Recommended by Philip Middleton Williams

This one-minute observation of the human condition and the dynamics between people is achingly and maddeningly accurate. Having been in a similar situation (except with a bat), Nora Louise Syran knows what lurks in the id of the "helpful" person and shares it with all of us.

The mind and what it goes through after trauma is a mystery trip, barely understood but still meaningful to the person dealing with its seemingly permanent companionship. In this inventive and stunningly well-crafted play, we hear, see, and feel what Guy Friendly carries with him when he's triggered by the recollections. His imagination is on frantic overdrive, yet it all leads him to seek the answers and the peace and friendship he needs and deserves. Aside from the masterful lesson in how to craft a mesmerizing story, John Patrick Bray gives us someone to deeply care about.

This collection of short plays and monologues is as varied as the people Glenn Alterman shares with us: young and old; some seemingly content with their lives, and others still searching. There's a human touch to each of them, and there's the inescapable certainty that each of them is seeking that most basic need: to be connected with someone, even if it's only for a brief encounter or a long-awaited reunion. Most of all, they are not afraid to share their feelings and their vulnerabilities, which makes it possible for anyone meeting them to connect and understand. Highly recommended.

I have a lasting memory of my father reading the original poem to me and my siblings a very long time ago, and the images that came to mind remained long after. In this very funny, punny, and literary slapstick rendering, Arthur M Jolly has preserved the tale but illustrated it with physical and metaphorical pratfalls and fore-head slaps, as well as teaching us about the real background of this timeless piece of holiday magic. I know my father would have loved to see this version, especially including the cameo by the mouse.

The best ghost stories build slowly and in such a way that you cannot stop reading or listening. The true suspense that comes with it is seeing how caught up you get in it that when the realization of what you're hearing dawns on you... that is when you're really scared. Daniel Prillaman does a masterful job of building the tension in just such a way in this atmospheric and haunting piece that I could not stop reading.

Reading all the previous recommendations for this play set me up for it, but I was still startled by how it turned. There's no secret to the plot twist -- it's there in the slug line -- but it does leap out at you. I love the way Christian St. Croix sets it up: I marvel at the way Daniel is able navigate the apocalyptic turn while still thinking of his friend and their moment the night before. And if this monstrous invasion is a metaphor for their feelings and their future, it really works.

If Mel Brooks ever decided to direct a version of "A Christmas Carol," I would insist that he use Arthur M. Jolly's play as the foundation for the screenplay. Better yet, I would like to see every treacly crepe-paper and baling-wire community theatre production of Dickens' classic replaced by this laugh-out-loud story that really gets to the heart of class struggle in London: it's not all about you, Ebenezer! The playwright has the perfect touch, as well as some great blink-and-you-miss'em puns and sight gags. Have fun with it... or should I say, have a Jolly holiday.

If this was how religion was truly practiced, I think a lot more people would find both comfort and inspiration through it. John Busser's short two-hander is disarmingly truthful about faith and practice as well as a good life lesson regardless of our beliefs.

As a playwright, I feel a connection with my computer, so it's no wonder that a musician would have the same relationship with his piano. I must admit that I felt a twinge of guilt as I read Larry Rinkel's clever piece about the contentious relationship between a would-be pianist and his new piano, since I have a piano myself, inherited from my grandmother. The play made me laugh and appreciate the pain my piano must endure when I attempt to play. And I promise not to treat it as just a piece of furniture.

It is too bad that the tales around Christmas and the holidays only get attention during those times. They are worth sharing year-round since they provide insight to our traditions and culture, and those are not seasonal. In this enchanting -- in every sense of the word -- tale, Midge Guerrera combines tradition with the very real needs and joys of a family trying to celebrate despite the absence of the father. There is magic and suspense, but at the heart is a family with all the love and quirks that make this a treasure for all times.