Recommended by Philip Middleton Williams

It didn't take me long to figure out where Mike Byham was taking us on this little romantic holiday play with a touch of farce, but I loved the journey and the clever outcome, not to mention a touch of Mel Brooks staging. Raise a cup of cheer and beer for this one.

The thing that grabbed me in this story of two men -- strangers to each other -- was the silence. Ken Love uses it the way a maestro conducting an orchestra does between phrases, passages, even notes, and the inexorable sense of tension that builds is what makes this tale so powerful. That's not to say that the conversation between Ray and Nick isn't an essential element. It is. But just the same, the impact of what we don't see and don't hear builds the suspense beautifully. Stunning.

The quandary of confronting a living reminder of a loss can be unfathomable, but in his poignant and powerful short play, DC Cathro shows us how those left behind deal with it. The story has elements of O. Henry without the wry irony, and the audience will leave wondering who made the right choice.

There have been countless stories about time travel and the urge to somehow make it happen. In this deft two-hander, Kyle Walker explores the possibilities with clever language and intriguing ideas of when and how and why. This will stand the test of time in more ways than one. Or many.

After nearly sixty years of cheesy Christmas specials -- with the notable exception of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" -- it's high-on-the-rooftop time for a new entry. Debra A. Cole has given us that gift that honors not just the holiday but the togetherness that it is supposed to create. Having grown up in a house with two working chimneys and the maintenance that comes with them, I feel the warmth of this humorous and touching tale.

John Busser's reputation for quirky comedy with a twist is well-earned, so when he takes up writing a very strong two-hander about justice, redemption, and atonement, it isn't hard to see that he can turn his considerable skills to making us believe every word, every feeling that the priest and the warden are telling each other. We are there, the tension is palpable and never lets up, and I had to remember to take a breath at the end. This is an admirable addition to John Busser's catalogue.

Family is family no matter where you are, be it Little Havana or a suburb of Chicago. In this heartwarming and often turbulent -- but did you ever know a family that wasn't? -- story of generations in Miami over the holidays, audiences will see characters not so different from their own clan no matter where they came from. Nicholas Quintana deftly teaches us about the ups and downs of this collection of personalities as strong as cafecito, and we even learn how to play dominoes.

It was a dark and stormy Christmas Eve and the puns and names (except mine) are dropping like reindeer scat when Morey Norkin sneaks in like a jolly old elf and scares the dickens out of Mikey Spillane and Dixon Hill. But seriously, folks, this has to be savored several times just for the wordplay and wink/nudge at the genre that you can feel in your front pocket. You'll be a little Pie-eyed from the stuff that dreams are made on... in Spades.

Fundamental physics states that going back in time is not possible: time moves in only one direction. But when it comes to family, that theory is recalculated because this reunion between half-siblings resets the clock to when they were much younger and their rivalry for parental attention and love is the starting point: we are always adolescent in their eyes. This seemingly ordinary reunion is well layered, and we are drawn in as we watch them grow up again.

The prologue to "Law & Order" explains how the criminal justice system is divided into two separate but equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime, and the district attorneys, who prosecute offenders. But when rogue ruminants are involved, the story gets... well, you have to read this account of two reindeer gone on a tear and how they convince the police that they did Grandma a favor. Somehow, raisins factor in, too. The prosecution doesn't have a chance.