The Christmas Gift

A Childhood Classic (Silver Packages) with a Faith-based Twist

Roles:

Train Scenes
Grandpa
Grandson 1
Grandson 2
Grandson 3
Grandchildren (all children ages 1-3)
Christmas Train (4 kids - 2 per train car)
Group 1 Children (all children ages 4 - PreK)
Group 2 Children (all children in K-1 grades)
Group 3 Children (all children grades 2 and up)

Bethlehem Scenes
Star
Mary
Joseph
Donkey
Angels (4-6 kids)
Wise Women (3 kids, could be wisemen but we had too many girls in our play)
Camels (3 kids)
Shepherds (2-4 kids)
Sheep: (2-4 kids)
Baby Animals (all children too small for individual parts)
Songs to Learn:
All: first verse of O Little Town of Bethlehem, first and third verse of The First Noel, Go Tell
it on the Mountain

Note to Parents:
If your child is part of the “GROUP CHILDREN” train scenes, please send in a box for us to
use during practice.
Group 1 Children - box with a pair of socks inside
Group 2 Children - box with a pair of gloves inside
Group 3 Children - box with a winter hat/toboggan inside
These boxes should have your child’s name on them and should NOT be wrapped. They
will be sent home prior to the date of the play for you to wrap and return for use during the
play.
 Christmas Play Script

Living Room Scene 1: An older man is sitting in a rocking chair by the Christmas tree in his
living room. His grandchildren are seated on the floor around his feet.
*Grandchildren include those too small to act/speak in the main part of the play
accompanied by moms. (children 2 and under)

Grandpa: I just love this time of year. It’s so cozy in here with the Christmas decorations
and the glow of the Christmas lights. I have always loved Christmas and the joy and
happiness that fills the world during the holiday season. You know I still remember my
younger days and how excited I would get as a child at Christmas. What are you all excited
about this Christmas?
(allow time for a few children to answer)

Grandpa: Well, you’ve probably heard me tell this story before, but one of my best
Christmas memories is waiting by the train tracks for the Christmas Train. That Christmas
train would come through the mountains every year on the twenty-third day of December. A
man would ride on the caboose of the train and bring gifts to us children every year. We
would wait in the cold by the tracks for those beautifully wrapped packages to be tossed
from the back of the train. The first year I can remember shivering as I waited because it
had snowed the night before. I stood there in my worn out shoes until it seemed like my toes
were ice, but I was determined to get a Christmas package from the man on the back of the
train. I had been hoping for a doctor’s kit and I just knew that’s what he would bring.

Train Scene 1: The Christmas Train enters from the back of the church and rides through
the center aisle to the front. The train stops at the front of the church and group 1 of children
run to the train. Group 1 includes children around age 4 (PreK) (approximately 6 kids).
(Group 1 Children)

Each child in the scene yells out one thing they want for Christmas once the train stops. (I
want a ___________. ) After all kids have responded, the man riding the caboose tosses
wrapped packages to the children and yells “Merry Christmas” before the train drives back
down the center aisle and out of the church.

All children unwrap their package and find socks. As each child opens their package, they
yell out what they received to the others. Once all packages are opened, the children grab
the boxes, wrapping paper, and socks and run out the side door.

Living Room Scene 2:

Grandpa: Yeah, that Christmas I got socks. I got a few other things too and they were fun,
but it wasn’t what I wanted. After Christmas, the weather kept getting colder and colder and
I was thankful to have those nice, new, thick socks. I would go out and play in the snow with
my friends and my feet stayed nice and warm, but my hands were freezing. The next
Christmas came and I was hoping it would be the year I got that doctor’s kit I had been
wanting. I stood in the snow again waiting for the Christmas train. My feet were nice and
warm in those socks from last year. My hands were red from the cold and starting to hurt,
but I didn’t care because I was so excited about the Christmas Train coming.

Christmas Train Scene 2:

The Christmas Train enters from the back of the church and rides through the center aisle to
the front. The train stops at the front of the church and group 2 of children run to the train.
Group 2 includes early elementary age children (approximately 6 kids).
(Group 2 Children)

Each child in the scene yells out one thing they want for Christmas once the train stops. (I
want a ___________. ) After all kids have responded, the man riding the caboose tosses
wrapped packages to the children and yells “Merry Christmas” before the train drives back
down the center aisle and out of the church.

All children unwrap their package and find a pair of gloves. As each child opens their
package, they yell out what they received to the others. Once all packages are opened, the
children grab the boxes, wrapping paper, and gloves and run out the side door.

Living Room Scene 3:

Grandpa: Yeah, that Christmas I got new gloves and some Matchbox cars. It wasn’t what I
really wanted, but those gloves were just what I needed to stop my hands from aching in the
cold when I wanted to play outside with my friends that winter. I had fun playing with the
cars and wearing the gloves all year just knowing that the next year, I would get that
doctor’s kit I wanted. The next year, I ran to the train again on the twenty-third day of
December and waited for the train.

Christmas Train Scene 3:

The Christmas Train enters from the back of the church and rides through the center aisle to
the front. The train stops at the front of the church and group 3 of children run to the train.
Group 3 includes early elementary age children (approximately 6 kids).
(Group 3 Children)

Each child in the scene yells out one thing they want for Christmas once the train stops. (I
want a ___________. ) After all kids have responded, the man riding the caboose tosses
wrapped packages to the children and yells “Merry Christmas” before the train drives back
down the center aisle and out of the church.

All children unwrap their package and find a new winter hat. As each child opens their
package, they yell out what they received to the others. Once all packages are opened, the
children put on the hats/toboggans, grab the boxes and wrapping paper, and run out the
side door.

Living Room Scene 4:

Grandpa: Yeah, that Christmas I got a new winter hat. It wasn’t what I really wanted, but
mine had gotten too small and it was exactly what I needed to stay warm through the cold
winter weather. I loved waiting for that Christmas Train each year as a child and looking
back, I now realize that the man on that train somehow always knew exactly what I needed.
I’m telling you this story because it reminds me of the most important story to be told this
time of year. A long time ago, in a small town called Bethlehem, ….
Grandchild 1: Oh, I know this story. There was a woman named Mary and a man named
Joseph and she was going to have a baby. They traveled with their donkey to Bethlehem.

Grandchild 2: Yeah, I remember this story too. When they got there, all the hotels were full
and they had to sleep in a barn.

Nativity Scene: Mary and Joseph appear in the back of the church with a donkey and make
their way to the front. The stable backdrop is carried out in front of the altar. Mary and
Joseph walk to the stable and sit down on chairs behind the manger. The first verse of O
Little Town of Bethlehem is sung as Mary and Joseph walk up the aisle.

Grandpa: You're exactly right. I think that was all part of the plan. Mary and Joseph were
just normal people like you and me. So they went to Bethlehem as you said and found
shelter in a stable. That night, Mary had her baby. They named him Jesus. She wrapped
him in swaddling clothes and laid him in the manger. Out in the fields in that same country...

Grandchild 3: Oh, I know, I know! There were shepherds watching over their sheep and
angels appeared in the sky. At first they were scared.

Grandchild 1: Yeah and then the angels told them about Jesus being born in Bethlehem
and how he would be the savior. Then a whole group of angels were there shining in the
night sky and singing praises to God. The shepherds led their sheep toward the stable to
meet the new baby.

Nativity Scene: Shepherds appear at the back of the church and slowly walk up the center
aisle with their sheep. Angels appear on each side of the stable. Shepherds and sheep stop
in front of the manger to one side. As shepherds are walking up, all sing the first verse of
The First Noel.

Grandpa: On that night a new star also appeared in the sky and shown down brightly over
the stable.

Grandchild 2: Yeah, that’s how the wisemen knew about the new king and they traveled
with their camels to meet him also.
Grandchild 3: Yeah, they had to travel a long way to get to Bethlehem and they brought
gifts with them to present to the new king.

Nativity Scene: Star appears behind the manger scene. Wisemen appear at the back of
the church and slowly walk up the center aisle with their camel(s). Wisemen and camels
stop in front of the manger to one side. As wisemen are walking up, all sing the third verse
of The First Noel.

Grandchild 1: Hey, I thought there were lots of animals in the barn at the manger scene.

Grandpa: Yes, there were. Let’s head over there and take a closer look.

Nativity Scene: All small kids (grandchildren) place animal head pieces on and follow the
grandpa to the nativity scene. All animals and the grandpa sit down on the floor in front of
the nativity scene.

Grandpa: So as I was telling you earlier, this story reminds me of the man on the back of
the Christmas train. Every year I would ask for something I wanted. Usually it was a new toy
or game. I didn’t always get what I had asked for, but the man on the back of the train
somehow always brought me exactly what I actually needed. God acted in the same way
with the nativity scene. We did not ask for Jesus or even know that Jesus was what we
needed, but when God sent Jesus to be born on Christmas day in a lowly manger, he was
sending exactly what we needed. He knew that Jesus would be the Savior of the World, the
King of Kings, the Prince of Peace, the Bread of Life. So this Christmas and every
Christmas, remember that although there are toys and games and other things on our
wishlists, the most precious gift of all has already been given to us. The most important gift
of Christmas is the gift of Jesus.

Grandchild 2: Yes and just like the shepherds and wisemen, it is our job to go tell the world
this good news.

All: Sing Go Tell it on the Mountain