When I was a girl and my friends came over, we would spend the afternoon in the attic. My mom loved to save things and this was a treasure store of old clothes and shoes, out-of-date paraphnelia and broken furniture that had hopes of being repaired. Naturally, in this imaginative habitat, there were some afternoons we put on plays. Most of them we made up as we went along, right in front of the audience, which mostly consisted of my mother. She usually made the popcorn.

Ask your mom if you can put on a play for her. You will need something that can represent a mantel. If you have a real mantel in your play room, woo hoo! but the top of a bookshelf will work, too. Use your play dishes or ask mom for a few things. You don’t need a lot of clothes: maybe an apron for ma, a long scarf for pa, a red sweater for Frankie. Use your imagination and always treat each other as Frankie’s brothers and sisters treated him.

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Frankie’s Christmas Orange

Opening Scene: a parlor with a mantel in the middle and a chair or two. On left side a small bedroom where children are lying in bed. One right side of the room a table and some kitchen stuff and with a door beyond. Ma is stirring something at the table. Frankie has a sweater or shirt with a pocket big enough to hide an orange. You will need one orange per person; cuties are fine and easy to peel. A wooden train whistle will come in handy, if you have one.

Be sure to serve hot cocoa and popcorn for the audience. Let your littlest brother or sister be in the play. There’s room for everyone. Don’t worry if the audience can see what’s happening off stage. They will enjoy that part, too. After you practice one or two times, you can perform it for your mom and dad, grandparents or anyone. If you want to read the whole story, read An Orange for Frankie by Patricia Polacco.

Narrator: (reading) Last night Frankie prayed and prayed for a miracle to bring his pa home. But outside it snowed and snowed and snowed, and by morning all the roads were closed. There was no way for his buggy to get through.

The next morning—the morning of Chrismas eve—Frankie and his brothers awoke to the 628 whistle as it steamed through their pasture.

(If you have a train whistle, someone off stage can make a mournful sound with it now. Boys stir in their beds. Narrator exits left as the other door bursts open and Pa blows in. He is carrying a box of oranges (just enough to go around) and is wrapped in a long neck scarf.

Will: (sitting up in bed) It’s Pa! It’s Pa!

(All children scramble to the kitchen.)

Pa: My precious little lambs! (repeat while he hugs them all)

Ma: Frank! However did you get here?

Pa: Well, when I met the man to fetch home these here oranges, it was snowing so bad. My heart fair broke when I found out all the roads were closed.

Will: But you’re here, Pa!

Pa: I wouldn’t be iffen it hadn’t been for the conductor of the 628. He heard me lamenting and said there was only one thing to do. Ride the rails. He even loaded the horse and buggy in a boxcar and brought them right along with me. I tell you, Rosa, ’twas a miracle! Why would he treat us so kindly?

(Children looking at the box of oranges.)

Pa: It being the morning of the eve of our Lord’s birth, I think we have exactly the right moment to put the oranges on the mantel afore the pageant at church.

(Each one takes an orange out of the box and puts it on the mantel and steps back to admire them for a quiet moment. Stretch it out a bit.)

Pa: Hark now, children. Don’t touch them. They are for our Christmas Eve supper. It’s time to get ready.

Frankie: I’m already dressed to go. I’ll wait for you here.

(Family exits left. Frankie sits down on a chair, moving it a little to face the oranges.)

Narrator: Just last week, the Stowell family had been making hoecakes for breakfast when they heard the 628 chuffing to a stop at the water tower on the edge of their property. The engineer, Mr. Dunkle, had come in to warm up and Ma had offered him a plate of hoecakes and hot coffee. Frankie and the rest had taken plates of hoecakes out to the hobos.

When Frankie refilled the cup for Jump-Up-Billy, he noticed he didn’t even have a shirt under his coat. Frankie had run up to his room and found the new sweater his sister had knit for him; it was the only one big enough. He stuffed it under his waistcoat and took it out to the hobo. The old man eagerly put it on and stroked it whispering, “Now, ain’t this purty.” Mr. Dunkle called out and it was time to set to rails. Frankie watched that train until it disappeared, it’s whistle growing fainter and fainter. (Narrator exit.)

(Frankie is sitting in front of the mantel alone. After a bit he gets up and walk closer to the mantel. Stands on tip toe and sniff loudly. Looks behind and around him to see if anyone has come back yet. Then slowly reach out and touch the orange. Then pick it up)

(Off stage a door slams. Then Ma calls, “Frankie!” and rattles the doorknob. Frankie stuffs the orange in his pocket and turns to the audience.

Frankie: (in a stage whisper) I’ll put it back after the pageant. (Exit to the right.)

Narrator: Frankie was the perfect archangel in the pageant. Everyone commented that he looked just like a real angel. Later as they were making their way home in the sleigh, bumping over hills and dells, Frankie was exploding with the thought of eating his orange. He felt for it in his sweater. It wasn’t there!

(Frankie is first in the door and hurries to his room and throws himself on the bed face down. The rest of the family gathers at the table and Ma puts out the serving bowls. Let this take a little bit of time. Don’t rush into the next part.)

(Ma goes to Frankie’s room and knocks. Pretend to knock, you know. Frankie muffles a sob and she comes in.)

Frankie: Oh ma…I’ve done a terrible thing!

Ma: What?….How?

Frankie: When everyone was getting dressed, I just wanted to hold that orange. Just hold and look at it. But Pa said not to touch it! I slipped it into my sweater. I was going to put it back. (gulping and gasping) but I lost it!

Ma: (whispering, and talking slowly) My dear boy. Pa went through so much to fetch those oranges.

(Both are quiet for a bit.)

Ma: Frankie, you did a thoughtless thing taking that orange. You stay here and collect yourself. I’ll call you when we are ready.

(In the parlor, ma whispers to the others and they all get down their oranges and peel them enough to get one slice out of each orange. Then they tie these together with a ribbon.)

Stella: (calling out) We have something for you, Frankie.

(Frankie comes out of his room looking at the floor. Stella hands him an orange tied with a ribbon. Frankie looks at it and then at his brothers and sisters. They hold out their own oranges. Frankie wipes the tears from his eyes and takes the orange.)

Frankie: I did a terrible thing. I’m sorry!

Pa: Our family is like your orange, Frankie. Love holds us together like that there ribbon.

Narrator: That was the most splendid Christmas ever for Frankie and for all the Stowell family. The oranges were eaten—all of them savored down to the last bite. Stories were told in front of the fireplace. Popcorn was popped and eaten, and hot chocolate was slurped down with gusto.

It was always known ever after as “Frankie’s Christmas.”

(Curtain)

I wish for you the spirit of Christmas, which is love.