Liza is writing a story of what it would have been like to have Christmas on the ark.  Noah and Mrs. Noah couldn't be more thrilled that the holy day has finally arrived but their sons and their wives, aren't in the Christmas spirit. All they can think about is the gloom the rain brings, along with frizzy hair, and the stench of the animals or the itchiness of the hay.  Even their Christmas carols are things like "Rain, rain go away" and "Raindrops keep falling on my head."  The whining and complaining continues until Noah and Mrs. Noah have had enough.  They set the record straight about the real meaning of Christmas, and the ability to be thankful no matter what situation you find yourself in.  By reminding the family that Jesus was born in a stable surrounded by animals, and Joseph and Mary didn't seem to complain about the stench or the itchy hay, the family begins to realize they truly do have much to be thankful for and that getting into the Christmas spirit, even on an ark, isn't as hard as they originally thought.

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Setting:  Noah's ark.  The ark can be as simple or elaborately decorated as you'd like.  Off to the side of the main stage, sit Liza and Sharon.  Liza has a notebook and pen in her hand'she is busy writing. The scene will occasionally switch from the two girls to the ark, and vice versa. 

Liza:                (to Sharon) Do you spell ark with a .c. or a .k?. 

Sharon:           It depends on the kind of arc.  One is spelled with a .c. and the other with a .k.. 

Liza:                I'm talking about Noah's ark.  

Sharon:           Then, it's with a .k..  

Liza:                Thanks.  (she continues to busily write) 

Sharon:           What are you doing anyway? 

Liza:                I'm writing a story for Miss Collins on what it would have been like to have Christmas on the ark. 

Sharon:           Christmas on the ark?  But Jesus wasn't even born yet when Noah and his family were on the ark. 

Liza:                I know that.  That's why I'm writing what it would have been like, if Jesus had been born and then later Noah and his family were on the ark during Christmas.  It's a story.  You have to use your imagination. 

Sharon:           Oh.  (suddenly interested) Well, what have you got so far? 

Liza:                See for yourself. (hands Sharon the notebook) 

Sharon:           (reading out loud from the notebook) 

 .The blackened sky seemed to growl as it hurled drop after drop of chilling rain towards the waiting earth below.  The ark, skillfully made, floated along the raging waters, helpless..  

(to Liza) It's good so far. 

Liza:                Thanks. 

Sharon:            (reads again from the notebook)  

                        .Noah and his family were just waking up on Christmas morning.. 

Liza and Sharon watch the stage, to see the 'story. on the notebook come to life 

Noah:               (runs on stage in his pajamas and bath robe, yelling) Hey everybody!  Wake up! Wake up! It's Christmas morning! 

Mrs. Noah:       (enters, also in her pajamas & robe, looking tired and yawning) Noah, what's all the noise about?  You're going to wake up the whole boat! 

Noah:               That's the point, dear.  It's Christmas! 

Mrs. Noah:       (suddenly alert) It is?  How do you know?  We've been on this boat so long I've completely lost track of time. 

Noah:               I asked the elephants. 

Mrs. Noah:       What? 

Noah:               I asked the elephants.  Elephants never forget you know.  

Mrs. Noah:       Exactly how does that work? 

Noah:               Well, every few days I'd ask the elephants how long we'd been on the boat, and they'd use their feet to tell me.  The first few days weren't too bad. You know, one. two. three. four. (he illustrates stomping, using his own foot) But today, well the poor elephants needed a nap afterwards.  We've been on the ark 40 days! 

Mrs. Noah:       So, it really is Christmas? 

Noah:               Yes! 

Mrs. Noah:       (instantly alert) Yahoo!  (she grabs Noah and they begin to jump up and down and do a little .Christmas dance.) It's Christmas!  It's Christmas! Let's go wake the kids! 

Noah:               Honey, they aren't kids anymore.  The boys are grown men now with wives. 

Mrs. Noah:       I know, but to me they'll always be my kids.  Let's wake them up. 

Shem and Bezda enter tired and yawning 

Shem:             Mom?  Dad?  What's going on out here? 

Bezda:             We heard a bunch of commotion and wanted to see if everything was all right. 

Noah:               Good morning, Shem.  Good morning, Bezda. 

(The ark characters momentarily .freeze. as the scene shifts back to Sharon and Liza) 

Sharon:           (interrupts, speaks to Liza) Wait a minute.  Shem's wife's name was Bezda? 

Liza:                Well, the Bible doesn't really say what her name was.  None of the wives names were actually listed so I had to make something up. 

Sharon:           Oh. 

The ark characters continue and pick up as if nothing happened 

Mrs. Noah:       Good morning to you both.  Guess what?  This is a very special day. 

Shem:             Has Dad been talking to the elephants again? 

Noah:               I most certainly have, and they have told me today is Christmas day. 

Bezda:             Really?  I love Christmas.  (She begins to sing .Jingle Bells) 

                        .Jingle bells. Jingle bells.

                        Jingle all the way. 

(Noah and Mrs. Noah join in to sing with her) 

                        Oh, what fun it is to ride

                        In a one horse open sleigh.

                        Hey!  

Ham and Systra enter 

Ham:               Hey? What's all the commotion about out here? 

Noah:               Good morning, Ham.  Good morning, Systra. 

Systra:             Good morning everyone.  What's going on? 

Shem:             Dad seems to think it's Christmas!  

Ham:               (to Noah) Have you been communicating with the elephants again? 

Mrs. Noah:       Yes, he has.  And today is Christmas. 

Bezda:             (sings) .We wish you a merry Christmas.  We wish you a merry Christmas.. 

Japeth and Jada enter 

Japeth:            Christmas?  Is it Christmas already? 

Noah:               Yes, son.  

Mrs. Noah:       How did you sleep, Japeth?  You look a little tired. 

Japeth:            Jada kept me up all night with her snoring again. 

Jada:               I do not snore! 

Japeth:            (playfully) Jada, I love you but really, you're worse than the gorillas! 

Jada:               Oh stop!  So, did I hear someone say something about it being Christmas? 

Mrs. Noah:       You did, dear.  Isn't it exciting? 

Ham:               What's so exciting about it?  

Noah & Mrs Noah:  (at the same time) Everything! 

Noah:               The sights! 

Mrs. Noah:       The sounds! 

Noah:               The smells! 

Ham:               Sights? What sights?  All we've seen for the past month is a dark sky full of rain.  

Japeth:            As for the sounds, all that thunder and lighting has been keeping me up every night. 

Jada:               I thought it was my gorilla-like snoring. 

Systra:             And what about the awful smells?  What smells on this ark say .Christmas. to you? 

Shem:             Yeah, whose idea was it to put just one window in a huge boat full of stinky animals, anyway? 

Noah:   All right, children.  That's enough. 

Shem:             Sorry, Dad.  It's just that being stuck on a boat out in the middle of nowhere isn't exactly our idea of Christmas. 

Jada:               What I wouldn't give for a little sunshine.  All this rain is making my hair frizz. 

Bezda:             I know what you mean.  I ran out of my styling gel and hair spray 20 days ago.  Now I can't do a thing with it.  My hair looks terrible. 

Ham:               I'm sure the animals don't mind. 

Shem:             (teasing) Come to think of it, you do look a little like one of the jungle monkeys.