A long time ago, in the town of Nazareth lived a young woman named Mary.

(ENTER MARY)

Mary was a young girl. She did her chores, was kind to others and loved God very much. She was engaged to be married to Joseph, a carpenter. She was very important to God, so important that God sent an angel down from Heaven with a message for her.

(ENTER ANGEL) (Ring your bells!!)

The angel said to Mary, “Hello Mary, you are very special. God is with you!” But Mary found it hard to understand why the angel had come to see her. She worried what the angel meant by the greeting. Seeing she was scared, the angel said, “Do not be afraid, Mary. God is very pleased with you. You will give birth to a son. You will call him Jesus. He will be called the Son of the Most High.”  Mary was still very confused so she said to the angel, “I don’t understand. I am not yet married, how can I have a son?” The angel responded, “You will conceive by the Holy Spirit, and your baby will be called the Son of God. For nothing is impossible for God. ” Mary was still afraid but she trusted God so she said, “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done according to your word.”

(ANGEL and MARY EXITS)

The angel departed-leaving Mary excited about the news of the baby, and she told Joseph all about it.

(ENTER JOSEPH)

But Joseph was worried when he found out that Mary was expecting a baby before their marriage had taken place. He wondered if he should put off the wedding altogether. Then an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream.

(ENTER ANGEL) (Ring your bells again!!)

The angel explained that Mary had been chosen by God to be the mother of his Son and told Joseph that the baby would be named Jesus which means ‘Savior” because he would save people. When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel had told him to do and took Mary as his wife.

(EXIT ANGEL)

(ENTER MARY WHO HOLDS JOSEPHS HAND)

Now the emperor who ruled over the land, sent an order saying he wanted to count every single person in the country.  Everyone had to go back to their home town to be registered, so Mary and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem. They travelled for many miles and were tired and weary when they arrived in Bethlehem.

When they arrived, they knocked on every door in town, looking for a place to stay but everywhere was full.

(ENTER INNKEEPER)

They stopped and Joseph asked an innkeeper, “Please, please help! My wife is about to have a baby. Do you have a room?” The innkeeper replied “I’m so sorry. All my rooms are full. All I can offer is my stable out back, where we keep the animals.”

(INNKEEPER EXITS)

So Mary and Joseph went to the stable. (Put on your animal mask and make the sound your animal) It was full of animals and dirt but Mary and Joseph were happy to find a place to rest after their long journey. When the baby came, they wrapped little Jesus in the clothes they had. They didn’t have a crib to put him in so they placed him in a manager that was used to feed animals.

 (SHEPHERDS ENTER)

Meanwhile, in some fields nearby, a group of shepherds were keeping watch over their sheep. (Hold up your candy cane like a shepherd’s hook) It was night time and they were surprised when an angel appeared in front of them.

(ANGEL ENTERS) (Ring your bells!!)

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you news of great joy. Good news for people across the world. Today in Bethlehem, a Savior has been born. You will find a baby lying in a manger. Glory to God in the Highest, and peace to his people on earth!” The angel left and the shepherds wondered what they should do next.

(ANGEL EXITS)

They decided that they must see what the angel had told them about. So they hurried off to seek Mary, Joseph and the baby whom they knew they would find lying in a manger. They found the stable where they were. After they had seen him, the shepherds told everyone they met about the child. They went back, singing praises to God for all they had heard and seen for it had been just as the angel had told them.

(SHEPHERDS EXIT)

(ENTER WISE MEN AND ANGEL WITH STAR TO LEAD THE WISE MEN)

Sometime later more people came to visit. Three wise men were studying the stars when they noticed that a bright star had risen in the sky (Hold up your star to help lead the wise men!!) They followed it to see what it meant. They arrived at the manger and saw the baby and worshipped him. Each of them brought a special gift to give to the baby. They brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then the wise men bowed down and worshipped him. They returned home a different way because they had been changed by meeting the baby.

(EXIT WISE MEN)

Mary and Joseph returned home to Nazareth with the baby whom they named Jesus. And he grew and became strong in spirit and full of wisdom. And the grace of God was upon him.