The Scarecrow’s Christmas

This heartwarming play tells of a kind young girl, a lonely scarecrow, and Santa’s proposal for the scarecrow to scare away any polar explorers that might happen upon the North Pole! The script is based on "Jimmy Scarecrow's Christmas" written in 1913 by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman.

About the Playwright:

Olivia Arieti is a US citizen, with a degree from the University of Pisa. She lives in Torre del Lago Puccini, Italy, with her family and her four dogs. Olivia loves writing drama, especially for young audiences. Her plays have been published by Heuer Publishing, Brooklyn Publishers, Desert Road Publishing, JAC Publishing & Promotions, Green Room Scripts, Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, Drama Notebook, Lazy Bee Scripts, Smith Scripts, and Off the Wall Plays. Her poems and short stories have appeared in several literary magazines and anthologies in the USA, UK, and AU.

Excerpt from the play:

CHARACTERS

JIMMY-Scarecrow
HARE
SQUIRREL
BETSEY-A Young Girl
AUNT HANNAH
SANTA CLAUS
DONNER - Reindeer

*Flexible Casting. Easy to add more animals or reindeer.

At Rise: JIMMY the Scarecrow has arms crossed trying to warm himself. HARE and SQUIRREL pass by.

HARE
We’ve come to wish you a merry Christmas, Jimmy.

JIMMY
Not too merry for me. I’m here freezing and with no presents at all.

SQUIRREL
You mean Santa didn’t bring you anything?

JIMMY (shakes his head)
I saw him pass by last night, his sleigh all heaped with presents, but no matter how loud I shouted, ‘Santa Claus! Here I am!’ not a single present was dropped down to me.

HARE
I’ve found a crate full of herbs and berries this morning.

SQUIRREL
A basket full of nuts for me.

JIMMY
I’m nothing but a poor scarecrow, Santa doesn’t even know I’m here.

SQUIRREL
Too bad you can’t squeeze in a tree hole, otherwise could spend Christmas with my squirrel family.

HARE
If you could crawl into our cave, my rabbit would love to have you.

JIMMY
Thanks a lot, you’re my dearest friends, the only ones who haven’t forgotten me.

SQUIRREL
We care for you, buddy.

JIMMY
Seems I am of no use in this world.

HARE
Not at all. You kept away all the crows from Mrs. Hannah’s field.

SQUIRREL
Now her family will have corn for the whole winter.

JIMMY
I did my best, but I’m not happy or proud of my job.

HARE
Why not?

JIMMY
I don’t like shooing away those poor birds. They’re just looking for something to eat.

SQUIRREL
You are a generous soul, Jimmy Scarecrow.

HARE
Santa shouldn’t have missed a good fellow like you.

SQUIRREL
Sooner or later, he’ll find you, trust me.

HARE
And you’ll be on the top of his list.

JIMMY
Nothing would make me happier.

HARE
Well, I have to go now. It’s time to help out with dinner.

SQUIRREL
I’m off too. Hey, Mrs. Hannah and her niece are coming your way. See you, pal.

HARE, SQUIRREL exit. HANNAH, BETSEY come along. HANNAH has a basket and BETSEY has a doll.

HANNAH
Good thing that it stopped snowing otherwise we couldn’t bring these Christmas sweets to my sister. She loves them.

BETSEY
It’s been a wonderful Christmas Aunt Hannah. I think this doll is the best present of all.

HANNAH
Well, you’ve been very good, and Santa Claus always rewards good children.

They stop in front of JIMMY.

BETSEY
Poor scarecrow, I bet he didn’t get any presents at all.

HANNAH
Santa doesn’t bring presents to scarecrows.

BETSEY
Why not? It’s Christmas for him too, and you said he’s been very good at keeping away the crows this year.

HANNAH
The scarecrow doesn’t even know it’s Christmas.

BETSEY
I feel sorry for him, his clothes are all wet and he must be freezing.

HANNAH
Stop talking nonsense, Betsey. We’d better get going before it starts snowing again.

BETSEY
You go ahead, Auntie. I know the way. I just want to stay here for a few more minutes.

HANNAH (shakes her head)
What a silly girl you are. (moves along)

BETSEY
I wanted to wish you a merry Christmas, Mr. Scarecrow.

JIMMY
I wish you the same.

BETSEY
Hey, you can talk!

JIMMY
My name’s Jimmy, and I do know that today’s Christmas.

BETSEY
I was sure of that! You must feel pretty lonely, Jimmy.

JIMMY
To tell the truth, I do.

BETSEY
Look, I’ve brought you a Christmas present.

JIMMY
A present?

BETSEY
Yep, here, this doll is for you.

JIMMY (takes the doll)
I’ve never had a present. It’s beautiful.