In a sea of powerful, storied holiday traditions like the elegant choreography of “The Nutcracker” and the soul-shaking vocals of “Black Nativity,” Front Porch Arts Collective chooses to approach the season with a different tool: laughter. For the third year, the Black theater company will host “Holiday Feast,” a live reading of beloved holiday episodes from Black sitcoms.

“One of the things I’ve always appreciated about what we do at Front Porch is we try to look at the world not only through a Black lens, but a lens that we haven’t seen yet,” said director Pascale Florestal. “We need more community and fun.”

The episodes in this year’s performance include “The Night They Arrested Santa Claus” from “227” (1988), “Ebenezer Sanford” from “Sanford & Son” (1975), “Christmas” from “Sister, Sister” (1995) and “Just Christmas, Baby” from “Black-ish” (2016).

“I’m a big ‘Sister, Sister’ fan,” Florestal said. “It’s one of those shows that I grew up watching all the time with my family, and it’s so nice to bring that one into the fold.”

These episodes are loved by many, and the Front Porch team keeps the performance simple to avoid bumping up against those expectations. Audiences won’t see the classic sets they grew up watching, or the elaborate decorations associated with the holiday, but they will be reunited with favorite characters and hilarious predicaments.

“We want to really highlight the actors and give them an opportunity just to be themselves, and also to honor the work of the writers who wrote these fantastic shows,” said Florestal. “This really gives the opportunity to focus on the storytelling and have fun as much as we can.”

“Holiday Feast” will also feature some of Boston’s most loved Black actors. This year’s cast includes Jackie Davis, Maurice Emmanuel Parent (producing artistic director of The Porch), Rebekah Brunson, Kayla Sessoms, Karimah Williams, Thomika Marie Bridwell, TJ Robinson, Sharmarke Yusuf, Dominic Carter, Paul Benford Bruce and special guest Dawn Simmons.

The show will be held Dec. 13 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Suffolk University’s Modern Theatre, 525 Washington St. in downtown Boston. Tickets are $20.

Florestal said she hopes the theater will be full of laughter, no matter what challenges the holidays bring. “My hope is the audience takes away the sense of community and family that so many of the shows remind us of. It can be a little bit of a reminder that we are all still struggling, but we can all come together and find the joy in some of the hardest moments.”

ON THE WEB

Learn more at frontporcharts.org/holiday-feast1