The White Christmas and other Merry Christmas Plays

In Short

Walter Ben Hare’s 1917 collection offers seven festive plays designed for amateur performance by schools, churches, and community troupes. Ranging from biblical pageants and whimsical sea voyages to lively Irish-American parlor comedies and a faithful stage adaptation of Dickens, these scripts mix lighthearted antics with sincere holiday reflection. The collection has endured as a practical handbook for community theater, emphasizing inclusive casting, simple staging, and the enduring Christmas values of generosity, peace, and good will toward all.

The Story

The book opens with a collection of plays designed to capture the double nature of the holiday season: spiritual reverence and lively, lighthearted play. The opening dramatization brings the nativity to life, following Mary and Joseph as they find shelter in Bethlehem, surrounded by angels, watchful shepherds, and the three Wise Men bringing royal gifts. Humble figures like Simeon, Timothy, and Isaac offer simple tokens—a spray of cherries, a caged bird, and a play ball—highlighting that heartfelt devotion outweighs material wealth.

From ancient Judea, the volume shifts to the high seas in a whimsical Christmas Eve comedy set on an ocean liner. A troupe of young immigrant children—representing Holland, Ireland, Japan, Russia, and China—gather on deck, anxious that Saint Nicholas will miss them at sea. While looking out for a legendary ocean whale, they meet Jolly Jack Frost, the mischievous son of Santa Claus. Jack Frost spins tales of his father's whimsical kingdom, complete with doll-trees, popgun bushes, and chocolate mines, before sending the weary children to sleep with sweet dreams of holiday magic.

The spirit of festive comedy continues in a bustling Shantytown neighborhood. The cheerful Widow Mulligan prepares her modest home for Christmas while managing her ten spirited children and an unruly family goat named Shamus O'Brien. Despite having little money, Mrs. Mulligan lights a welcoming candle in her window for any traveler in need. Her neighbor, Mrs. O'Toole, forgives the goat’s chaotic antics, and together they celebrate as the children return from a town pageant to recite poems, sing traditional songs, and spread local cheer.

A shift toward fantasy follows three spoiled children—Dumpling, Tootsy, and Snookums—who wish to skip the dull adult dinner party and experience growing up instantly. The mysterious Wishing Man whisks them away to his enchanted kingdom, a place filled with trumpet vines, toy-soldier thickets, and living French dolls. The children soon learn that sudden growth and endless material wishes bring unforeseen troubles rather than true happiness.

The collection culminates in a dramatic adaptation of Charles Dickens's classic tale. Ebenezer Scrooge, a hardened miser, is visited on Christmas Eve by spectral guides who force him to confront his past, present, and potential future. Shown the joyful memories of his former employer Mr. Fezziwig, the quiet dignity of Bob Cratchit's impoverished family, and the fragile health of Tiny Tim, Scrooge repents his bitter ways, embracing charity and the true spirit of human fellowship.

How It Unfolds

The prophecy fulfilled Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem as the nativity unfolds, drawing humble shepherds and exalted kings who offer both costly treasures and simple, heartfelt toys to the newborn Child.

Christmas on the high seas Immigrant children aboard a transatlantic liner fear Saint Nicholas cannot find them in the open ocean, until Jolly Jack Frost arrives to share stories of his father's magical toy gardens.

Laughter in Shantytown The Widow Mulligan and her neighbor Mrs. O'Toole navigate the antics of a runaway goat while organizing ten lively children for a heartwarming community holiday performance.

The Wishing Land journey Three young children wish to act like grown-ups and are transported by the Wishing Man to a surreal magical realm where toys grow on trees and desires carry unexpected consequences.

A miser's redemption Ebenezer Scrooge travels through time alongside ghostly visitors, witnessing the joyful warmth of Fezziwig’s dance and the fragile hope of Tiny Tim before pledging to alter his selfish ways.

The People

• Mary and Joseph seek shelter on a cold night in Bethlehem, providing a quiet center of faith and humility as shepherds and kings gather around the manger.
• Anita is a bright, inquisitive girl aboard the ocean liner who befriends Jack Frost and helps orchestrate a magical holiday surprise for her sleeping companions.
• Jolly Jack Frost is the playful son of Santa Claus, tasked with tending the magical toy gardens, who brings wonder and reassurance to anxious young travelers.
• The Widow Mulligan is an optimistic, hard-working washerwoman in Shantytown who maintains a home filled with music and hospitality for her ten children despite severe poverty.
• Mrs. O'Toole is a warm-hearted, fiery neighbor who clashes with the Mulligan family goat before embracing the forgiving spirit of the season with gifts of food and song.
• The Wishing Man is a magical figure who grants the impulsive desires of spoiled children, guiding them through his enchanted toy garden to teach them contentment.
• Ebenezer Scrooge is a cold, tight-fisted merchant whose hardened heart melts after witnessing the plight of the Cratchit family and the joy of unselfish giving.

In Its Own Voice

"In these little plays I have tried to bring before the public the two dominant characteristics of the ideal Christmas season, kindness, expressed by 'good will toward men,' and the inward joy wrought by kind acts, and suggested by 'peace on earth.'"

"I have always thought of Christmas time ... as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time ... when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely ...; and I say, God bless it!"

"And lowly folk who have no gold, Nor gift to offer that is meet, May bring the dearest thing of all-- A loving heart and service sweet."

What It's Really About

Beneath its varied stage settings, the book centers on the transformative power of unselfish generosity. Whether portraying biblical history, immigrant struggles, or parlor miscommunications, the text argues that true holiday joy relies on human connection rather than material wealth. The plays consistently contrast outward poverty with inner spiritual richness, showing that simple acts of goodwill—a candle lit in a window, a shared song, or a forgiven debt—can bridge social divides. By emphasizing inclusive participation, the work asserts that the spirit of Christmas belongs equally to everyone, regardless of background or station.

Why Read It Today

This collection appeals to theater directors, educators, and historians seeking authentic early-twentieth-century American performance material. Reading these scripts offers a nostalgic, clear-eyed look at community entertainment from a bygone era, capturing how local churches and schools celebrated the holidays. The prose is accessible, rhythmic, and explicitly designed for rapid memorization and lively ensemble movement.

Modern readers should approach the text mindful of its period origin. The dialogue relies heavily on broad phonetic dialects—including Irish, Dutch, German, Italian, and African American vernaculars—that reflect the vaudeville and stage conventions of 1917. While these exaggerated caricatures may feel jarring to modern sensibilities, the underlying dramatic intent remains consistently affectionate and well-meaning. For those interested in historical staging, festive pageantry, or classic moral storytelling, this volume remains a charming, practical window into early American holiday drama.

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<Elicitation label="Compare Hare's Dickens adaptation to the original book" query="Compare Walter Ben Hare's stage adaptation of A Christmas Carol in this collection to Charles Dickens's original 1843 novella."/>

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