Christmas Drama

The festive season provides an abundance of riches for writers

I teach a number of fun Christmas workshops where the aim is to write humorous stories and poems, all with a Christmas theme. I love preparing these workshops, anticipating laugh after laugh as clients read out the hilarious lines and scenes they've written.

But I also love the workshops that look at DRAMA (capitals definitely required), where characters are dealing with rage, loneliness, greed, jealousy, disappointment, confusion and fear - as they gather with family and friends to celebrate Christmas.

It's tremendous fun concocting arguments and sulks as characters misbehave, but it's also a nice challenge getting to grips with serious subjects as characters unravel, break down or explode. There's so much you can do in a scene set at Christmas. Here are a few ideas:

1. The Christmas Dinner. What on earth could go wrong at a large family dinner where people who normally don't spend that much time together suddenly find themselves squished around a table, overeating and drinking? This is a great setting to showcase sibling rivalries and jealousies. Who doesn't do their share of caring for elderly parents? Who always re-gifts? Who has turned up yet again with another new partner that no one likes? Who will skulk away and not help with the dishes, just like they did last year? Don't forget that seating arrangements, the failure to cater for different diets and the behaviour of small children all add to the drama.

2. The Childhood Bedroom. Perfect for when you want to show your reader who your character really is. Forget who they've appeared to be in the first few scenes; now, surrounded by their childhood belongings, in a room they last lived in as a teenager, we discover so much more about them. What's on the walls? What's on their bed? How do they feel about being back in this space that was once a retreat? Does being back in their old room make them regress and take on the role they had in their family years ago? Do they revert to being the baby? Are they the bossy eldest sibling? Are they embarrassed about their family home? Do they wish they could move back full time? Are they staying in this room with a new partner and is there something that they (or their partner) discover in this room (old dairies, mixed tapes, photos) that causes tension?

3. The After Dinner Games. If your characters have thus far managed to stay calm and composed, a few games might be just the scene you need to finally get them to unravel. Again, you can look at sibling rivalry and explore who is competitive. What about a game that only the family really understands and enjoys whilst the guests/outsiders feel excluded and frustrated? What if the guests mock this beloved family game? Who sneaks away and does something they shouldn't be doing? Who cheats? Who is a control freak who can't stand anyone who doesn't abide by the rules as written in the game's instructions? Who is a sore loser?

4. The Boxing Day Walk. After the claustrophobia of Christmas Day, where characters are all forced into one small space, taking them out for a walk allows other dramas to come into play. Unlikely alliances can be formed as people end up walking with others who keep the same pace. Someone can go missing. Your characters might bump into other (contentious, intriguing) families/individuals who are also out walking. Someone might be ridiculed for not having 'the right' clothes for a winter walk. Someone might loathe walking at the best of times, but with a hangover they can't think of anything worse and say so. Who insists on everyone singing as they walk?

5. Dinner for one. You can also explore the subject of loneliness at Christmas. Who didn't get an invite? Or who didn't accept an invite and now regrets it? Who needed a Christmas alone after last year's debacle? Who spends Christmas sitting outside an ex's house, trying to see who they're celebrating with this year? Who volunteers at a care home or homeless shelter, intending to brag about their charitable deed, but secretly loathes it? Who hates Christmas and can't think of anything worse than celebrating it with family?

Other Christmas-themed scenes that can increase the DRAMA include: The Pantomime, Midnight Mass, The Christmas Office Party, The Carol Concert, Christmas Drinks with Neighbours, and anything involving mistletoe!