The Indianola Ward Christmas Party

The Nativity at the party

That's an angel on the rooftop if you can't tell... my camera is not the best.

Well, little did we (the activities committee) know when we started to work on the Christmas Party for the Ward, that this would be our last activity. By now you've all heard that the activities commitees are being done away with in the Church- anyway- we started a couple of months ago preparing for ours.

As I was thinking about what to do, I thought of past Ward parties and what would be more effective. Our Ward is unique in that peple are really spread out- not the typical Utah Ward where one Ward is basically 4 square blocks in a neighborhood. And so it's nice to beable to get together and have time to visit.

We have ALOT of less actives, non-members, etc. that this is the only gathering they come to. I wanted something where the people could all socialize, have a chance to visit and get to know each other better. Also, another concern was the children. I feel like they don't have enough to do & feel involved with at most ward functions and so they just end up running through the halls.
With all this in mind, I researched other Ward Party ideas and let the creative juices flow...talked with the committee and made some suggestions... and wah-lah! Here's what we came up with:

We did a theme on "Christmas in the Olde Towne Square" We had 2 families dress up as carolers and welcome people by singing carols at the entrance to the building.

We handed out "money" as people came in- even the kids, to spend inside the cultural hall, which we turned into a town square with a Christmas "marketplace" where they could choose what traditional foods and treats they wanted to buy- there was even a "toy store" where their money could buy an old fashioned toy (a top, a spinner, wooden bead bracelet). Some of the different foods we offered were:

Tamales ( Mexican tradition), a cabbage & potato soup (German), Christmas Porridge (rice pudding from Denmark) Dutch treats (YM), sweeet breads (Ginger, pumpkin, & cranberry), pies (what ever the High Preists brought), cookies (Elder's), Wassail (the bishopric served), candies the young women made, and popcorn.

The gym was PACKED! We had people there I had never seen before- and lots of people that weren't even members! You can see the Primary's booth, decorated in the background with giant nutcrackers

The highlight of the evening was the Primary children's two songs, the YMYW did a line dance to Rockin' around the christmas Tree, and then, my personal favorite, the Bishopric sang Silent Night while the Bishop played his guitar. It was beautiful.Sorry my camera shoots dark with the lights down low- Tom's on the right of the Bishop.

I really want to thank my wonderful committee- they all worked so hard to make this happen and I think it was a huge success- the kids LOVED the night- so many parents told me their kids thought it was the best party. And it was so nice to have the kids involved, first "shopping" at all the booths, and then singing their songs. It was fun for the kids- we let them walk under the arch to come into the gym.

Here is a picture diary of the preparation for the evening.The YM/YW learned the line dance at a combined activity in November. Thanks Audrey for coming up with the dance and teaching it to them!The Relief Society ladies made tamales a few days before the party- that was fun to learn how to make them! And boy were they good.

Jerri & Ricky try to decide how to paint the arch.
Here's our "brick maker" a sponge and paint- After the first time I used gloves! Our shop at the center turned into a "construction zone" as we painted cardboard I had been collecting at the local Sears appliance center in Ephraim. They were so great to save it for me every week.Matt & Kami Walker from the committee were so great to help!

Committee members included: Matt & Kami Walker, Heather Pinegar, Dave & Janice Taylor, Jennifer Rigby, Jodi Taufer, Ricky Butrum, and myself- They all worked so hard to make this happen- I wish I had pictures of all of them to post!

Tom & I went up in the mountains and cut down 2 trees to use for the evening- we later sold them to ward members for angel tree money.

Making the soup the day of the party. Thanks to Liza, Tammy, Janice, & Georgia!

Starting to set up the town. Almost done...Tom checks out the entry way under our "clock tower" It was his idea to put the christmas tree in the window of the "building"- I think it looks great! We hung mistletoe at the arch and took pictures of families and couples at the party. Thanks again to all the organizations and committee members that helped make this year's party a great one!

One last note- all the painted cardboard will get used again as it's new home is our town's newly renovated theater with a huge basement for prop storage!