If the church’s seating arrangement allows, have all the children of the pre-school through the sixth grade sit together on one side of the chancel, with the junior choir on the other side.

As the program opens, the children of the pre-school through sixth grade face the congregation and sing Come and Hear the Grand Old Story. As they sing, the "family" characters enter and arrange themselves on the chancel or stage. The school children are seated, and the spotlight focuses on the chancel.

A mother and father with two or three young children start putting ornaments on the tree, arranging gifts underneath, setting up a creche, etc. They look happy and excited and talk about Christmas in an excited way. A teenage boy enters.

BOY: Boy, everybody’s so busy. Busy, busy, busy! All this stuff! Why don’t we just go out and buy presents and hand them to each other and call it quits? Christmas is so corny!

The others turn to look at him with astonishment.

MOTHER: You don’t like Christmas? How could you not like it? It’s a time of such joy!

LITTLE GIRL: Oh, I think you’re terrible. Don’t you want to get any presents?

BOY: Sure. That’s what I just said. That’s all Christmas is, just giving presents. There’s no big deal about that.

FATHER: No. That’s where you’re wrong. Christmas is a VERY big deal. It’s true that it’s a time for gifts, but I’m afraid you’ve got your gift ideas pretty mixed up. Let me tell you about the real gifts that Christmas brings.

The lights dim on these characters and are spotted on the central character in each of the following scenes. The reader may be out of sight, or may be using the lectern, but he is not spotlighted.

READER: The first of the gifts of Christmas was given at the very beginning of time. That was the promise of salvation in Genesis 3:15. And that promise is ours today as well.

As the congregation sings Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus, the following characters take their places on the stage: Adam, Eve, three or four children. The children sit before Adam and Eve. As the hymn ends, the spotlight focuses on them.

ADAM: Well, another day of hard work is almost over. It seems that there’s never an end to work. From the time the sun comes up until it goes to rest, it’s work, work, work. Oh, how I wish we were back in the Garden. Oh, children, that was a beautiful place! There was every kind of tree and flower and fruit that you could imagine, and the birds sang all the time, and the animals played together, and your mother and I even talked to God. Oh, if only we were there again. That really was Paradise!

ONE CHILD: Why don’t we live there anymore? I want to go to Paradise!

EVE: We don’t live there anymore because we disobeyed God. And I’m afraid that it was all my fault. You see, God had told us that we could have anything in the Garden except one thing. He said that we must hever, never eat any of the fruit on one special tree. Well, one day I was near that tree and a serpent came along and told me that God was just playing a trick on us. He said that we could go right ahead and eat the fruit, and nothing would happen. (Sighs) Well, I was stupid enough to listen to him, and I ate some of the fruit and gave some to your father, and he ate it too.

SECOND CHILD: Golly. What happened then?

ADAM: What happened? Can’t you see what happened? Are you living in Paradise now? We were thrown out of Eden, that’s what happened!

THIRD CHILD: Oh, father, that’s terrible. Will we ever get to go back to Paradise?

EVE: Yes. It won’t be easy, but God made a promise even when he made us leave the Garden. He promised that we would have to work hard and have a lot of pain and trouble in our lives, but that he would also send a Savior who would come someday and lead all people back to Paradise.

CHILD: Oh, mother, will he come soon? I want to go back to Paradise. I’m tired of living the way we do!

EVE: (smiling sadly) I don’t know when he’ll come, my dear. I’d like to go back too. But I just don’t know when he’ll come. All I know for sure is that he WILL come someday. God has promised it, and God never breaks his promises. And do you know what I think I’d call him if he came today?

CHILD: What, mother? What would you call him?

EVE: I’d call him Emmanuel. That means "God with us." And God IS with us, whenever we call to him. Yes, I think that would be a good name for him.

ADAM: Well, whatever his name will be, I hope he comes soon. I want to be with God again. Please, God, won’t you send Emmanuel soon?

Congregation sings O Come, O Come, Emmanuel as these characters leave and the prophet Malachi enters.

READER: After Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden and sin entered the world, the history of man is a sad one. God was very patient, but it seemed that people did their best to anger him. They would promise to obey him, and then turn right around and forget and sin again. God had even chosen one special people and told them that he would send the Savior of the world from them. But still they refused to be the best that they could possibly be. And whenever they disobeyed, God had to punish them.

MALACHI: Yes, that’s the story of my people, the people of Israel, the Chosen People of God. I wrote a book that’s the last book in the Old Testament, and in it I warned the people once more about disobeying God. But they still didn’t listen. I can look back over the history of my people and see all their ups and downs. When they obeyed God, he was good to them and they became a great nation. But they started thinking that they could do without him, and God let other nations destroy the people of Israel. But still God never forgot his promise. He told me to write in my book: "Behold, I send my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts." So, you see, God still held out his promise to us, and because we know that God never breaks his promises, we have the second gift of Christmas - hope and trust. They were God’s gift to the people of the Old Testament, and they are God’s gift to you in Christ, who was born on Christmas.

The lights dim, and he leaves, while the senior choir sings He Leadeth Me. During this interval, stage hands place large stuffed animals on the stage, where they may be easily seen. There should be a lion and a Iamb placed together, for example, and other unlikely combinations. Isaiah enters.

READER: Ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed God and were banished from Paradise, there have been fear and anger and bloodshed in the world. And now all men yearn for peace. And that is the third gift of Christmas - peace.

ISAIAH: You heard Eve say that she would call the Promised One by the name of Emmanuel. Well, God told me that I should write in my book that someday a virgin wouid have a child and she would call him by that very name! And when this child was born, he would make such great changes in the world that he would be called the Prince of Peace! And God also told me that when this Prince of Peace had spread his Word over all the earth, then true peace would again reign in the world, just as in the Garden of Eden. In that time, wolves and lambs shall live together, leopards and kids will play together, calves and lions and all sorts of animals will live together in harmony. And more than that, even the deadliest snakes will be made harmless, so that little children may play with them without fear. (As he speaks, he points to the stuffed animals.) And that is the third gift of Christmas - peace.

As he leaves, the congregation sings Peace, Perfect Peace.

READER: These were the promises of old. They were given to give hope and courage to a people who were far away from their original home in Paradise. And at last God’s promise was fulfilled. And this is the fourth gift of Christmas - God’s promise fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

As the congregation sings Silent Night the following come in procession from the back to the front of the church and take their places. First come angels, who stand to one side. They are followed by Mary (carrying the baby Jesus) and Joseph. Next come Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, who stand on the side opposite to the angels. Finally come the shepherds, who kneel before the angels. Mary puts the baby in a cradle which has been put in the center of the chancel during the singing of the hymn. She then sits beside the cradle, while Joseph stands beside her.

READER: Yes, this is the great gift of Christmas - the news that God did not forget his promises, but that he sent his own Son to fulfill that promise. And that’s the fifth gift of Christmas - the Good News of the birth of the promised Savior.

MARK: My name is Mark. I’m sure you’ve heard of me. I wrote one of the books of the New Testament. You see, I knew and loved Jesus, and I knew that he was the One whom God had promised to send to the world, and I wanted to tell all people about this wonderful thing. I was so anxious to tell them that I started my book this way: "This is the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Yes, it’s true that the Good News is God’s gift to all men at Christmas - the gift that made Christmas the gateway to God through Jesus. This is God’s gift of love to his children. And to make it a special message that all men would know came from God himself, he had the angels bring the message to the world.

READER: And in that region there were shepherds out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around theth, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased."

As the reader speaks, the angels act out the passage, while the shepherds kneel at their feet.

The third and fourth grades then sing Good News from Heaven the Angels Bring (verses 1, 5, 6).

While the children are returning to their seats, the shepherds move to kneel before the cradle. Also, some of the angels bring the stuffed animals and place them before the cradle. A star is then spotlighted above the Holy Family.

READER: Yes, God HAD kept his promise - he HAD sent the Savior for all men. And it was right that men should worship him. Oh, not that there was never any worship before. Of course there was. Men have always worshiped God. But now God had come to earth as a man among men, and even the animals, a legend tells us, knelt down and worshiped him, as our animals are doing here tonight. And this is the sixth gift of Christmas - worship.

The pre-school, kindergarten, first, and second grade children now group themselves around the chancel steps. The first and second graders sing The Little Jesus Came to Town. All the children turn to face the Holy Family after this song, but stay in their places.

LUKE: My name is Luke. I never lived and walked with Jesus, like some of my friends did, but I learned about him, and I loved him, and I wanted to worship him as the Son of God. And in my book I fold how the shepherds came to the stable in Bethlehem, led by the Star, and there knelt down and worshiped the Son of God, who was willing to come to earth as a baby, helpless and innocent, so that he might be the true sacrificial lamb for all men. And this was his gift - he himself became the sacrifice. And so he changed our worship. And that is the sixth gift - worship.

The pre-school and kindergartners now face the congregation again and sing Away in a Manger.

As they go back to their seats, the fifth and sixth graders take their places to the side of the chancel.

READER: Truly, this was the Son of God who was born this night. And he has given us a gift that could come only from the hand of God - the seventh gift - eternal life.

The congregation now sings We Three Kings of Orient Are, as the Wise Men come down the center aisle and kneel before the cradle.

MATTER: I am Matthew. I too wrote a book, and in it I told about the wise men who came from the East to see this wonderful baby who was born this night. And these wise men brought gifts to the baby. One of them brought him gold, which is the sign of a king. And this is to remind us that this baby was a king. Not just an earthly king, but the King of Heaven. And if we are his followers, then we too shall go to Heaven. And another of the wise men brought him frankincense, which the High Priest used in the temple, especially when he laid his sins of the people before God and asked for forgiveness. And that tells us that Jesus is our High Priest, taking our sins to God and asking him to forgive us. And the other wise man brought him myrrh, which was used to prepare the bodies of the dead for burial. And that reminds us that Jesus too had to die. But he rose from the grave! And so he, our king and High Priest, who opened the grave for us, has given us the wonderful gift of eternal life.

The fifth and sixth graders now sing Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne. They then return to their seats.

READER: We have heard of all the gifts that God has sent at Christmas, and they all together give us the eighth gift of Christmas - joy. Because knowing that the promise has been fulfilled, that we can trust in God and in the Savior whom he sent, that this is the good news - that we have eternal life in him, lead us to joy and praise of him.

JOHN: Yes, to those who believe, there is joy. I am John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. And I loved him. Oh, I had a rough time after he left us, as the other disciples did too of course, but it was all worth it and we were glad to suffer for his sake, because he had given joy and meaning to our lives, just as he does for all who believe and follow him.

The congregation sings Joy to the World. John remains on the chancel.

READER: You have heard the eight gifts of Christmas. But there is one gift that shines above all others - the gift that made it all possible - the gift of love. John, you wrote about that, didn’t you?

JOHN: Yes, this is what I said: "For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life." And I heard Jesus say, "A new commandment I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

The youth choir sings Love Come Down at Christmas.

READER: Saint Paul said: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

"Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

"Love never ends; as for prophecy, it will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease, as for knowledge, it will pass away. For our knowlege is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

The lights all over the church are now extinguished and the congregation lights candles which have been given them on entering. If possible, the children should also have small electric candles, so that they may share in the candlelight service. The congregation sings O Come, All Ye Faithful as the senior choir, also carrying candles, comes in procession down the aisle. If it is possible in the particular church setting, choir members (of senior and youth choirs) should be spaced down all the aisles, or around the walls.

Still in darkness, using only the candles, the choirs sing Gloria in Excelsis.

READER: These are the gifts of Christmas. Not material things that are easily broken, that rust, or fade or wither, but the things of the Spirit. Jesus said that we must not lay up for ourselves treasures on earth, but instead we should lay up treasures of the soul in heaven, where nothing can harm them. These are the lasting gifts of Christmas that we offer to each of you. And this is our prayer for you - that you may have a blessed Christmas rich in the gifts of God.

ALL: (together call out to the congregation) A Blessed Christmas and God’s peace be with you.

The lights are then turned back on.

The choirs then recess as the congregation sings Come Hither, Ye Faithful, Triumphantly Sing.

* There are pieces of music contained in the printed matter only.