“How Nick Became A Saint”
Written by Frederick Passmore
Copyright 2004 Sheep Laughs Publications
Synopsis: A department store manager gets word that his regular “Santa’s helper” can’t make it so he drafts a store employee to fill in the red suit for the day. The hapless fellow is abused, threatened by a bully kid, barfed on, insulted, given demands, etc. and is ready to throw in the red hat when a little girl comes to see him who wants nothing for herself, only that “Santa” get saved and be happy this Christmas. She witnesses in a simple way and leads him in a sinner’s prayer, after which he is truly jolly.
Soundtrack key: This is the type of script where your actors deliver the lines from the script and the soundtrack supplies the music and sound effects called for in the script.
Length of play: 10-12 minutes.
Number of cast: Eight, plus as many extras as you have for children, parents and shoppers.
Category: Christmas, Comedic, Medium-length skit
Price of script PDF & Skit Trax MP3: Instant download: $12.99 Add to Cart
Price of Script PDF and Physical CD: $14.99 plus shipping Add To Cart
YOU MAY ALSO ORDER THE SCRIPT AND SOUNDTRACK AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.
Characters: The Narrator Angel. Nick, the main character. Mr. Boyle, the store manager. Ronnie, his kid. Kid #1, with the list. Kid #2, the crybaby. Kid #3, the disillusioned brat. Angela, the little girl. Various extras in the role of parents.
Costumes: Nick is dressed casually, then in a cheap Santa outfit. Mr. Boyle wears a suit. The Narrator Angel should wear all white, or a white robe and sandals.
Props: Cell phone, box of decorations, empty wrapped boxes, stack of printed pages for the kid’s wish list. Small gospel tract.
“How Nick Became A Saint” Script Breakdown
(A general description of the script; not all details or lines are here, but it gives you a very clear overall picture of what it is like.)
The stage setting is a department store. The main area is set up for kids to come see Santa, so it should be decorated around a tall-backed chair used as his throne. A young man comes onstage, smiling as he looks over the decorations. He is an angel on a mission. Speaking to the audience, he tells why he loves visiting Earth this time of year. But he gets a little sad when looking at the empty Santa throne, thinking about the fact that so many people miss the true joy of the season by seeking to fill their holiday with things, instead of Christ’s love. He brightens up again as he shares his mission this time; to make sure a particular person hears the Lord knocking at their heart. We see that person, Nick, as he comes onstage with a box of decorations, which he uses to make the stage more festive before the store opens soon. His boss, Mr. Boyle, comes in while speaking in his cell phone. He is accompanied by his young son Ronnie, who is about 10 years old or so. As we hear the boss speaking, we find out that he is getting the news that the Santa he had hired for the Christmas season can’t make it. This leaves him in a bind and in a bad mood. He yells at Nick to hurry up, which makes him nervous. As he is moving a box of toys to display, he stumbles and falls, trashing the box and everything in it, comically bumbling and repeatedly falling over the merchandise. This infuriates the boss, who fires him.
Preview a PDF page of the script that contains the scene above by clicking here: how_nick_became_a_saint_sample_01
Before Nick can leave, however, Mr. Boyle gets an idea…. he puts a Santa hat on Nick, and turns him around. Changing his mind about letting him go, he now sees a replacement fill-in for his store Santa, and quickly talks Nick into accepting. He hurries him out the door to the break room to get into the suit, and he goes to open the front doors for the customers. They stream in like zombies breaking through a barricade, almost trampling the manager. Most of them are being dragged by their kids who want to see Santa, so the manager gets their attention and informs them that Santa will be there momentarily. They are impatient and complaining about the wait. The parents are threatening to leave and shop elsewhere, so the manager announces a sale on the year’s most popular toy and they stampede out to go grab them, leaving the kids to wait in line. At last, Nick comes out, forced onto the stage by the boss as he adjusts his costume. The kids all cheer as he sits down nervously.
As the children come up one by one, we see the selfishness and spoiled nature of the kids who have everything and demand more. The first one brings out a long printed list and threatens Santa if he doesn’t bring everything on it. The second one is afraid, having watched too many horror movies at home where Santa is a killer. The kid tells Santa he smells bad and then loses his breakfast on Santa’s suit, running off crying that Santa made him sick. The third kid is older, and doubts that this Santa is the “real one.” With a series of accusations and questions that debunk Nick’s efforts at an explanation, the kid finally pulls down Nick’s fake beard and screams to warn everyone that this Santa is a fake. Jumping off his lap and punching Nick, then kicking him in the shins, the kid runs off yelling that his mother will sue the store for false advertising.
Preview a PDF page of the script that contains the scene above by clicking here: how_nick_became_a_saint_sample_02
The boss hurries up to see what the disturbance is, and takes Nick off to the side to warn him to keep the kids happy, and therefore the boss happy, or lose his job for real this time. Dejectedly Nick tries again, with the last child in line, the others having run off after the previous kid’s scene. The little girl asks for nothing for herself, she just wants Santa to be happy. She can tell he is sad, and he tells her that he is sad for the children who want so much. Through a series of seemingly-innocent questions, she shows Nick that he is not happy because he doesn’t know the One born in the manger on Christmas. He begins to understand that he needs the Lord in his heart to not only be happy, but go to heaven as well. She asks him to read her favorite book, a little tract written for children, which she hands to him. As he reads the simple Nativity story to her, he learns the Good News and why Jesus came to the Earth. She asks him to read the prayer in the back to her, but he ends up praying it sincerely as he does. He tells her that he asked the Lord into his heart while he read it, and she is very happy for him, leaving him the booklet and running off.
Preview a PDF page of the script that contains the scene above by clicking here: how_nick_became_a_saint_sample_03
As the boss comes back, please that they have sold so much merchandise, he commends Nick for his job and says that he has found another professional Santa who is on the way. He gives Nick a bonus check as a Christmas gift, and gives him the rest of the day off. Nick gives Mr. Boyle the tract and says that his son might enjoy it if he read it to him. The boss thinks he would and promises to do it.
The angel that introduced the play comes back out as Nick leaves with a Christmas song in his heart, and he is happy with how things turned out. He hints that he might have been in another form doing his work, and wishes the audience the joy of the season that only comes through finding the Lord for one’s own self.
Preview some of the effects and music provided for the play on the Soundtrack by clicking on the player below. LINK TO BE POSTED SOON.
Read some of the testimonials about the script from just a few of the many users:
Hi Fred!
The Calvary Assembly of God Lomita (Spanish Ministry) in Lomita CA performed your skit “How Nick Became A Saint,” in December.
I wasn’t sure because none of our actors had a experience in performing a skit before so we were “trying.” But the pastor liked it so much that the day after, he had us perform in front of the whole congregation right before Christmas. It was a blast, they really loved it and it made a huge impact in the actors (which are teens) in a motivating way, because they felt they were used to preach in a fun way, so they want to do another one.
Thanks and congratulations for your awesome ministry!
-Azul Juarez
Fred,
We performed “How Nick Became a Saint” last Dec. 24th and our church loved it. It was so funny! I received the soundtrack so quickly and now we are back to perform Mama’s Close Call on our Mother’s Day service. Your site has been such a blessing to our ministry. It allows young and old to receive the message of Jesus Christ and laugh all in the same experience!
Thank you, we will be back. God bless you and continue to pour into you as you share with the body of Christ!
-Andera Johnson-Williams
Community Center Christian Ministries
South Elgin, Il
Fred,
The Covenant Glen United Methodist Church in Missouri City, Texas will be performing your play, “How Nick Became A Saint,” on December 9, at 5:00 pm.
The play is incredible. Thank you so much for providing it. The comedic element with a sound biblical message is exactly what we were seeking. You may be excited to know that the part of Mr. Boyle (we had to change it to Ms. Boyle) will be played by a Disney Channel actress, Desiree McKinney . Thank you so much for helping us.
K. McKinney
Fred,
We presented your play, “How Nick Became a Saint” on Christmas Day in our church. Everyone loved it including all the youth that had a part in it. I had an elder in the church tell me it was the best play that had ever been performed in church there. Thank you, thank you for allowing us to share your play with others. It was a true blessing to many people, myself included.
Thanks again and God Bless!
Cindy Winchester
Youth Director
Bethany Methodist Church
Fred,
I am the Children’s Pastor at Family Praise Center and the age of my kids is 6-12 years old. We did “How Nick Became A Saint” on Sunday, Dec. 18th. I know your site says that these plays are not written specifically for children, but the play seemed to be made for them. The kids loved the practices and the performance was awesome!
I received calls the night I went home and the next morning from people that wanted to tell me how much they enjoyed the performance. We loved the soundtrack CD, and it does add to the effect of the play. Thanks for a great website!
-Pastor Phyllis Spradling,
Family Praise Center
Vinita, OK
Fred,
The Hotchkiss Church of God in Hotchkiss, WV will be performing “How Nick Became A Saint” on Dec. 23. I am very blessed to have found your site. Your scripts are well written. Your blend of today’s vernacular and heartfelt hypothetical situations have made my job easy. I presented the script to my youth class this past Sunday and they loved it. Thank you for saving me from the dejected expressions my teenagers have each time they are presented with a sophomoric Christian play. Also, I have read a plethora of mainstream plays and you have not sacrificed quality for content.
Fred,
Well, on the weekend of Dec. 10-12 we performed your “How Nick Became A Saint” play and dinner theater as I had discussed with you. It was a great success! Everyone laughed and laughed. As a first-time director, I had great fun, but the accolades far exceeded my wildest expectations.
Thanks for your hard work and I appreciate your obedience to the Lord and your creativity.
-Linda LeBlanc
Living Way Foursquare Church
Adairsville, GA
On Sunday, Dec. 19 the First Apostolic Church in Fort Johnson, NY will be doing “How Nick Became A Saint.” Our kids are enjoying the rehearsals and doing well. This is the first skit that we have done with this group, and we hope that it will be the first of many. Thank you for making it possible. Oh, and the music really adds to the acting! Thanks again!
-Suzanne Dutcher
Okay, if you liked the story breakdown, and enjoyed the Skit Trax previews, and were encouraged by the testimonials of those that have done it, buy the complete script and soundtrack here!
Get the script PDF (to print out) and audio tracks (to burn to your own CD) here. $12.99 Add to Cart
Get the physical CD mailed to you by ordering here. You will be taken to a page where you can print out the script PDF as well as an email containing the script PDF. $14.99 plus shipping Add To Cart
Order through the mail with a check or money order by printing out this order form and mailing it to us. Click to open or download: order_form_new
Questions before ordering? Call me at 912-347-9579!
WHAT WE OFFER:
Dramatic Plays:
Our plays range from 20 minutes all the way up to 80 minutes. They are written to engage the viewer, make them think, to impact the emotions, and present the Gospel in such a way that they perceive it as meeting the needs of their life. The aim is to bless the believer, and give the person that has never made a decision for Christ a desire to invite Him into their life.
Comedic Skits:
Our skits range in length from 5 minutes up to 20 minutes. While most are comedic in nature, using humor to impart a perspective that may not have been considered, the laughs are all tied into the message, and there is always a resolution that leads the viewer into consideration of the Truth contained in it. The humor can be enjoyed by all ages.
Soundtracks:
The soundtracks that we make to accompany the scripts add drama and emotional impact to the script’s performance. There are two different kinds offered; the type that is played at certain times during the performance to add the music and sound effects called for in the script; and second, the type that supplies all the narration, music and effects mixed together to play as the actors perform, with no lines to learn.