play: a home for christmas

A Home for Christmas
A One-Act Choral Play for Children Big & Small
By Dean Francis Alfar


CHORUS:
'Twas the month before Christmas
In a cozy kitchen
That our tale begins in

A mother’s singular creation
From a recipe of passion
Conceived in love’s season

Hands stirring, dancing
measuring, loving
kneading, needing

From nuts and candies
from flour and tasties
seasoned with love

This miracle loaf of bread

FRUITCAKE:
I am born!

CHORUS:
He said

FRUITCAKE:
Who am I?

CHORUS:
He cried

WOMAN 2:
You are Love
Made with love
You are Desire
Made to be desired

CHORUS:
And she held him high
Liquor scent rising
With a sigh

WOMAN 2: Y
ou are Fruitcake!

CHORUS:
He could barely contain his joy

FRUITCAKE:
Oh! Oh! Oh!
What am I to do?
Where am I to go?
Whose heart will I gladden?
Waistline I’ll fatten?
Where shall my home be?
I cannot wait to see!

WOMAN 2:
Tonight and forever
Your home shall be
That of a loving family!

Tonight and forever
Their home shall be
Blessed by your company!

The card on you shall say
“Happy Christmas Day!”
Are you not beautiful?

FRUITCAKE:
Oh! Oh! Oh!
My home – my new family!
I cannot wait to see-
I cannot wait and see!

*

CHORUS:
And so clothed with love
Beribboned with warmth
Wrapped in glittering foil

FRUITCAKE:
Am I not beautiful?

CHORUS:
Fruitcake was given
To his new place of living
The home of a loving family

Open door…

MAN 1:
Oh how wonderful! Thank you!

CHORUS:
He said

WOMAN 1:
Oh how delightful! Thank you!

CHORUS:
She cried

Hearing these words
Fruitcake’s heart nearly burst

FRUITCAKE: I
Oh! Oh! Oh!
I am Fruitcake!

CHORUS:
He could barely contain his joy!

But as soon as they closed the door
Locked the windows and let loose the dogs
They looked at him with a rictus grin
And threw him down the floor

WOMAN 1:
No more!

CHORUS:
She said

MAN 1:
No more!

CHORUS:
He cried

FRUITCAKE:
Oh! Oh! Oh!
B-but- am I not beautiful?

CHORUS:
So in a dark corner
Shunned by even the dogs
Who had torn his glittering wrappings
Fruitcake sat and sat and sat
And watched

CHORUS:
The ensaimada adored with shrieks

FRUITCAKE:
(I’m tasty too…)

CHORUS:
The bottles of wine showered with praise

FRUITCAKE:
(I have liquor too…)

CHORUS:
The gaudy basket of cans accepted with tears

FRUITCAKE:
(Look at me…please)

CHORUS: A
And set before the Belen

FRUITCAKE:
(…love me…?)

*

MAN 1:
You there! Yes, you - you Fruitcake!
Come on! Be useful!

FRUITCAKE:
They’re talking to me.
They’re talking to me!

CHORUS:
He could barely contain his joy!

WOMAN 1:
Get up! Put this on!
Hurry up! We don’t have long!

CHORUS:
Clothed again
Beribboned, caparisoned
In glittering foil again

MAN 1:
You’re off to someone
Who could be the someone
Who’ll…like you.

WOMAN 1:
And the card on you shall say
“Happy Christmas Day!”

CHORUS:
He could barely contain his joy!

FRUITCAKE:
Am I not beautiful?

(pause)

WOMAN 1:
Yeah, right.

(MAN 1 laughs.)

*
CHORUS:
But the same sad scene
Awaited him

MAN 2:
Open door

CHORUS:
Oh, how wonderful! Thank you!
Oh, how delightful! Thank you!

WOMAN 2:
Close door

CHORUS:
Thrown to the floor
Torn then shunned
And into a new dark corner

MAN 3:
Who would love this miracle loaf?
Who could love this miracle bread?
This…fruitcake…

FRUITCAKE:
...Am I not beautiful?

*


CHORUS:
But again

WOMAN 1:
Get up!

WOMAN 2:
Get dressed!

WOMAN 3:
Get out!

MAN 1:
Oh, how wonderful! Thank you!

MAN 2:
Oh, how delightful! Thank you!

MAN 3:
Open door, close door

FRUITCAKE:
Oh! Oh! Oh!
Hello, Mr. Floor

CHORUS:
And again

MAN 3:
Get up!

MAN 2:
Get dressed!

MAN 1:
Get out!

WOMAN 3:
Oh, how wonderful! Thank you!

WOMAN 2:
Oh, how delightful! Thank you!

WOMAN 1:
Open door, close door

FRUITCAKE:
Oh, hello, Mr. Floor

CHORUS:
And again

WOMEN:
Get up!

MEN:
Get dressed!

CHORUS:
Get out!

MEN:
Oh, how wonderful! Thank you!

WOMEN
Oh, how delightful! Thank you!

CHORUS:
Open door, close door

FRUITCAKE:
(sighs) Hello, Mr. Floor

*

FRUITCAKE:
Am I…not beautiful?

*

MEN:
Again

WOMEN:
Again

CHORUS:
Again

*

WOMAN 2:
Utterly bereft
He had little joy left
To barely contain

MAN 2:
He sat and sat and sat
And watched

*

MAN 3:
And so Christmas came and went away

CHORUS:
Merry Christmas!

WOMAN 1:
And the New Year came and went away

CHORUS:
Happy New Year!

MAN 2:
And Three Kings came and went away

CHORUS
Happy Three Kings!

CHORUS:
When Fruitcake, untouched
Lost in the debris of happiness, unloved
Was found

WOMAN 2:
What is that?

MAN 3:
It’s a fruitcake, I think…
Shall I throw it? It stinks…

WOMAN 2:
No, just throw it in the closet
Those things keep forever
We’ll have an extra gift
For next Christmas

CHORUS:
And so into a new dark
Of musty smells and broken balls
Of withered wreaths and silent bells
Of course, down on the floor

FRUITCAKE:
My…new… home

CHORUS:
Close door

FRUITCAKE:
I think I…
I think I am…
I think maybe I’m not…

CHORUS:
Open door

MAN 2:
Careful with the Belen!
Don’t set it down just anywhere!

WOMAN 2:
Okay, okay, okay
I need something to-

WOMAN 3:
And he felt her reach out into the dark
His dark

MAN 3:
And he felt her touch his cellophaned frame
His frame

MAN 1:
Speechless in shock
Bewildered by her suddenness

WOMAN 1:
He was moved
And something was set down upon him

CHORUS:
Close door

WOMEN:
He strained to see

MEN:
Struggling to be free

CHORUS:
Of the weight upon him

FRUITCAKE:
What’s this on me?

CHORUS:
Twisting and turning
Unable to get free
He caught a glimpse
of a ceramic baby’s head

WOMAN 3:
Sleeping, dreaming of heaven


CHORUS:
And his sweet tears flowed
And his nutty heart glowed

WOMAN 1:
For the Christ-child’s head
rested on the miracle bread

(pause)

MAN 3:


And this time, truly,
He could barely contain his joy

(Spotlight on the manger scene. Fade out.)

CHORUS: Are you not beautiful?




-end-