My mom had the gift of making every family gathering special.  When my older nieces and nephew were little, she had them act out the Christmas Bible story!

And look who got to be the donkey!  Yes, that would be the teenaged version of me!

Making Luke 2 come alive!
Christmas 1993

No prep or costumes necessary, but the costumes did add to the fun!
(Simple instructions are further down, if interested)

Mom had a set of these that she used over and over with her 3rd grade Sunday School class and 4 year old preschool choir.  You can imagine how many Bible stories those costumes jazzed up!  She taught both of those classes for over 50 years, by the way!  I love thinking about all the children that were blessed by her amazing gift of serving the Lord through her passion of teaching kids about Him!

Depending on how many kids you have, you could go all out with shepherds, angels, etc or just stick to Mary and Joseph and use a baby doll for Jesus.  Adults and teens can have fun filling in where needed.

Tell the story or read it from the Bible while the kids are acting it out.  You may even want to throw in a Christmas Carol or two for the whole group to sing.  No need to complicate the script or feel like it has to be an all out pageant!

Keep it simple and have fun! 

Bible Costume Instructions:
Tunics:  Strips of cloth with holes cut for the head.
Head coverings:  Scarves or cut material held on with stretchy rings of cut pantyhose legs.
Sashes:  Cloth belts, strips of cloth, or scarves.

Are you inspired to create a little drama at your Christmas gathering this year?