A new theater company in Catonsville is offering up something new for the holidays: Robert Fulghum's "Uh-Oh, Here Comes Christmas."

The show takes place Dec. 1 -3 and Dec. 8-10, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., at St. John's United Church of Christ, 1000 S. Rolling Road.

According to the new OnStage Community Theater, the production features 15 holiday stories from the author of "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" crafted into an evening of storytelling and song.

"This is our first production, and we are very excited about it," said Catonsville resident Marie Sproul, the director.

Sproul and University of Maryland, Baltimore County graduate Sarah Kendrick, who works on costume and set design for the holiday show, founded the nonprofit theater group in March.

The two met when Sproul directed "Anne of Green Gables" for the Laurel Mill Playhouse last year.

Maureen Rogers, a cast member of "Uh-Oh, Here Comes Christmas" as well as the play's producer, was also in the "Anne of Green Gables" production.

"We all were working together and having fun," Sproul said. "We kind of jumped in and said we wanted to do it, form our own theater company."

Sproul is the artistic director for OnStage while Kendrick serves as production manager.

"So far, we are doing OK," Sproul said. "We are hoping to build up a following."

They selected the work by Fulghum as an alternative to traditional Christmas classics, she said.

"I'm not a big fan of Christmas shows because I think they are done a lot," said Sproul, who moved from Staunton, Va., to Catonsville with her husband last year.

"A friend directed this show in Staunton. She reminded me about it, and I thought we'd try it," Sproul said.

"Uh-Oh, Here Comes Christmas" is billed as a refreshing alternative to "A Christmas Carol" and "The Nutcracker."

The show looks at the struggle to find the spirit of the holidays amid the avalanche of commercialism, stress and chaos of December.

Among the stories is one about an immigrant child who comes trick-or-treating in a cheap Santa mask a few days before Christmas and inadvertently delivers the true meaning of the season to an adult with a serious case of "Scroogitis."

There are also musings about a love-hate relationship with the poinsettia that arrives in most homes every December and lingers long after the holidays have ended, as well as a tribute to the winter solstice, celebrating nature's annual gift of rebirth.

Future plans for the theater company include offering theater camps for children and conducting workshops for children, she said.

A board of directors has been selected and a capital campaign is under way for the group to find a permanent location in Catonsville, she said.

Tickets for "Uh-Oh, Here Comes Christmas," are $12 for general admission and $8 for those under 18, senior citizens, students with IDs and groups of 10 or more.

Call 443-844-6481 for tickets.

For information, go to www.onstageplayers.org.

E-mail Mary T. Robbins at Mary T. Robbins@patuxent.com