'Tis the season for a holiday comedy to come to the boards at the Butler Little Theatre.

Cast and crew are busily polishing up their performance of “Christmas Belles” which will open Thanksgiving weekend.

The saga is set at Christmastime in a fictional small town called Fayro, Texas.

The Futrelle sisters are not in a festive mood as The Tabernacle of the Lamb's Christmas program spirals into chaos after the ousted director of the previous 27 productions tries to take over the show.

Enter Santa with a kidney stone, a shepherd who doesn't tend his sheep, food poisoning, a family secret and yes, Elvis, and sure as shootin' “Joy to the World” takes on a different meaning.

Bob Meals of Center Township is directing the show which features performances from his wife and two children.

“We've all been involved in shows together in different capacities but this is the first time I've directed the other three,” said Meals, who had never heard of the show before being asked to direct it.

Once he read the script, he thought there might be parts that would be perfect for his family, so he asked them to audition.

“The best thing about working with my family is that I get to let a lot of people see how talented they all are and just a little of why I'm so proud of them all,” he said, noting that the worst part is when they poke fun at him on the set just the way they do at home.

“The rest of the cast gets a big laugh at my expense. I can take it as long as people are having fun,” Meals said.

Meals is taken with the ladies in the show and said they give some very strong performances.

“The men in the show are all very talented and have been working their tails off trying to keep up with the ladies,” he added.

One of the leading ladies in Meal's life and in the show is his wife, Rebecca Meals, who plays Frankie Futrelle.

“She is a 40-something who finds herself pregnant with twin boys after raising a set of twin girls,” she explained about the secret-keeping sister.

She said she's enjoying the comedy as much as the audience will.

“As an actor you get to try all kinds of silly things that you would never do in real life! We all try to crack each other up during rehearsal,” she said, while noting the timing of waiting for the laughs to end can be daunting.

“I love getting to work with my family. ... This is the first time I have had the chance to be on stage with both my children,” she said.

Daughter Sydney Meals plays the positive stranger in the town.

“I'm new to this small town in Texas so I'm getting to know the people in the show just as the audience is,” she said. “My character is a happy-go-lucky woman who finds the good in every situation.”

She enjoys working with her family and has grown up in the theater. “This show is all about the fun and dysfunction of the holidays. It's going to be a great time for everyone, cast and audience included,” she said.

Newcomer to the BLT stage but an acting veteran, Michelina Pollini of Franklin Park is tackling the role of Gina Jo.

“She and I are a lot alike. We both want to help the people we care about and we're both a little awkward in some social situations,” said Pollini, who is marketing/teaching artist at Saltworks Theatre Company and an independent contractor at the Pittsburgh International Children's Theater.

She last appeared as Sue Lawson in “Not Now, Darling” at the Kean Theatre in Gibsonia. She has never worked with Meals before.

“My fellow castmates are wonderful. It's fun to see (the Meals) family interact on and off the stage. ‘Christmas Belles' is about family, so it makes sense that his very talented family is a part of the show, she said.

The matriarch of the production is Bonnie Cahill of Jefferson Township who portrays Geneva.

“She is the quintessential ‘organizer' happiest when she can boss someone around. And not above sneaking around behind your back to get her own way,” Cahill said.

This comedic role comes on the heals of her star turn as Carrie Watts in “Trip to Bountiful.” Though Cahill loves comedies, she admits they require a bit of work.

“Rehearsing comedy, you have to try out different ways of saying almost every line. Just changing when you draw a breath can be the difference between hysterical laughter, and a resounding thud,” she said.

Rikki Stupka of Butler said she read the script and couldn't stop laughing. She plays Twink, one of the three sisters at the center of the comedy.

“Audiences can expect a good, clean family laugh. This is one I can't wait for my grandma to see. It's hilarious and touching all at the same time. It holds on to the true meaning of Christmas in a very entertaining manner,” she said.

Also starring in the show are Dean Weiland, Thom Bennett, Thom Hilliard, Cyndi Plyler and Kate Williamson.

<B>WHO: </B>Butler Little Theatre<B>WHAT: </B>“Christmas Belles”<B>WHEN: </B>Nov. 25 to Dec. 3; curtain is at 8:15 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sunday, and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday<B>WHERE: </B>One Howard St.<B>TICKETS: </B>$10, available by calling 724-287-6781 between 7 and 9 p.m. weeknights<B>INFO: </B>www.bltgroup.org