JOY

Christmas Program
OVERVIEW

ABOUT THIS PROGRAM

The Joy Story Program includes skits and songs to
create an evening of joyful worship, playful
presentation, and fresh examination into the story of
Jesus’ birth.

What begins as a rescue mission by a toy cowboy

looking for a child’s favorite toy turns into a
recollection of the true Christmas story. The cowboy
is able to save a child’s favorite dog, but in the end,
the child remembers that the one greatest joy at
Christmas is knowing Jesus!

The Christmas songs can all be swapped out with

other traditional or modern Christmas songs, if
desired.
MATERIALS NEEDED
PROPS:
A leash
A large toy box
Other toys and props for scenery

SPECIAL COSTUMES:
A cowboy costume (Buddy)
A dog costume (Shiloh)
A Han Solo costume (Ham)
A pig costume (Pig)
A Princess costume (Elsie)
Pajamas (Mandy)

CHARACTERS
Mandy - A little girl
Dad - Mandy’s father
Buddy - A cowboy toy
Shiloh Dog - A toy dog
Ham Salad - A sci fi posable action figure collectible
Pig - A piggy bank
Princess Elsie - An ice princess
SCENE ONE

Mandy enters, crying.

MANDY: Dad! Daddy?

Dad enters.

DAD: Mandy, it’s almost ten o’clock. What’s the matter?

MANDY: Daddy, I can’t find Shiloh Dog!

DAD: Who?

MANDY: Shiloh Dog! He’s the new doggy Grandma gave me last night at the Christmas party.

DAD: I’m sure he’s probably in your room.

MANDY: No, Daddy, I checked everywhere. I can’t find him!

DAD: Aw, Mandy, don’t cry. I know he’s in the house. He’s going to turn up.

MANDY: He’s lost, Daddy. He must be so scared without me.

DAD: Take it easy, Mandy. We will find him in the morning.

MANDY: Are you sure?

DAD: As sure as I am that God came down to Earth to seek and find us. You remember what we
talked about at story time tonight?

MANDY: Sure, I remember.

DAD: Then don’t worry. We will find Shiloh Dog.

Dad gives Mandy a hug.

MANDY: Good night, Daddy.

DAD: Good night, dear.

Mandy and Dad exit. Buddy peeks out on stage. He looks around.

BUDDY: The coast is clear. And so is my mission. I may not be the favorite toy any longer, but I
can’t let my girl cry herself to sleep. Shiloh Dog, wherever you are, I’m going to find you!

Buddy races across the stage.

SCENE ONE

SONG 1 - “The Twelve Toys of Christmas”

On the first day of Christmas, my grandma gave to me
A cowboy saying, “Yippee!”

On the second day of Christmas, my grandma gave to me

Two space rangers
And a cowboy saying “Yippee!”

On the third day of Christmas my grandma gave to me

Three pigs a-banking
Two space rangers
And a cowboy saying “Yippee!”

On the fourth day of Christmas my grandma gave to me

Four dogs a slinking
Three pigs a-banking
Two space rangers
And a cowboy saying “Yippee!”

On the fifth day of Christmas my grandma gave to me

Five aliens who say “OOOOOOOOOOOH!”
Four dogs a slinking
Three pigs a-banking
Two space rangers
And a cowboy saying “Yippee!”

On the sixth day of Christmas my grandma gave to me

Six T’s a-Rexing
Five aliens who say “OOOOOOOOOOOH!”
Four dogs a slinking
Three pigs a-banking
Two space rangers
And a cowboy saying “Yippee!”

On the seventh day of Christmas my grandma gave to me

Seven Barbies grinning
Six T’s a-Rexing
Five aliens who say “OOOOOOOOOOOH!”
Four dogs a slinking
Three pigs a-banking
Two space rangers
And a cowboy saying “Yippee!”

On the eighth day of Christmas my grandma gave to me

SCENE ONE

Eight spuds with faces

Seven Barbies grinning
Six T’s a-Rexing
Five aliens who say “OOOOOOOOOOOH!”
Four dogs a slinking
Three pigs a-banking
Two space rangers
And a cowboy saying “Yippee!”

On the ninth day of Christmas my grandma gave to me

Nine Jesses dancing
Eight spuds with faces
Seven Barbies grinning
Six T’s a-Rexing
Five aliens who say “OOOOOOOOOOOH!”
Four dogs a slinking
Three pigs a-banking
Two space rangers
And a cowboy saying “Yippee!”

On the tenth day of Christmas my grandma gave to me

Ten Bos a-Peeping
Nine Jesses dancing
Eight spuds with faces
Seven Barbies grinning
Six T’s a-Rexing
Five aliens who say “OOOOOOOOOOOH!”
Four dogs a slinking
Three pigs a-banking
Two space rangers
And a cowboy saying “Yippee!”

On the eleventh day of Christmas my grandma gave to me

Eleven penguins squeaking
Ten Bos a-Peeping
Nine Jesses dancing
Eight spuds with faces
Seven Barbies grinning
Six T’s a-Rexing
Five aliens who say “OOOOOOOOOOOH!”
Four dogs a slinking
Three pigs a-banking
Two space rangers
And a cowboy saying “Yippee!”
SCENE ONE

On the twelfth day of Christmas my grandma gave to me

Twelve sharks saying howdy
Eleven penguins squeaking
Ten Bos a-Peeping
Nine Jesses dancing
Eight spuds with faces
Seven Barbies grinning
Six T’s a-Rexing
Five aliens who say “OOOOOOOOOOOH!”
Four dogs a slinking
Three pigs a-banking
Two space rangers
And a cowboy saying “Yippee!”
SCENE TWO

Dad’s office. Shiloh Dog is on stage.

BUDDY: (off stage) Shiloh! Shiloh Dog!

Buddy enters with a leash calling out.

BUDDY: Shiloh Dog, where are you boy? (sees Shiloh Dog) Shiloh Dog, what are you doing here
in Mandy’s Dad’s office? Mandy’s worried sick about you. (puts the leash on Shiloh Dog) She
cried herself to sleep, she was so upset. You don’t belong in the office. This place is all of Mandy’s
Dad’s important stuff, like computers and tax files and –

Ham enters.

HAM: Freeze, Imperial scum!

BUDDY: And forty year old space toys her Dad keeps on a shelf.

HAM: Is that you, Buckaroo Buddy?

BUDDY: Yes, it’s me.

HAM: What are you doing with that four-legged creature?

BUDDY: This is Mandy’s new favorite toy, Shiloh Dog.

HAM: Hello, Shiloh Dog. I’m ace space pilot Ham Salad.

BUDDY: You are not Ham Salad. Your real name is –

HAM: Hey, some people prefer the original. Some people prefer the legally allowable parodies.
Right, Woody?

BUDDY: My name is Buddy, Han!

HAM: And my name is Ham Salad, friend to Fluke Skyrunner, boyfriend of Princess Lisa, sworn
enemy of Dorf Raider, and best friend to the Cookie Monster Flubacca.

BUDDY: That never gets old.

HAM: So this is Mandy’s new favorite toy? You better get him back where he belongs.

BUDDY: I was just about to do that. She’s worried sick about him.

HAM: I’ll give you safe passage back to her bedroom.

SCENE TWO

BUDDY: That’s not necessary, Ham.

HAM: Oh but it is. You’re in the territory of the notorious bounty hunter, Pizza the Hutt!

BUDDY: Pizza the Hutt? That’s the best we could do? Pizza the Hutt?

HAM: Hey, I didn’t write this script. I’m just acting it for all it’s worth!

BUDDY: Just help me get the dog home!

HAM: Right, sorry, cowboy. Let’s get this doggy home. I know Mandy will flip with joy when she sees
him, just like John the Baptist.

BUDDY: What did you say?

HAM: I said she’ll flip like John the Baptist. It’s a story from the Bible. This woman named Mary was
told she would give birth to the Son of God, and his name would be Jesus. Mary was so excited, she
went to tell her cousin Elizabeth—

BUDDY: Who was pregnant with John the Baptist! And the baby inside Elizabeth heard Mary’s voice in
the house, he did a flip in his mother’s belly!

HAM: Yes! How did you know?

BUDDY: Mandy told us the bedtime story. It’s how she comforted herself when she couldn’t find
Shiloh Dog. How do you know the story?

HAM: Are you kidding? Her Dad read it to her right here in this office before bed time.

BUDDY: Well, no wonder Shiloh Dog was in here. And no wonder Mandy knows so many good Bible
stories.

HAM: We do more than collect dust in this office.

BUDDY: I sure hope Shiloh Dog can remind Mandy of that story. She needs to know that Jesus’ love
will bring her joy long after she stops finding joy with us.

HAM: You’re a strange and philosophical little man. Let’s go, cowboy.

BUDDY: Come on, Shiloh Dog.

Ham and Buddy lead Shiloh Dog off stage.

SONG - “O Come O Come Emmanuel”

SCENE THREE

Buddy and Ham enter stage right. Buddy leads Shiloh Dog on a leash. Ham puts an arm on
Buddy’s arm to stop him.

HAM: Stop. Do you smell something?

BUDDY: (sniffs) Eh, it’s just the bathroom. Hasn’t been cleaned since before Uncle Clark came to
visit for Thanksgiving.

HAM: No, that’s not what I smell. It’s something different. It smells like… bacon!

BUDDY: Well, your name is Ham Salad.

HAM: No, it’s not me. It’s something else. Someone else.

Pig enters from stage left.

PIG: Don’t worry, Shiloh Dog! Pig is here to save the day!

HAM: So, come to collect the bounty from Pizza the Hutt, have you? We’ll you’ll never take me in
one piece!

PIG: Pizza the Hutt? What are you talking about?

BUDDY: It’s okay, Pig, the space pirate is with me.

PIG: Buddy! What are you doing with the space toy?

HAM: I am not a toy! I am a posable action figure collectible.

BUDDY: I went to rescue Shiloh Dog. What are you doing out here?

PIG: Same as you. I heard Shiloh Dog was missing, and I thought he might need saving. After all,
saving is what I do.

BUDDY: You can’t save toys.

PIG: Sure I can!

BUDDY: That’s not who you are.

PIG: And why not?

BUDDY: (like the classic movie line) You are a toy - bank!

HAM: You’ve been dying to say that, haven’t you?

SCENE THREE

PIG: You mean he hasn’t said it already?

BUDDY: You save coins, Pig. Not toys.

PIG: Really? So that’s all that rattling I hear in my belly!

HAM: Don’t take it too hard, Pig. There’s only one man who can truly save the world, and that’s
Jesus.

PIG: Jesus? Is this another space toy?

HAM: No, he is not a posable action figure collectible!

BUDDY: Pig, you know who Jesus is! Mandy told us the story of how Jesus was born to save the
world from sins!

PIG: Oh yeah! Now I remember. He’s the Son of God, right? The one they throw a big birthday
party for every winter.

HAM: It’s called Christmas, and it’s the celebration of the birth of Jesus.

BUDDY: You remember. He was born in the city of Bethlehem in a stable to a poor carpenter and
his wife.

HAM: After his birth, an angel appeared to a group of shepherds and invited them to the party.

BUDDY: Well, I don’t know if I’d call it a party.

HAM: The Messiah, promised long ago, was born? The Son of God had become a man? I’d say
that’s a reason for a party.

PIG: Well no wonder they go all out for it. It someone came to save me, I’d decorate a giant tree
with lights for him too!

BUDDY: I appreciate you coming out to help Shiloh Dog, and I know Shiloh Dog does too. But
stick to saving coins and let the real hero do the real saving.

PIG: Who, this guy?

HAM: Not me, Pig! Jesus will do the real saving, and that’s a cause for great joy.

Ham, Buddy, Pig, and Shiloh Dog exit.

SONG - “Angels We Have Heard on High”

SCENE FOUR

A large toy box is on stage. Princess Elsie is inside. Buddy and Ham enter. Buddy leads Shiloh
Dog on his leash.

BUDDY: Well, Shiloh Dog, you are home at last.

Buddy lets Shiloh Dog loose from the leash. The Dog leaps into the box.

BUDDY: That’s a good boy!

HAM: Boy, I bet Mandy will be thrilled to see her puppy in the morning.

BUDDY: You have no idea. Shiloh Dog is her favorite treasure.

HAM: She sure has a lot of treasures.

Ham starts to look through the toy box.

BUDDY: She has many treasures in here. My Little Pony. Her mom’s old Rainbow Brite doll,
some Happy Meal friends, some… what are you doing?

HAM: What do you think I’m doing? I’m looking for Space Princess Lisa!

BUDDY: For who?

HAM: Lisa! It’s me, Ham Salad! Where are you?

BUDDY: I would think Mandy’s dad would have a Princess Lisa doll.

HAM: He did, but his sister took her when she was five. And she’s not a doll, she’s a –

BUDDY/HAM: Posable action figure collectible.

BUDDY: I know.

Princess Elsie pops out of the toy box.

ELSIE: Well, hello, Space Pirate.

HAM: Uhh, hello?

ELSIE: Did I hear you were looking for an ice princess?

HAM: No, no, space princess. SPACE princess.

ELSIE: Oh. I could have sworn I heard you say ice princess.
SCENE FOUR

HAM: Sorry, ice lady. I’m a one princess man, and I only have eyes for Princess Lisa.

ELSIE: Are you sure about that? I think a space pirate and an ice princess would be a perfect
match. Together, we could be… ice pirates!

HAM: Elsie?

ELSIE: Yes?

HAM: Let it go.

Ham pushes Elsie back into the toy chest.

HAM: I don’t see her. Just a lot of toys that I bet were great gifts.

BUDDY: They were. But as we’ve already said, nothing in here could top the gift of Jesus.

HAM: I was just thinking the same thing.

BUDDY: You were?

HAM: Sure! This treasure chest reminds me of the gifts the wise men brought to see Jesus.
Gold, frankincense, and… and… Oh what was that third gift?

Shiloh Dog pops up in the box.

SHILOH DOG: Gold, frankincense, and myrrh!

BUDDY: Shiloh Dog! You can talk!

SHILOH DOG: Of course I can talk.

BUDDY: Why didn’t you say anything before?

SHILOH DOG: I just had nothing to say before.

BUDDY: Well, is there anything else you want to say?

SHILOH DOG: Just that nothing can compare with the joy of Jesus. I know Mandy will be
thrilled to see me, but I hope she’s even more thrilled about Jesus.

BUDDY: Well said!

SHILOH DOG: Thank you! And Ham? You’re a doll!

SCENE FOUR

Shiloh Dog jumps down in the box.

HAM: Posable action figure collectible!!!

BUDDY: Wow, gold frankincense, and myrrh. Those were all very valuable, you know. And yet all
of them combined could not equal the treasure God gave the world through His Son!

HAM: You know, the other night when Mandy’s dad read the story of the wise men, they broke
out into song, praising God for what Jesus did for them.

BUDDY: Was it, “Joy to the World”?

HAM: How did you know?

BUDDY: She taught us the same song!

HAM: That’s amazing.

BUDDY: No, God is amazing. He loved the world so much, He gave them His Son to be their
Savior. No wonder they want to praise Him!

HAM: Shall we sing about it, cowboy?

BUDDY: Why not?

Ham and Buddy stay on stage to sing with the chorus.

SONG - “Joy to the World”

Ham and Buddy exit.
SCENE FIVE

Mandy enters stage left, with Shiloh Dog in tow. Dad enters from stage right.

MANDY: Daddy, daddy, you won’t believe what happened!

DAD: Well, I see you found your friend.

MANDY: What?

DAD: Shiloh Dog! You found Shiloh Dog.

MANDY: Yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s great. But that’s not the greatest thing.

DAD: What is it then?

MANDY: It’s Christmas morning! It’s time to celebrate the birth of my Savior!

DAD: Oh Mandy, I am so glad to hear you say that. There’s nothing I’d like to celebrate more
today than the birth of Jesus.

MANDY: Finding Shiloh Dog was great, but just like you said. God sent Jesus to come and find
me and save me! And you, and Mom, and all our neighbors, and the whole world.

DAD: He sure did, honey.

MANDY: Come on, Dad! Let’s go sing some Christmas carols by the tree!

Dad and Mandy exit.

SCENE SIX

Buddy and Ham enter.

HAM: Well, cowboy, we had quite an adventure last night.

BUDDY: I don’t know if it was really an adventure. All we did was rescue Shiloh Dog from
Mandy’s Dad’s office and return him to the toy chest.

HAM: Are you kidding? We braved the territory of the dreaded Pizza the Hutt! We passed
through the halls of giants, and tiptoed past the giant, snarling beast known as Mr. Bojangles!

BUDDY: You mean the cat?

HAM: Well it sounds much less exciting when you say it.

BUDDY: Sorry, Ham, this toy has had enough adventures. I’m glad it was an easy night.

HAM: Yeah, it wasn’t so bad. Maybe it was recounting the story of Jesus and the first Christmas
that made it feel more exciting.

BUDDY: Well, how can it not feel more exciting when you talk about Jesus? I mean the Son of
God came to Earth to save the world!

HAM: His birth was announced to the shepherds. A star in the sky led the wise men to see His
side. And don’t forget the blessings of Simeon and Anna.

BUDDY: Oh who could ever forget that? Mary and Joseph were thinking, “Yeah, our Son is a
special child,” but they had no idea.

HAM: Anna and Simeon knew that Jesus hadn’t come for just that time and place. They knew
that our beloved Mandy and her family would be praising Him for the joy he brings thousands of
years later.

BUDDY: With Jesus as their Savior, there’s no end to their joy.

HAM: Just like a rogue space pilot, flying into the vast emptiness of space.

BUDDY: And they will continue praising Him until…

HAM: Until, when?

BUDDY: Go on, say it.

HAM: Say what?

BUDDY: Come on, this is Joy Story. You know what.

SCENE SIX

HAM: Oh no. That’s the other guy’s line. I’m not gonna say it.

BUDDY: Say it.

HAM: No!

BUDDY: Say it, Ham!

HAM: That’s not even my franchise, man!

BUDDY: You have to say it. You’re the space toy.

HAM: Posable action figure collectible!

BUDDY: I’m not going to let this scene end until you say it.

HAM: May the Force be with you.

BUDDY: That’s not the line.

HAM: I got a bad feeling about this.

BUDDY: That’s not it either!

HAM: Fine. But you gotta set me up for it.

BUDDY: Jesus will continue to bring people joy, all the way to…?

HAM: To eternity, and beyond!

BUDDY: Close enough.

Buddy and Ham are joined by all the other toys for the song.

SONG - “Hark the Herald Angels”

BUDDY: Thanks for coming on our Joyful adventure. We hope we toys have added some joy to
your holiday. And remember, the most amazing thing you’ll see this Christmas isn’t the presents
under the tree, it’s—

Mandy and Dad enter.

MANDY: DAD!!! Look, my toys are talking! I told you they talked when I wasn’t around!
SCENE SIX

HAM: As Buddy was saying, the most amazing thing this Christmas is the joy Jesus brings us.
It’s even more amazing than talking toys.

DAD: And talking posable action figure collectibles.

HAM: Thank you.

SONG - “Go Tell It in the Play Room”

Go tell it in the playroom
Over the miles of Hot Wheels track
Go tell it in the playroom
That Jesus Christ is born

Those Legos are so nifty

The toy kitchen is fun
But nothing can compare to
The gift that is God’s son

Go tell it in the playroom

Over the miles of Hot Wheels track
Go tell it in the playroom
That Jesus Christ is born
 Joy Story
4-Week Christmas
Children's Ministry
Curriculum

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JOY

Christmas Program