Christmas, 1977, is only three weeks away, and the ladies of the Charitable Sisterhood are preparing for Second Trinity Church's annual Christmas Spectacular … but they're having trouble staying focused on their preparations because there's a criminal on the loose—someone has stolen the baby Jesus figure from his place in Second Trinity's nativity scene. Sisterhood leader Bea Littleton is certain that the culprit is her longtime rival, Lucille Orton, from First Salvation (a place of extremely strict beliefs just up the road). Bea and the other sisterhood members decide that they need help getting to the bottom of things, and they call in honorary member and private investigator Janet Murchison to delve more deeply into things and see if she can determine who the perpetrator is. By show time, Janet is starting to think she knows exactly who is guilty of what … but the truth can't be revealed until the end of the Spectacular. As a result, we watch from both onstage and backstage, as the sisterhood performs sacred songs and satirical skits (after all, where else does Santa meet the Wise Men at the manger?).
The fun doesn't let up until the hilarious revelation at the show's climax, which leaves the audience and the sisterhood filled with the very best spirit of the Christmas season.