The Christmas Child Play Script

The Christmas Child is an adaptation of a story originally written by Mary Louisa Molesworth. The story takes place in the home of a poor family in 1910’s London. It is Christmas Eve and the children, Millie and Steven, are excited to see what Santa Claus will bring them. Their parent simply want the children to get well so they can watch the festivities from their window. Despite their illness, the children secretly make gifts for their mother and father. When Mother goes out to purchase food for their Christmas dinner, something supernatural occurs that will make this Christmas their most memorable one ever! This charming tale teaches children the importance of kindness and generosity.

Corinna Rezzelle is thrilled to be a playwright on Drama Notebook! Corinna has been an active actor, director, and stage manager since childhood and a theatre teacher for almost eight years. Holding a M.A. in Educational Theatre and a teaching credential, Corinna’s goal is to create engaging theatrical scripts that all students will enjoy performing. You can purchase her other fantastic scripts, Pecos Bill and the Rip-Roaring Tornado and Peter’s Big Adventure, right here in the Script Library!

Excerpt from the play:

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Chorus
Mother
Father
Millie
Steven
Child

Setting: 1910’s, London. A small cottage on the outskirts of town. Standard RP accents are encouraged for performers of all ages. (Received Pronunciation, RP, is an accent of spoken English. Unlike other UK accents, it’s identified not so much with a particular region as with a particular social group.)

Notes About the Production: The Chorus should not be dressed as angels. I can see how this would be a choice, but please try to avoid this! I also picture the “Child” character played as a boy, but you can have either gender play the role.

(At the rise, two children are laying on two separate small beds SL in the small cottage of Mr. and Mrs. Phillips. The children are ill. Mother is bustling around a small fire at the SR corner of the room. There is a wooden table, with a cloth that touches the ground, at the center of the room, directly behind it is the door to exit onto the street. Two windows flank the door. The cottage is wooden with few personal items on the walls and shabby, dingy curtains.)

Chorus
(singing as they cross the stage)
In the Bleak Midwinter,
Frosty Wind Made Moan
Earth stood hard as Iron,
Water Like a stone.
Snow had fallen,
Snow on Snow,
Snow on Snow.
In the Bleak Midwinter,
Long ago.

(Father is sitting at the table tying his boots.)

Father
It’s going to be a cold one at the factory today, Mother.

Mother
Aye, I should say it is, but we’ll keep the fire nice and warm for you while you’re away.

Millie
(peeking her head up from the covers) Sure, Poppa. And hurry home.

Father
(crossing to the beds) Why’s that?

Steven
Tomorrow’s Christmas!

Father
(looking at the calendar) Why, I should say it is.

Millie
And Santi Clause is coming tonight and everything.

(Mother and Father look at each other sweetly)

Steven
I hope he brings me a real train that I can ride around the whole house!

Millie
I hope he brings me that doll that we saw in Smithner’s toy shop, with the real porcelain face and the pretty yellow and pink dress!

(The children are standing on their beds at this point, giddly talking about presents that they want. Mother rushes to the beds and the pulls the children back down, pointing a finger and whiping her other hand on her apron.)

Mother
No one is getting anything from Santi Claus, if you don’t lie down immediately!

Millie and Steven
Yes ma’am.

(The family are all together in a picture blocking.)

Father
We need you two to get well. That’s what I want from Santi Claus.

(The work whistle goes off. It’s 8:00 am)

Mother
And I want food on the table and a family together by 7:00 pm for Christmas dinner! Now, get to work, Father. You’ll be late. The elves can’t come to ready the house with a Poppa present.

(Millie, Steven, and Mother look at each other and laugh.)

Father
Alright, alright. I’m away! Goodbye, family!

Mother, Millie, and Steven
Goodbye, Father!

(Mother lingers at the door and waves until Father is gone.)

Mother
He’s gone! Get them out; get them out!

(Millie and Steven hurriedly pull strings of cranberries and popcorn out from under their mattresses and dance about the room with them. Mother pulls a small Christmas tree from under the table and pulls out Father’s presents. It’s a chaos-filled sight with much laughter and noise.)

Millie
I made him the most wonderful tie in school.

Steven
And I carved him a real life train out of soap.

Mother
Those are all wonderful gifts, dears, but let’s not have you over-exerting yourselves. You want to be fit to watch the Christmas pantomime tonight.

Millie
Can we really go, Momma?

Mother
Well, you can watch it from the window here. Now, back to bed both of you. I have to go to the market to get a few more things for tonight’s feast.

Steven
A feast? A real feast!

(Mother tucks them back in.)
 

Mother
Goodbye children. And, (with a knowing look) be good.

(Mother exits and Millie looks out of the window and waves until Mother leaves.)

Millie
She’s gone! She’s gone!

Alright, alright. I’m away! Goodbye, family!