We all have our favorite holiday stories at this time of year. Sometimes we cannot wait to see that special movie that does it for us, or hear a festive tale. At other times, we dread the idea of having to watch it even one more time. That’s the basis of the current production at Weathervane Playhouse, a Knight Arts grantee.

In the play “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!),” we see four actors who are getting ready for an annual production of “A Christmas Carol.” As the lights come up, the audience sees a very Victorian looking set (designed by Alan Scott Ferrall) and character (standing center stage). Actor Brian O. Jackson starts the opening line of “A Christmas Carol” about Marley being dead. He barely gets started when actor Scott K. Davis enters (looking like the dead corpse) and breaks the fourth wall by saying he can’t do it again – that he’s done the show so many times he has run the gamut from playing Tiny Tim to now the “old dead guy.”

Soon the other actors – Rachel Gehlert and Alex Nine – join forces with Davis and start the running gag where Jackson can never get them to commit to putting on the BHC (Beloved Holiday Classic). As the others tell him, there are lots of classics. They partially convince him – but only when they agree to get to “A Christmas Carol” sooner or later.

Left to right: Scott Davis, Brian O. Jackson, Alex Nine and Rachel Gehlert in “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!).” Photo courtesy of Weathrvane Playhouse

The actors start rattling off seasonal stories – Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, The Grinch. Then they go beyond storylines and throw in another running gag about the old commercial showing Santa riding a Norelco shaver and snippets of traditions in other lands. To ramp it up, the actors come into the audience to get their input, again throwing away the fourth wall.

The remainder is a mishmash and silly but fun send-up of each of the tales or traditions. As you might expect, it really isn’t every Christmas story ever told. Lots and lots got left out, but there are enough to make the comedic point, especially in Act I.

Act II segues into a parallel rendering of “A Christmas Story” and the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The intermixture works extremely well, with the actors jumping into and out of one character after another. Which brings up a major point about this comedy – a huge boatload of quick, staggering costume changes. John S. Catlos, the costume designer for the production, outdid himself on this one. Costumes range from dark and dreary for the ghost story of “A Christmas Carol” to bright and festive for the campier tales and stories.

Brian O. Jackson and Rachel Gehlert in “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!).” Photo courtesy of Weathervane Playhouse

Director Constance Thackaberry kept the pace flying, and gave room to throw in lots of local allusions that kept the merry mood going. The actors were uniformly good in the performance that I took in – giving a lot of focused energy to the characters and tales that kept the haphazard nature of the writing sensible.

“Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)” is a fun show–silly, naughty and definitely nice.

“Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1:30p.m. Sunday through December 20 at Weathervane Playhouse, 1301 Weathervane Lane, Akron; 330-836-2826; www.weathervaneplayhouse.com. Tickets are $21 ($19 for seniors and $5 for children and students).