
Too bad the girls have stopped believing so early.

ROBERT
Kids are more precocious nowadays.

EILEEN
Why not brighter, Dad? Wonder why folks go on telling about Santa’s calls.

HELEN
Never can tell, dear… I still have a few doubts myself…