Need ideas for Ward Christmas party

[Scott R Nelson]

On Sunday one of the counselors in the bishopric asked my wife and me to stop by the bishop's office after church. We weren't quite ready to be released from primary yet and wondered what new calling they had for us. Turned out, they want us to be in charge of the Ward Christmas party, which will be at the end of the first week in December.

So we're trying to come up with ideas of something that everyone can enjoy. We did the Back To Bethlehem thing last year. They served ham.

We were thinking about "Christmas Around the World" and maybe have four corners to choose from with each having traditional Christmas food for one country. Only problem is that a lot of it could be difficult and/or expensive to acquire. Some of the possible choices:

1. Germany - Christmas goose, red cabbage, dumplings, gravy, sauerkraut, stollen
2. Italy - Feast of the seven fishes (various fish, shrimp, calimari), Panettone
3. Central America - Tamales
4. Philippines - Roast pig
5. Sweden - Smorgasbord: Swedish meatballs, ham, sausages, spare ribs, pickled herring, rye bread, cheeses
6. Japan - A bucket of KFC and Kurisumasu Keiki (strawberry sponge cake)
7. USA - Roast turkey or roast beef, fruitcake
8. Australia - BBQ, shrimp on the barbie
9. Greece - Roast lamb or pork, baklava

Can any of you suggest other ideas that might be simpler or that you have especially enjoyed in the past?

[beefytee]

On Sunday one of the counselors in the bishopric asked my wife and me to stop by the bishop's office after church. We weren't quite ready to be released from primary yet and wondered what new calling they had for us. Turned out, they want us to be in charge of the Ward Christmas party, which will be at the end of the first week in December.

So we're trying to come up with ideas of something that everyone can enjoy. We did the Back To Bethlehem thing last year. They served ham.

We were thinking about "Christmas Around the World" and maybe have four corners to choose from with each having traditional Christmas food for one country. Only problem is that a lot of it could be difficult and/or expensive to acquire. Some of the possible choices:

1. Germany - Christmas goose, red cabbage, dumplings, gravy, sauerkraut, stollen
2. Italy - Feast of the seven fishes (various fish, shrimp, calimari), Panettone
3. Central America - Tamales
4. Philippines - Roast pig
5. Sweden - Smorgasbord: Swedish meatballs, ham, sausages, spare ribs, pickled herring, rye bread, cheeses
6. Japan - A bucket of KFC and Kurisumasu Keiki (strawberry sponge cake)
7. USA - Roast turkey or roast beef, fruitcake
8. Australia - BBQ, shrimp on the barbie
9. Greece - Roast lamb or pork, baklava

Can any of you suggest other ideas that might be simpler or that you have especially enjoyed in the past?

Whatever your plans, I would leave fruitcake out of it.

The rest sounds tasty.

[beefytee]

Also Yorkshire Pudding would be budget friendly if you wanted to include England instead of the US. The US menu would work there.

[MartyFunkhouser]

On Sunday one of the counselors in the bishopric asked my wife and me to stop by the bishop's office after church. We weren't quite ready to be released from primary yet and wondered what new calling they had for us. Turned out, they want us to be in charge of the Ward Christmas party, which will be at the end of the first week in December.

So we're trying to come up with ideas of something that everyone can enjoy. We did the Back To Bethlehem thing last year. They served ham.

We were thinking about "Christmas Around the World" and maybe have four corners to choose from with each having traditional Christmas food for one country. Only problem is that a lot of it could be difficult and/or expensive to acquire. Some of the possible choices:

1. Germany - Christmas goose, red cabbage, dumplings, gravy, sauerkraut, stollen
2. Italy - Feast of the seven fishes (various fish, shrimp, calimari), Panettone
3. Central America - Tamales
4. Philippines - Roast pig
5. Sweden - Smorgasbord: Swedish meatballs, ham, sausages, spare ribs, pickled herring, rye bread, cheeses
6. Japan - A bucket of KFC and Kurisumasu Keiki (strawberry sponge cake)
7. USA - Roast turkey or roast beef, fruitcake
8. Australia - BBQ, shrimp on the barbie
9. Greece - Roast lamb or pork, baklava

Can any of you suggest other ideas that might be simpler or that you have especially enjoyed in the past?

I don't have any advice but this sounds really complicated and like a lot of work.

[Scott R Nelson]

I don't have any advice but this sounds really complicated and like a lot of work.

And that's why I was hoping somebody here could suggest something simpler.

[Katy Lied]

I don't have any advice but this sounds really complicated and like a lot of work.

Totally agree. Pick one and roll with it. Not to be discouraging, but the only candidates that dont seem like a huge effort is the swedish smorgasborg minus the herring, rye bread, and anything involving fish, and South American tamales with TexMex side dishes. If you pick one of these, have craft tables of swedish craft kits for adults and children, and decorate Swedish or south american Christmas ornaments. Don't play Swedish games- everyone always peace-outs on games and then you end up with one old guy trying to corral some primary kids to play some games that he remembers as a precious memory.

For your program, have the Johanssons do a powerpoint of a Swedish Christmas with both personal pictures and googled photos. Do not attempt to teach everyone a Swedish Christmas carol, even if the melody is familiar. Not fun. Have Santa if your ward is inclined to. Separately, have an adult photobooth. This is important: the photobooth should be automated. Dont have a photographer there to take candids or photos of the kids without their parents. I get asked to do this all the time, and I am starting to say no because the new training says not to take pictures of anyone without their consent. If you have a photobooth, those who want pix can partake, and those who dont can refrain.

Apologies to those who had a spiritual journey to Bethlehem last year, but I was completely underwhelmed. Christmas is a repeat of old and familiar. We all enact the roles that have been thrust upon us in our families and in our wards and friend groups. We don't need something entirely different, eating on the floor and stealing sheets from the linen closet to dress in. One or two things can be new and different (did I mention the photobooth?) but stick to the basics- that's what everyone wants.

If you want to get through this with a minimum of effort, do Christmas in Hawaii. Everyone has a plastic lei and a Tommy Bahama. Easy food- mix Hawaiian food with Haole food even those horrid haystacks, easy activities (do a hukilau fishing hole with prizes and surprises), set up photobooth with scenery of Hawaii or a surfboard in the background. For something spiritual, ask one of your couple missionaries who served in the Hawaii temple to present, etc.

[Scott R Nelson]

If you want to get through this with a minimum of effort, do Christmas in Hawaii. Everyone has a plastic lei and a Tommy Bahama. Easy food- mix Hawaiian food with Haole food even those horrid haystacks, easy activities (do a hukilau fishing hole with prizes and surprises), set up photobooth with scenery of Hawaii or a surfboard in the background. For something spiritual, ask one of your couple missionaries who served in the Hawaii temple to present, etc.

This one sounds like a great idea. I'll be in Hawaii a week from today where I can study a bit with the locals. And I like the idea of serving "those horrid haystacks" as part of it. I know we could do kalua pork and teriyaki chicken. I wonder if I can get a deal at Hilo Hattie's on a bunch of shell leis.

Christmas in Hawaii.

[Eddie]

I don't have any advice but this sounds really complicated and like a lot of work.

AMEN!

Before you can decide what to do - you've got to answer the question "what is the purpose of this event?"

If it's to impress everyone with some awesome food from around the world - then I guess you go with your original plans. But it does sound like a lot of work.

In our ward, we've decided that the primary purpose is to get everyone together and let them visit. So we've taken the approach of easy is better and still meets our purposes without being overwhelming for any one person.

Do you get to have a committee/help? Are you responsible to get and cook all of the food, or does your ward buy it already prepared?

For our ward - with the simpler is better approach - we had ham, funeral or baked potatoes, green beans, rolls, a salad. Pretty simple. Church bought all the food supplies and then enlisted the help of a handful of families to either make the funeral potatoes (organizers delivered a recipe and ingredients a couple of days before) or bake potatoes (again, potatoes delivered a couple of days in advance.) Everyone brought their "favorite holiday treat" to share for dessert.

For a program, we've done a couple of different things that have been fun. One year we had the primary re-enact the story from Luke. It was awesome. Got the kids involved. Short, sweet, to the point, and done. One year we had the local HS come with one of their "show choirs" to perform a few songs. Another time we had a guy in the ward organize and activity via kahoot to do a guessing game, or he used another app to let people vote on certain questions (favorite Christmas song, favorite Christmas TV show, favorite Christmas dessert, favorite warm drink...etc.)

We've set up tables with crayons and coloring sheets in a corner for kids to go keep themselves busy while adults chat sometimes.

Personally - if it were up to me, I'd go with simple. You aren't going to impress anyone, but then again, maybe that gets you out of doing it again next year.

[Eddie]

This one sounds like a great idea. I'll be in Hawaii a week from today where I can study a bit with the locals. And I like the idea of serving "those horrid haystacks" as part of it. I know we could do kalua pork and teriyaki chicken. I wonder if I can get a deal at Hilo Hattie's on a bunch of shell leis.

Christmas in Hawaii.

So - when my sister was in a YSA ward, they decided to do a luau like that. Only they wanted to make the whole thing seem more "real", so they gave out fake plane tickets for everyone, and had half of they gym set up like the seating on a plane. They had pilots and stewardesses, were checking tickets and seating people. They pretended to have the plane take off and had planned for a short "in-flight" movie even on a screen.

But to throw a twist in, the plane was hijacked and ended up landing in some remote Central or South American local instead of Hawaii. They ended up having tacos for their meal instead of the luau that had been advertised. Some people thought it was fun/funny. Some people were pissed.

Try that one, Scott. Tell them it's a luau and then have them taken hostage and have the hostage takers request pizza from the FBI hostage negotiation team or something. It can even be ham and pineapple pizza so it still feels Hawaiian. Ha!

[beefytee]

So - when my sister was in a YSA ward, they decided to do a luau like that. Only they wanted to make the whole thing seem more "real", so they gave out fake plane tickets for everyone, and had half of they gym set up like the seating on a plane. They had pilots and stewardesses, were checking tickets and seating people. They pretended to have the plane take off and had planned for a short "in-flight" movie even on a screen.

But to throw a twist in, the plane was hijacked and ended up landing in some remote Central or South American local instead of Hawaii. They ended up having tacos for their meal instead of the luau that had been advertised. Some people thought it was fun/funny. Some people were pissed.

Try that one, Scott. Tell them it's a luau and then have them taken hostage and have the hostage takers request pizza from the FBI hostage negotiation team or something. It can even be ham and pineapple pizza so it still feels Hawaiian. Ha!

They did this with my ward Christmas party growing up, except they hijacked us and took us to the north pole. I don't remember the native food they provided though.

[Scott R Nelson]

Personally - if it were up to me, I'd go with simple. You aren't going to impress anyone, but then again, maybe that gets you out of doing it again next year.

At the beginning, it's all of the wild ideas. As we get closer to reality, simple looks better. I'm still exploring a Hawaiian theme, though.

[Pelado]

Go with a Napoleon Dynamite theme. Quesadillas, Vote For Pedro cakes, 1% milk, and dancing.

[Eddie]

Go with a Napoleon Dynamite theme. Quesadillas, Vote For Pedro cakes, 1% milk, and dancing.

Shoot a cow with a shotgun in the parking lot to begin the party, then grill that sucker up for everyone. Serve with tots.

[Green Monstah]

When I was in fifth grade, I starred in my class play, Christmas at the O.K. Corral it was all very Christmas-y, but instead of trees, we had cacti, Santa had a thick drawl, and everyone wore blue jeans and boots.

I've always thought it would be fun to do a western-themed ward christmas party. Do some cutouts of saguaro cacti, smoke some brisket and beans, and make sure Santa says "y'all" (Wuap: I don't give a shit what you say, it definitely isn't ya'll).

Maybe have some bluegrass style/fiddle Christmas tunes in the background, clear the tables and chairs and have some line/country dancing after.

[Scott R Nelson]

I've always thought it would be fun to do a western-themed ward christmas party.

Another good idea worth considering, thanks.