St Tropez can keep its summer season; by all means, head to Switzerland if you want to ski; but let’s face it, York has got Christmas cornered.

It is impossible to walk the streets and not feel the joys of the season. The city’s Dickensian quality comes into its own and its inhabitants bond together to add that extra dash of magic, in the form of warm smiles, good wishes and a graciousness that is truly moving, particularly to those new to the city, such as myself.

With the optimum backdrop for its winter showcase, York theatre company Riding Lights’ production of On Christmas Night wouldn’t even need to be that good to put people in the mood for Yuletide cheer, as the roasted chestnuts and grandiose Minster overlooking St Michael Le Belfrey’s church did a pretty good job on their own last weekend. It is a pleasure to report, however, that the show is excellent – the proverbial icing on the Christmas cake.

Nigel Forde’s play borrows the best bits from the panto tradition, adds a dash of commedia dell’ arte in the form of amusing physical sequences and tops off the delightful concoction with some clever Two Ronnies-style verbal jousting (an impressive amount of comedy mileage is gained from jokes relating to the Latinate roots of words).

Rooted in the Nativity, the story follows the adventures of two simple shepherds, Mabel and Wayne (Rachel Price and Jonathan Boustead). It charts their entanglements with an over-zealous council official (the very funny Jo Faith Habershon), who boots them out of their farm over an administrative error, along with their attempts to help a young couple, Mary and Joseph, who are new to town and down on their luck in Bethlehem.

Help comes in the unlikely form of Brutus, an irritable Roman centurion whose bark proves worse than his bite. Charles Hanley, who acts the parts of both Joseph and Brutus, brings conviction and character to each role, especially with his bulldog-chewing-a-wasp characterisation of the Roman guard.

Punctuated throughout by belly laughs from the kids and knowing chuckles from the grown-ups, the story acts as a gentle reminder of the origins of the holiday, displaying a lightness of touch that proves affecting, rather than hectoring.

In short, Jonathan Bidgood’s production is a wonderful show that warms the heart and doesn’t insult anyone’s intelligence – an hour very well spent.

Review by Catherine Marcus.

Further performances follow at Holgate Methodist Church, December 12 at 2pm (01904 798437); All Saints’ Church Hall, Hessle, December 19 at 2pm (01482 645398); Gateway Church, Acomb, on December 19 at 7pm (01904 781983); Nawton Memorial Hall, Nawton, December 21 at 2pm (01439 772090); and Haxby and Wigginton Methodist Church on December 22 at 7pm (01904 768326).