Ward Christmas Party

I love Christmas time! That is no secret by now. This Christmas season was a little different...Jason was called as Sunday School President and simultaneously put in charge of the Ward Christmas Party...which was only about a month and a half away. If you don’t know this already about us, this is not our cup of tea. To sum up a long story, it was such a stressful and frustrating few weeks as we took on a large part of the responsibilities ourselves. 

Here is a look at the big day:

 Jason gets hit by a jeep the morning of the party...just what we needed

A quick explanation: The theme of the party was "Come Let Us Adore Him". As entertainment between our dinner and program, we set up a nativity back drop where families could dress in nativity costumes and take pictures around the baby Jesus. We also had a room with peaceful Christmas music to the side of the cultural hall that was filled with a display of different nativities (resembling a creche) that people could walk through and enjoy.

Frazzled? Yes!

This beautiful (and life-saving) back drop was created and painted by a lady in our ward, Mary Dersche. She made it the previous year for the party and did such an amazing job!

Here is an idea of how some of the pictures turned out:

A huge "thank you" to Amy Stallings for taking the pictures at the party! She was such a trooper, sticking through the craziness and even staying late to help clean up! I am so grateful to her! Could not have done it without her! Also a "thank you" to Camry for helping me organize the families and emails as they lined up, and also for staying to help clean up.

The Nativity Display room:

We invited ward members to bring and display their nativities.

An enormous "thank you" to my parents who came and helped me set up the Nativity Display room. It was quite a task and I would have been lost without them!

Also, we were so grateful to have George and Nancy offer to tend Charlie (and they also lent us the children's costumes used in the photographs). It would have been impossible to complete what was needed if we had to also care for Charlie. Thank you Grubers!

Another "thank you" goes to Bryan for being willing to do "security" in the Nativity Display room. He guarded that place like a hawk. We wanted to ensure that nothing was going to happen to the beautiful, volunteered nativities. 

Sadly, we didn't get any pictures of the decorated cultural hall itself! Jason did such an amazing job with lights, trees, and tables. I'm sad we didn't think to get a picture.

I’m so glad we were able to pull off a beautiful and enjoyable Ward Christmas Party...but it certainly came at a price: the joy of our Christmas season. It consumed most of our time and energy. I know, it is dramatic, sad, and backwards. To put it simply, we will not be in charge of another one if I have something to say about it. I feel for anyone who is put in that position.

I’m sorry, I’m such a complainer...enough of this murmuring. I'm sure any reward in heaven has been lost by now due to my venting. We were saved by a few heaven-sent angels that helped us pull it all together. We will always be grateful to them!