Ward Christmas Party 2010

I wish I had more pictures and a more thorough report of the ward (congregation) Christmas party.  Unfortunately, that was a very busy day for me and I ended up getting there a few minutes late.  Attendance at this party was just great; so great, in fact, that there were no chairs left by the time we got to the line for dinner, and I ended up eating in the kitchen.  This worked out for me since it gave me a chance to chat with the bishop’s wife.

I did manage to get a few pictures to show what the committee did for this party, and hopefully it’s enough to give you a feel for it.  It was all about Christ and the spirit of service.  The centerpieces for the tables were nativity sets which the committee had asked families to bring from home.  (This was actually our plan for the Relief Society activity and when we learned that it was already happening at the ward party, we had to quickly come up with a Plan B.)   Anyway, here are a couple of shots of how cute that turned out:

Sure enough, the “Giving Tree” was there with tags which listed needs and Christmas wishes to be met or acts of service that could be performed by those who wished to participate.  There was a table with a couple of sisters keeping a log so that the committee could know which tags had been taken and would be able to track it.

People brought all kinds of personal use products which were going to be given to a boys’ home/shelter and our missionaries:

Those of all ages were able to help stuff the products in these cute little drawstring bags that some sisters in the ward had made:

When they were done, it looked like this:

The committee had set up a little “forest” of trees and I saw many families having their pictures made in front of them. 

I asked my baby boy if he would let me take his picture, and he “joyfully” agreed:

In between all of the various activities there was much singing of Christmas carols, and visiting and eating, and children running around with their friends.  The committee did a great job of proving that service during the Christmas season can be fun!