Her daughter thinks it is a terrible idea and wants to continue with the party plan. But when the other kids decide to take her mom’s suggestion, she can’t believe it. She does come around and realizes that love means to put your own plans aside to reach out to those who need it. This skit is actually a scene from the play, “The Best Way To Live.”
8 actors (5 female, 2 male, one elderly person) and a narrator plus possible extras. About 10 minutes.
Excerpt:
(As the scene opens, a teen age girl is sitting on a couch/chair and
her mother enters the room.)
MRS. PARKS: What time is your class coming over for the meeting?
PAM: In a few minutes. We’ll try not to make too much noise or be
too messy.
MRS. PARKS: Oh no… that’s fine. I was just thinking of an idea for
a project for your class.
PAM: What’s that?
MRS. PARKS: Well, you know how the church has that ministry to the
retirement home? I was thinking that would be a nice thing for your
Sunday School class.
PAM: What would?
MRS. PARKS: Going over and ministering to the folks there. Many of
them are all alone for the holidays and it would mean so much to them.
PAM: Mom! We are planning a Christmas party! That sounds like
something else. It doesn’t sound like a party.
PATTY: (Entering) What’s going on?
PAM: Mom wants our class to go to the old folks’ home and do stuff
for them instead of having a party.
MRS. PARKS: It was just a suggestion.
PATTY: Eeewwwe!
MRS. PARKS: You don’t have to do it. I just thought you might want
to bring it up as a suggestion. I was hearing Pastor Jared the other
day talk about how lonely and depressed those people can be.
Whenever someone goes over there and does something for them at
Christmas time, they enjoy it so much. For many of them, that is
their Christmas!
PAM: Mom, I have been there. That place smells! It turns my
stomach every time I go in there!
MRS. PARKS: And when was the last time you were there? I doubt you
have been there very often. It is true that when you put a lot of
elderly people together…all living in one place, that there tend to
be odors. It is just the way things are. Sometimes you have to put
up with discomforts when you are ministering to people.
PATTY: Mom, we are planning a Christmas party, not a visit to the
rest home. Nobody is going to want to do that.
MRS. PARKS: Alright. I didn’t say you had to do it. I was just
thinking of an idea for you.
PATTY: How about a hay ride, or a ski trip, or a big party at
someone’s house with lots of fun games? Stuff like that.
MRS. PARKS: You’re right. It should be a fun time. Forget I
brought it up. (Doorbell or knock) I’ll get it. (Exits)
PAM: Can you believe that? What a horrid idea! That’s the last
thing I want to do. Hang around a bunch of people who can’t hear,
and some can’t talk, and some can’t see… and the smell!!
(A group of young people enter the room… everyone says hello)
GINA: Does anyone have any good ideas for what we will do for
Christmas? I have a few.
CRAIG: I thought of a couple of things.
WARREN: My mind is blank.
CRAIG: So, what’s new? (They laugh)
WARREN: (Defensive) I might come up with something! Who knows?
Maybe I will come up with the very thing!
PAM: Just so it is not like the idea my mom had!
GINA: What was that?
PAM: She was suggesting that we go to the old folks’ home… you
know…. Carmel Village? And do stuff for the old people there. Can
you believe that? I told her we were planning a party.
WARREN: My grandma lives at Carmel Village.
PAM: You’re kidding. She lives in that smelly place?
WARREN: It doesn’t smell that bad. They keep it pretty clean.
I’ve been in much worse. When she was in the hospital and then in
the nursing home… it was really bad. But now she is better and she
can take care of herself pretty well. It doesn’t smell that bad.
Maybe I just get used to it.
GINA: You know… I went a couple of years ago when they had the
Christmas party there, and it was really something. I got so much
out of it.
PAM: Oh! So the church is already doing something there! You see?
She didn’t think anything was happening, that was why she was
suggesting it.
GINA: Well, that was two years ago. Pastor Bill used to take a
group out there every month. But since he left, there hasn’t been
any ministry to Carmel. Pastor Jared was talking about it on Sunday
and hoping that someone would do something there. The folks there
really missed it last year when we didn’t come.
PAM: Well, I’m sure someone will put something together. Now, back
to our party: What do you guys think of a ski trip?
WARREN: I can’t ski.
CRAIG: Why am I not surprised?
GINA: We’re talking a lot of money for that… I can’t afford it.
PATTY: We could just have a big party at someone’s house with games
and stuff.
GINA: I don’t know about the rest of you… but that whole idea of
going to the retirement home sounds like something that would be a
really neat thing to do.
PAM: You’re kidding.
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