WRITTEN AND PRODUCED BY SCOTT AND ANDREA VANDER PLOEG PREKPLAYS.COM

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2 WRITTEN AND PRODUCED BY SCOTT AND ANDREA VANDER PLOEG PREKPLAYS.COM All material is copyrighted and all rights are reserved. Once you have purchased Christmas Around the World, you have permission to make as many copies as needed for your performance. Making copies of the script, songs, or movie files for any other purpose than the performance, or distributing this material without permission is strictly forbidden. 1

3 Introduction Thank you for purchasing Christmas Around the World. This play may be utilized by various sized groups. You are highly encouraged to use your imagination to adapt this Christmas pageant to fit the needs of your school and students. There are five songs that your preschoolers will practice and learn. It is recommended that all the students sing each of the songs together. However, if you are directing a large group, you may wish to have individual classes learn and sing only individual songs. Christmas Around the World is written in such a way so that the story of Christmas is told by a narrator. This narrator may be the school director, a teacher, or another adult. The narration may also be broken into parts and read by several different people. At the center of the stage should be a manger scene. If a background is used, it could be a large mural of the town of Bethlehem. As a part of the play, there is an option for having children act out the parts for Mary and Joseph, a choir of angels, shepherds, and wise men. It is recommended that you have a costume for every child. You will have a limited number of children play Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men. The rest can play the part of the angel choir. Have fun! Use your imagination! And may God bless your efforts as you tell the important story of Jesus birth. 2

4 Christmas Around the World Narrator: All over the world people celebrate Christmas! Whether you live in China, Argentina, Iraq, Russia, or the United States, the story of Jesus birth is one of the most important stories ever told. God made every person. All of us are special to God. So no matter who you are or where you re from, we want to wish you a Merry Christmas. Different parts of the world have different music. Here at home [in the United States], we are known for Rock n Roll and Hip Hop. When we sing we like to have fun. Our first song is familiar to us all, Joy to the World. Play and sing: Song #1 Joy to the World Joy to the World, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing. He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love, And wonders of His love, And wonders, wonders, of His love. Narrator: The story of Christmas begins with Mary and Joseph. (Mary and Joseph enter the stage and stand to one side. They look worried and afraid. They have just received overwhelming news!). 3

5 Angels appeared separately to both Mary and Joseph to let them know that God was doing something special. He had chosen them. Mary would give birth to a son. And they were to give him the name Jesus. The angel told them that He would save people from their sins. How did Mary and Joseph feel when the angel told them the news? Were they afraid? Were they worried? Certainly the news was overwhelming. But God encouraged them and reminded them that He would be with them through it all! Mary and Joseph were Jesus earthly mother and father. In Russia, mothers and fathers play a big role in the celebration of Christmas. The father begins the Christmas meal by leading the family in prayer. The mother then draws a cross with honey on each person's forehead, saying a blessing - "In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, may you have sweetness and many good things in life and in the New Year." Our next song, set to a traditional Russian tune, celebrates how God worked in the lives of Jesus parents, Mary and Joseph. Play and sing: Song #2 Mary and Joseph Mary and Joseph, God has chosen you Don t worry, don t fear, God is with you. Call Him Jesus, He will save us all. Call Him Immanuel, God is with you. 4

6 Narrator: In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. Everyone went to their hometown to register. Mary and Joseph went to their hometown, Bethlehem. It was here, in Bethlehem, that Jesus would be born. (Mary and Joseph now move to the center of the stage, where the manger is located. They stand near the manger for the remainder of the play). In Argentina, Christmas is a big celebration a fiesta! During Christmas the weather is warm in Argentina, but that in no way lessens the fun of the season. Preparations for Christmas Day begin much earlier than in many other parts of the world. Every house is decorated beautifully with lights and flowers. Like Mary and Joseph, many people travel to their hometowns to celebrate that Jesus was born. Our next song says, Come and celebrate with me. Bethlehem fiesta! Play and sing: Song #3 Bethlehem Fiesta Bethlehem joy! Bethlehem fiesta! Bethlehem joy! I want to be there! Chorus To you this day a child is born And he shall be a king. Come and celebrate with me Bethlehem fiesta! Bethlehem joy! Bethlehem fiesta! Bethlehem joy! I want to be there! Chorus To you this day a child is born And he shall be a king. Come and celebrate with me Bethlehem fiesta! Come and celebrate with me Bethlehem fiesta! 5

7 (Shepherds enter the stage holding shepherds staffs.) Narrator: In modern-day Iraq, you will still see shepherds in the fields tending their sheep. Christmas is a reminder to these shepherds that there is great hope. A ray of light shines in the darkness. That is what the shepherds on the original Christmas day found out first hand. They were out in their fields tending their sheep in the dark of night. Suddenly, a great company of heavenly hosts appeared. Narrator: The angels declared: (All children say in unison:) Glory to God on high. And peace to all men. Narrator: The shepherds were so amazed at what they heard. They immediately left their sheep to go and see Jesus themselves. (Shepherds go and surround the manger scene and remain there for the rest of the play.) Narrator: In 2008, the Iraqi government declared Christmas as an official holiday for the first time in the history of the nation. Christians there today light bonfires for Christmas as a symbol of hope. Play and sing: Song #4 We Were Tending Sheep We were tending sheep, when all others where asleep Then the angels came, we would never be the same. They sang, Glory be to God on high! They sang, Peace to us forevermore! We were tending sheep, when all others where asleep Then the angels came, we would never be the same. 6

8 (Three wise men enter the stage. One student holds up a star above the manger scene [perhaps on a pole]. The wise men make their way also to the center of the stage as the narration is read. If available, have the wise men holding paper lanterns.) Narrator: In China, people celebrate Christmas by lighting their houses with beautiful paper lanterns and decorating their Christmas trees, which they call "Trees of Light," with paper chains, paper flowers, and paper lanterns. Giving gifts is an important part of the Christmas celebrations, and it is no exception in China. People exchange beautiful Christmas gifts with each other. These Christmas gifts are the ideal way to express your love and care to those who are important to you. When Jesus had been born, wise men from the east followed a brightly lit star in the sky to find the baby Jesus. When they found Jesus, they worshipped him and offered him expensive gifts. They recognized that this baby was a king. Play and sing: Song #5 We are Three Kings We are three kings who have traveled far Guided here by the Christmas star We have come to worship Him And give our everything, And give our everything! Little baby soft and mild We offer gifts to this child We have come to worship Him And give our everything, And give our everything! We have come to worship Him And give our everything, And give our everything! 7

9 Narrator: As we have seen, people celebrate Christmas all over the world. Different people and different nations celebrate in their own unique way how important Jesus birth is to our world. This Christmas season, as you celebrate, be aware that you are not alone. Jesus has brought joy to the whole world! Play and sing again: Song #1 Joy to the World Joy to the World, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing. He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love, And wonders of His love, And wonders, wonders, of His love. The End. 8