Excerpt:NARRATOR: Christmas is a wonderful time to create memories with your family. There are the little things that we do, perhaps as a ritual, but those memories sometimes remain with us for the rest of our lives. Maybe it is the meal that we prepare on Christmas Day, or seeing the faces of the children as they open their presents. Maybe it’s the day you decorate the tree, or put up your lights…or putting on Christmas music while you decorate the cookies. Perhaps it is the Christmas Eve Candlelight service at the church. We all create our own memories and Gavin did that every year with his son, Davey. It had become a tradition… they would go and pick out a Christmas tree together and bring it home.(Sounds of a tree being drug along the ground)
DAVEY: Is it a good tree, Dad?
GAVIN: I think it is a fine tree, son. You did a good job picking it out.
DAVEY: It’s not too big is it? Mom said to make sure it wasn’t too big.
GAVIN: No, I’m sure it’s not too big. I think I’ve learned my lesson on that one.
DAVEY: Yeah… I remember the year we got the tree that was too big.
GAVIN: Pick up the other end of it, son… as I lift it up. (Sounds of putting tree on top of car.)
DAVEY: Tie it down good, Dad. We don’t want it to fall off on the way home.
GAVIN: Aye, Aye, Captain!
DAVEY: Dad! Look! Look at that girl over there?
GAVIN: What girl?
DAVEY: By the trash cans over there behind the cafe. She’s digging in the trash!
GAVIN: Don’t stare, son. It’s not nice.
DAVEY: But why is she doing that?
GAVIN: Some people just dig in trash cans. You know, they look for soda cans and stuff like that to recycle.
DAVEY: She doesn’t look like that kind of person.
GAVIN: Now how can you tell what kind of…?
DAVEY: She looks like she is hungry. I think she is looking in the trash for food.
GAVIN: Well, if she is….that is very sad.
DAVEY: I think she needs help, Dad. She looks very young. Not old enough to be out alone like that. Can’t we help her?
GAVIN: I’m sure she is a lot older than you think. No…son, we can’t help her.
DAVEY: Why not?
GAVIN: Well, for one thing, she hasn’t asked for our help…and we don’t know anything about her.
DAVEY: Couldn’t we go over and ask her if she needs help?
GAVIN: Davey…I don’t think so. Don’t you want to get this tree home and get it up so we can decorate it?
DAVEY: Yeah. But I won’t be able to get that girl out of my mind. Wouldn’t Jesus want us to go over and help her?
GAVIN: We can’t help everyone, son.
DAVEY: I don’t want to help everyone. Just her.
GAVIN: You really have a big heart, son. I like that about you. You always like to take in strays.
DAVEY: Strays?
GAVIN: You know… like that stray dog you took in 2 years ago. You turned him into a great pet.
DAVEY: Dad… that was a dog. This is a human being! There’s a big difference!
NARRATOR: Okay….let’s be honest here. If you were Gavin, what would you be thinking? We see homeless and hungry people on the streets all the time…and they have their problems, and we don’t want to know about them or get involved. Gavin is trying to just get on home with the tree and create this special memory with his son… but how do you tell your son that we can’t help someone in need? Gavin thought hard and fast about what to do.
(Sounds of walking and trash can lids moving)
wesage –
We used “Davey’s Christmas” and over all it went very, very well. Thank you so much for offering the script, blessings and prayers — very cool — no wonder it went so well. The reason why I selected the script was that it was a contemporary theme, mixed youth with adults and had some “minor” characters that I could convince even the most timid that they could handle. And most importantly – by far — it was 10-12 minutes long. We did receive many, many kudos — my actors/actresses were wonderful — it was short and powerful….and it was perfect. God bless….peace 🙂
Catherine Meredith, Doylestown United Methodist Church, Doylestown, PA