Archive for May, 2010
Best Funny Christmas Party Games & Favourite Festive Songs People Will Play This Xmas
What are the best Christmas party games? This is difficult to answer because, one particular party game seen as fun in the eyes of some folk – may not be seen that way by others. Because of this we find ourselves in a catch 22 situation. So what do you do? Do you invite the people over for Christmas you know will like your selection of party games, or, those you prefer the company of, but won`t like your games. Do you dismiss the idea of having any Christmas party games at all? Not on your Nellie, come on this is the season of goodwill; it is a time for festive fun and cheer. Whatever games you play should make no difference, however if they do, then for the guests that refuse to jolly should be politely asked to leave. This may sound harsh but we cannot have one person or two at a push, spoiling your Christmas day.
Christmas is a time for happy gatherings, and if any kiljoy`s sit round the Christmas dinner table, or in front of an open log fire to play games, then “no happy” gathering it will be. Best Christmas party games you will find are played at office Xmas parties, Children’s Christmas Parties, and at family celebrations, and why? Because they add fun and spread the Christmas spirit! Now let the fun begin with the dreaded word game.
This game has you give each guest on arrival a small token. Now announce to all a Christmas theme word. Tell all they are not to utter this word at all during the Christmas occasion you celebrate. Words like “tree” or “holly” are fine examples. If a guest overhears another guest utter this specific word at any time they take that person`s token. The guest with the most tokens at the specific designated time of ending the game wins a special gift!
Christmas Talent Contest!
If possible for this particular game is to avoid volunteers, as more often than not they can sing and do not embarrass easy. We want fun right, and if at someone else’s expense then so be it (in a nice way). It’s more fun to hear voices like that of a wailing banshee, or watching the footwork of those who believe they have feet like Micheal Flatly. Let everyone showcase their talent by singing or dancing. Contest winner tags should “Best Singer” “Best Dancer” “Worst vocalist” “Most Unique” “Most Funny” This game guarantees the air to fill with laughter.
Remember Christmas celebrations should cater for all age groups so organize for the young and old. Best Christmas party games are the ones people can join in with.
Pass the Bows another popular Christmas game
Have your guest’s team up for this game. This game includes all participants of each side to hold hands while passing bows along a line. Hands must not unlock at any time while passing bows.
Divide the group into teams of 6 to 10 people and have the team’s line up side by side, either sitting or standing next to each other. At one end of the line place a number of Christmas bows while at the other a bowl/bucket for bows to be placed. Now prompt each player to hold the right wrist of the person to their right. You can use a Christmas cracker bang to start the game – both teams must now pass bows down to one end and place them in the bucket or bowl.
Note: If a bow is dropped, it can only be retrieved while still joined to the wrist of a team member, and if the chain breaks all the bows currently being passed must move back to the beginning of the line. (Either the front – initial starting point or the bucket / bowl – the half way point.) Not to worry if you have no bows, I am sure you can find other as a substitute
Christmas Memory Game
Gather together 10 to 20 small Christmas items and place on a tray. Examples: bows, Christmas stocking, bells, Christmas tinsel, Christmas lights, gift labels, candles, Christmas video, nutcracker, etc…
Set the tray down and allow players to study it. Then hide tray contents by covering with a cloth. Now give the players paper and a pencil and have them write down as many of the items as they can remember. The one with the most correct items written down wins. Why not fill the tray with treats, like cookies, cake, tubbed jellies or assorted types of candy. The winner of the game gets to take home the treats. This fun game becomes more serious for the participants purely because of this. Well wouldn`t you want to take home a bag of yummies.
Kick start the festive spirit by providing everyone with a Christmas hat. Not only will this add “moving color” to the room, it will have everyone excite themselves even more. Listen to the laughter as each person puts on their hat. Paper hats are inexpensive. Kill two birds with one stone and buy Christmas crackers which contain hats. If there are any lively games to be played make sure the charismas tree or lighted candles or any type of breakables are moved out of the way. There are games you can play before sitting down to feast, however normally folk are famished and just want to get stuck into the turkey, so consider playing the best Christmas games after everyone has eaten and had time to digest their food.
Nevertheless if you want to keep your guests occupied till dinner is served, play the “guess me” game. This will include long heavy socks. Place varied Christmas items in the socks. You might stuff the socks with a small ornament, roll of tape, a fir cone etc. Have each person feel the contents of the sock and write down their guesses. The winner gets, you guessed it, one of the socks! This is why this game is best played with two socks so they get a pair for the prize.
Remember that music is the most ideal aside from playing the best Christmas games to get everyone in the mood.
Keep music lively; avoid slow and somber sounds as this can dampen a person’s spirits, who at this particular time may have something to feel saddened over. Your quest is to help this person, “not to forget,” but to enjoy.
Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ has been voted the most loved Christmas song by the British public.
Other merry Christmas songs:
Mariah Carey – All I want for Christmas is you
Wham – Last Christmas
Wizzard – I wish it could be Christmas everyday
Let us not forget why we celebrate Christmas day December the 25th. While we give gifts and pleasure in our kids delight and cook dinner we often overlook “the reason for the season”, the birth of God’s son, Jesus Christ.
A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson that brings the lord back in sight and thought.
Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen
Creative Christmas Activities For Awesome Family Fun
At the center of the Christmas season is spending time with family. Making lasting memories with your family is at the top of every to-do list during the holiday season. There are many festive activities to bring into your family life so Christmas is more memorable and fun for everyone. Traditional activities and out of the box ideas make the holidays super-special.
Christmas Memories and Traditions
Take a few minutes to remember your own childhood and how you spent the Christmas season at home. Do certain memories stand out as special in your mind? These are probably the Christmas traditions your own parents created for the family. Now it’s time to create memorable Christmas traditions in your own home. Make gingerbread houses together. Decorate holiday cookies. Are you short on time but still recall the delicious smell in your mom’s kitchen at Christmas time? Simmer potpourri to create a warm aroma in your home even if you don’t have time to bake very often.
Christmas Fun In The Kitchen
Maybe baking just isn’t your thing. There are still plenty of fun Christmas activities to do in the kitchen. You can make all kinds of gift items in the kitchen without baking. Make chocolate covered pretzel sticks and chocolates. Pair the chocolate treats with homemade hot cocoa mix to give as Christmas gifts.
Christmas Music
Include music in your family holiday traditions. Have fun with your family singing Christmas carols and making your own CD for the holidays. Use the recording of your family singing carols as holiday music every year while you decorate and enjoy Christmas festivities. Get really crafty and dress up the CD cases to look attractive so you can give them as gifts.
Cutting Down The Christmas Tree
A timeless tradition for many families is cutting down the Christmas tree. This activity adds a lot to the Christmas season at home. You can find Christmas tree farms just about everywhere. Ask a local grower’s group for tree farm locations near you. The family shows up at the farm where mom or dad grab a saw to cut down the family Christmas tree. Everyone hunts for the perfect tree so mom or dad can cut it down and bring it home. Some farms are large and some are small. You may only need to walk a short distance to find the perfect tree or you may wind up hiking up and down hills before the right tree turns up.
More Than A Christmas Tree
Add dimension and fun to the Christmas tree cutting activity. Include additional family traditions in the day, such as lunch at a special place every year. You can also get Christmas candy to eat in the car on the way home with your tree. Another tradition can be shopping together for new ornaments after you bring the tree home and put it in a bucket of water.
Community Christmas Fun
Traditions are also created when you participate in annual community events. Does your town decorate a Christmas tree every year? Does your neighborhood have a block where all the homes are decorated with hundreds of holiday lights? Drive or walk to local Christmas festivities and make them part of your family traditions every year. Try to walk if the weather permits so you have more time to observe the detailed holiday decorations together.
Christmas Cocoa
For kids and adults alike, hot cocoa is an essential part of the holiday season. Start a family tradition of making hot cocoa mix at the beginning of the season. The children can each have a small cup of cocoa every night before bed during the month of December. As Christmas Day gets closer, add special goodies to the hot cocoa such as whipped cream and mini-marshmallows. Leave a cup of homemade hot cocoa for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.
Christmas In Every Room
As your children get older, they enjoy decorating their rooms for Christmas. Add holiday cheer to every room when you encourage your children to decorate their own space. Let them do all the decorating themselves then take photos of them in their finished rooms. Look at the photos every year to see how the Christmas decorations in their rooms have progressed.
Best Funny Christmas Party Games & Favourite Festive Songs People Will Play This Xmas
What are the best Christmas party games? This is difficult to answer because, one particular party game seen as fun in the eyes of some folk – may not be seen that way by others. Because of this we find ourselves in a catch 22 situation. So what do you do? Do you invite the people over for Christmas you know will like your selection of party games, or, those you prefer the company of, but won`t like your games. Do you dismiss the idea of having any Christmas party games at all? Not on your Nellie, come on this is the season of goodwill; it is a time for festive fun and cheer. Whatever games you play should make no difference, however if they do, then for the guests that refuse to jolly should be politely asked to leave. This may sound harsh but we cannot have one person or two at a push, spoiling your Christmas day.
Christmas is a time for happy gatherings, and if any kiljoy`s sit round the Christmas dinner table, or in front of an open log fire to play games, then “no happy” gathering it will be. Best Christmas party games you will find are played at office Xmas parties, Children’s Christmas Parties, and at family celebrations, and why? Because they add fun and spread the Christmas spirit! Now let the fun begin with the dreaded word game.
This game has you give each guest on arrival a small token. Now announce to all a Christmas theme word. Tell all they are not to utter this word at all during the Christmas occasion you celebrate. Words like “tree” or “holly” are fine examples. If a guest overhears another guest utter this specific word at any time they take that person`s token. The guest with the most tokens at the specific designated time of ending the game wins a special gift!
Christmas Talent Contest!
If possible for this particular game is to avoid volunteers, as more often than not they can sing and do not embarrass easy. We want fun right, and if at someone else’s expense then so be it (in a nice way). It’s more fun to hear voices like that of a wailing banshee, or watching the footwork of those who believe they have feet like Micheal Flatly. Let everyone showcase their talent by singing or dancing. Contest winner tags should “Best Singer” “Best Dancer” “Worst vocalist” “Most Unique” “Most Funny” This game guarantees the air to fill with laughter.
Remember Christmas celebrations should cater for all age groups so organize for the young and old. Best Christmas party games are the ones people can join in with.
Pass the Bows another popular Christmas game
Have your guest’s team up for this game. This game includes all participants of each side to hold hands while passing bows along a line. Hands must not unlock at any time while passing bows.
Divide the group into teams of 6 to 10 people and have the team’s line up side by side, either sitting or standing next to each other. At one end of the line place a number of Christmas bows while at the other a bowl/bucket for bows to be placed. Now prompt each player to hold the right wrist of the person to their right. You can use a Christmas cracker bang to start the game – both teams must now pass bows down to one end and place them in the bucket or bowl.
Note: If a bow is dropped, it can only be retrieved while still joined to the wrist of a team member, and if the chain breaks all the bows currently being passed must move back to the beginning of the line. (Either the front – initial starting point or the bucket / bowl – the half way point.) Not to worry if you have no bows, I am sure you can find other as a substitute
Christmas Memory Game
Gather together 10 to 20 small Christmas items and place on a tray. Examples: bows, Christmas stocking, bells, Christmas tinsel, Christmas lights, gift labels, candles, Christmas video, nutcracker, etc…
Set the tray down and allow players to study it. Then hide tray contents by covering with a cloth. Now give the players paper and a pencil and have them write down as many of the items as they can remember. The one with the most correct items written down wins. Why not fill the tray with treats, like cookies, cake, tubbed jellies or assorted types of candy. The winner of the game gets to take home the treats. This fun game becomes more serious for the participants purely because of this. Well wouldn`t you want to take home a bag of yummies.
Kick start the festive spirit by providing everyone with a Christmas hat. Not only will this add “moving color” to the room, it will have everyone excite themselves even more. Listen to the laughter as each person puts on their hat. Paper hats are inexpensive. Kill two birds with one stone and buy Christmas crackers which contain hats. If there are any lively games to be played make sure the charismas tree or lighted candles or any type of breakables are moved out of the way. There are games you can play before sitting down to feast, however normally folk are famished and just want to get stuck into the turkey, so consider playing the best Christmas games after everyone has eaten and had time to digest their food.
Nevertheless if you want to keep your guests occupied till dinner is served, play the “guess me” game. This will include long heavy socks. Place varied Christmas items in the socks. You might stuff the socks with a small ornament, roll of tape, a fir cone etc. Have each person feel the contents of the sock and write down their guesses. The winner gets, you guessed it, one of the socks! This is why this game is best played with two socks so they get a pair for the prize.
Remember that music is the most ideal aside from playing the best Christmas games to get everyone in the mood.
Keep music lively; avoid slow and somber sounds as this can dampen a person’s spirits, who at this particular time may have something to feel saddened over. Your quest is to help this person, “not to forget,” but to enjoy.
Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ has been voted the most loved Christmas song by the British public.
Other merry Christmas songs:
Mariah Carey – All I want for Christmas is you
Wham – Last Christmas
Wizzard – I wish it could be Christmas everyday
Let us not forget why we celebrate Christmas day December the 25th. While we give gifts and pleasure in our kids delight and cook dinner we often overlook “the reason for the season”, the birth of God’s son, Jesus Christ.
A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson that brings the lord back in sight and thought.
Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen
Best Funny Christmas Party Games & Favourite Festive Songs People Will Play This Xmas
What are the best Christmas party games? This is difficult to answer because, one particular party game seen as fun in the eyes of some folk – may not be seen that way by others. Because of this we find ourselves in a catch 22 situation. So what do you do? Do you invite the people over for Christmas you know will like your selection of party games, or, those you prefer the company of, but won`t like your games. Do you dismiss the idea of having any Christmas party games at all? Not on your Nellie, come on this is the season of goodwill; it is a time for festive fun and cheer. Whatever games you play should make no difference, however if they do, then for the guests that refuse to jolly should be politely asked to leave. This may sound harsh but we cannot have one person or two at a push, spoiling your Christmas day.
Christmas is a time for happy gatherings, and if any kiljoy`s sit round the Christmas dinner table, or in front of an open log fire to play games, then “no happy” gathering it will be. Best Christmas party games you will find are played at office Xmas parties, Children’s Christmas Parties, and at family celebrations, and why? Because they add fun and spread the Christmas spirit! Now let the fun begin with the dreaded word game.
This game has you give each guest on arrival a small token. Now announce to all a Christmas theme word. Tell all they are not to utter this word at all during the Christmas occasion you celebrate. Words like “tree” or “holly” are fine examples. If a guest overhears another guest utter this specific word at any time they take that person`s token. The guest with the most tokens at the specific designated time of ending the game wins a special gift!
Christmas Talent Contest!
If possible for this particular game is to avoid volunteers, as more often than not they can sing and do not embarrass easy. We want fun right, and if at someone else’s expense then so be it (in a nice way). It’s more fun to hear voices like that of a wailing banshee, or watching the footwork of those who believe they have feet like Micheal Flatly. Let everyone showcase their talent by singing or dancing. Contest winner tags should “Best Singer” “Best Dancer” “Worst vocalist” “Most Unique” “Most Funny” This game guarantees the air to fill with laughter.
Remember Christmas celebrations should cater for all age groups so organize for the young and old. Best Christmas party games are the ones people can join in with.
Pass the Bows another popular Christmas game
Have your guest’s team up for this game. This game includes all participants of each side to hold hands while passing bows along a line. Hands must not unlock at any time while passing bows.
Divide the group into teams of 6 to 10 people and have the team’s line up side by side, either sitting or standing next to each other. At one end of the line place a number of Christmas bows while at the other a bowl/bucket for bows to be placed. Now prompt each player to hold the right wrist of the person to their right. You can use a Christmas cracker bang to start the game – both teams must now pass bows down to one end and place them in the bucket or bowl.
Note: If a bow is dropped, it can only be retrieved while still joined to the wrist of a team member, and if the chain breaks all the bows currently being passed must move back to the beginning of the line. (Either the front – initial starting point or the bucket / bowl – the half way point.) Not to worry if you have no bows, I am sure you can find other as a substitute
Christmas Memory Game
Gather together 10 to 20 small Christmas items and place on a tray. Examples: bows, Christmas stocking, bells, Christmas tinsel, Christmas lights, gift labels, candles, Christmas video, nutcracker, etc…
Set the tray down and allow players to study it. Then hide tray contents by covering with a cloth. Now give the players paper and a pencil and have them write down as many of the items as they can remember. The one with the most correct items written down wins. Why not fill the tray with treats, like cookies, cake, tubbed jellies or assorted types of candy. The winner of the game gets to take home the treats. This fun game becomes more serious for the participants purely because of this. Well wouldn`t you want to take home a bag of yummies.
Kick start the festive spirit by providing everyone with a Christmas hat. Not only will this add “moving color” to the room, it will have everyone excite themselves even more. Listen to the laughter as each person puts on their hat. Paper hats are inexpensive. Kill two birds with one stone and buy Christmas crackers which contain hats. If there are any lively games to be played make sure the charismas tree or lighted candles or any type of breakables are moved out of the way. There are games you can play before sitting down to feast, however normally folk are famished and just want to get stuck into the turkey, so consider playing the best Christmas games after everyone has eaten and had time to digest their food.
Nevertheless if you want to keep your guests occupied till dinner is served, play the “guess me” game. This will include long heavy socks. Place varied Christmas items in the socks. You might stuff the socks with a small ornament, roll of tape, a fir cone etc. Have each person feel the contents of the sock and write down their guesses. The winner gets, you guessed it, one of the socks! This is why this game is best played with two socks so they get a pair for the prize.
Remember that music is the most ideal aside from playing the best Christmas games to get everyone in the mood.
Keep music lively; avoid slow and somber sounds as this can dampen a person’s spirits, who at this particular time may have something to feel saddened over. Your quest is to help this person, “not to forget,” but to enjoy.
Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ has been voted the most loved Christmas song by the British public.
Other merry Christmas songs:
Mariah Carey – All I want for Christmas is you
Wham – Last Christmas
Wizzard – I wish it could be Christmas everyday
Let us not forget why we celebrate Christmas day December the 25th. While we give gifts and pleasure in our kids delight and cook dinner we often overlook “the reason for the season”, the birth of God’s son, Jesus Christ.
A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson that brings the lord back in sight and thought.
Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen
Best Funny Christmas Party Games & Favourite Festive Songs People Will Play This Xmas
What are the best Christmas party games? This is difficult to answer because, one particular party game seen as fun in the eyes of some folk – may not be seen that way by others. Because of this we find ourselves in a catch 22 situation. So what do you do? Do you invite the people over for Christmas you know will like your selection of party games, or, those you prefer the company of, but won`t like your games. Do you dismiss the idea of having any Christmas party games at all? Not on your Nellie, come on this is the season of goodwill; it is a time for festive fun and cheer. Whatever games you play should make no difference, however if they do, then for the guests that refuse to jolly should be politely asked to leave. This may sound harsh but we cannot have one person or two at a push, spoiling your Christmas day.
Christmas is a time for happy gatherings, and if any kiljoy`s sit round the Christmas dinner table, or in front of an open log fire to play games, then “no happy” gathering it will be. Best Christmas party games you will find are played at office Xmas parties, Children’s Christmas Parties, and at family celebrations, and why? Because they add fun and spread the Christmas spirit! Now let the fun begin with the dreaded word game.
This game has you give each guest on arrival a small token. Now announce to all a Christmas theme word. Tell all they are not to utter this word at all during the Christmas occasion you celebrate. Words like “tree” or “holly” are fine examples. If a guest overhears another guest utter this specific word at any time they take that person`s token. The guest with the most tokens at the specific designated time of ending the game wins a special gift!
Christmas Talent Contest!
If possible for this particular game is to avoid volunteers, as more often than not they can sing and do not embarrass easy. We want fun right, and if at someone else’s expense then so be it (in a nice way). It’s more fun to hear voices like that of a wailing banshee, or watching the footwork of those who believe they have feet like Micheal Flatly. Let everyone showcase their talent by singing or dancing. Contest winner tags should “Best Singer” “Best Dancer” “Worst vocalist” “Most Unique” “Most Funny” This game guarantees the air to fill with laughter.
Remember Christmas celebrations should cater for all age groups so organize for the young and old. Best Christmas party games are the ones people can join in with.
Pass the Bows another popular Christmas game
Have your guest’s team up for this game. This game includes all participants of each side to hold hands while passing bows along a line. Hands must not unlock at any time while passing bows.
Divide the group into teams of 6 to 10 people and have the team’s line up side by side, either sitting or standing next to each other. At one end of the line place a number of Christmas bows while at the other a bowl/bucket for bows to be placed. Now prompt each player to hold the right wrist of the person to their right. You can use a Christmas cracker bang to start the game – both teams must now pass bows down to one end and place them in the bucket or bowl.
Note: If a bow is dropped, it can only be retrieved while still joined to the wrist of a team member, and if the chain breaks all the bows currently being passed must move back to the beginning of the line. (Either the front – initial starting point or the bucket / bowl – the half way point.) Not to worry if you have no bows, I am sure you can find other as a substitute
Christmas Memory Game
Gather together 10 to 20 small Christmas items and place on a tray. Examples: bows, Christmas stocking, bells, Christmas tinsel, Christmas lights, gift labels, candles, Christmas video, nutcracker, etc…
Set the tray down and allow players to study it. Then hide tray contents by covering with a cloth. Now give the players paper and a pencil and have them write down as many of the items as they can remember. The one with the most correct items written down wins. Why not fill the tray with treats, like cookies, cake, tubbed jellies or assorted types of candy. The winner of the game gets to take home the treats. This fun game becomes more serious for the participants purely because of this. Well wouldn`t you want to take home a bag of yummies.
Kick start the festive spirit by providing everyone with a Christmas hat. Not only will this add “moving color” to the room, it will have everyone excite themselves even more. Listen to the laughter as each person puts on their hat. Paper hats are inexpensive. Kill two birds with one stone and buy Christmas crackers which contain hats. If there are any lively games to be played make sure the charismas tree or lighted candles or any type of breakables are moved out of the way. There are games you can play before sitting down to feast, however normally folk are famished and just want to get stuck into the turkey, so consider playing the best Christmas games after everyone has eaten and had time to digest their food.
Nevertheless if you want to keep your guests occupied till dinner is served, play the “guess me” game. This will include long heavy socks. Place varied Christmas items in the socks. You might stuff the socks with a small ornament, roll of tape, a fir cone etc. Have each person feel the contents of the sock and write down their guesses. The winner gets, you guessed it, one of the socks! This is why this game is best played with two socks so they get a pair for the prize.
Remember that music is the most ideal aside from playing the best Christmas games to get everyone in the mood.
Keep music lively; avoid slow and somber sounds as this can dampen a person’s spirits, who at this particular time may have something to feel saddened over. Your quest is to help this person, “not to forget,” but to enjoy.
Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ has been voted the most loved Christmas song by the British public.
Other merry Christmas songs:
Mariah Carey – All I want for Christmas is you
Wham – Last Christmas
Wizzard – I wish it could be Christmas everyday
Let us not forget why we celebrate Christmas day December the 25th. While we give gifts and pleasure in our kids delight and cook dinner we often overlook “the reason for the season”, the birth of God’s son, Jesus Christ.
A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson that brings the lord back in sight and thought.
Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen
Best Funny Christmas Party Games & Favourite Festive Songs People Will Play This Xmas
What are the best Christmas party games? This is difficult to answer because, one particular party game seen as fun in the eyes of some folk – may not be seen that way by others. Because of this we find ourselves in a catch 22 situation. So what do you do? Do you invite the people over for Christmas you know will like your selection of party games, or, those you prefer the company of, but won`t like your games. Do you dismiss the idea of having any Christmas party games at all? Not on your Nellie, come on this is the season of goodwill; it is a time for festive fun and cheer. Whatever games you play should make no difference, however if they do, then for the guests that refuse to jolly should be politely asked to leave. This may sound harsh but we cannot have one person or two at a push, spoiling your Christmas day.
Christmas is a time for happy gatherings, and if any kiljoy`s sit round the Christmas dinner table, or in front of an open log fire to play games, then “no happy” gathering it will be. Best Christmas party games you will find are played at office Xmas parties, Children’s Christmas Parties, and at family celebrations, and why? Because they add fun and spread the Christmas spirit! Now let the fun begin with the dreaded word game.
This game has you give each guest on arrival a small token. Now announce to all a Christmas theme word. Tell all they are not to utter this word at all during the Christmas occasion you celebrate. Words like “tree” or “holly” are fine examples. If a guest overhears another guest utter this specific word at any time they take that person`s token. The guest with the most tokens at the specific designated time of ending the game wins a special gift!
Christmas Talent Contest!
If possible for this particular game is to avoid volunteers, as more often than not they can sing and do not embarrass easy. We want fun right, and if at someone else’s expense then so be it (in a nice way). It’s more fun to hear voices like that of a wailing banshee, or watching the footwork of those who believe they have feet like Micheal Flatly. Let everyone showcase their talent by singing or dancing. Contest winner tags should “Best Singer” “Best Dancer” “Worst vocalist” “Most Unique” “Most Funny” This game guarantees the air to fill with laughter.
Remember Christmas celebrations should cater for all age groups so organize for the young and old. Best Christmas party games are the ones people can join in with.
Pass the Bows another popular Christmas game
Have your guest’s team up for this game. This game includes all participants of each side to hold hands while passing bows along a line. Hands must not unlock at any time while passing bows.
Divide the group into teams of 6 to 10 people and have the team’s line up side by side, either sitting or standing next to each other. At one end of the line place a number of Christmas bows while at the other a bowl/bucket for bows to be placed. Now prompt each player to hold the right wrist of the person to their right. You can use a Christmas cracker bang to start the game – both teams must now pass bows down to one end and place them in the bucket or bowl.
Note: If a bow is dropped, it can only be retrieved while still joined to the wrist of a team member, and if the chain breaks all the bows currently being passed must move back to the beginning of the line. (Either the front – initial starting point or the bucket / bowl – the half way point.) Not to worry if you have no bows, I am sure you can find other as a substitute
Christmas Memory Game
Gather together 10 to 20 small Christmas items and place on a tray. Examples: bows, Christmas stocking, bells, Christmas tinsel, Christmas lights, gift labels, candles, Christmas video, nutcracker, etc…
Set the tray down and allow players to study it. Then hide tray contents by covering with a cloth. Now give the players paper and a pencil and have them write down as many of the items as they can remember. The one with the most correct items written down wins. Why not fill the tray with treats, like cookies, cake, tubbed jellies or assorted types of candy. The winner of the game gets to take home the treats. This fun game becomes more serious for the participants purely because of this. Well wouldn`t you want to take home a bag of yummies.
Kick start the festive spirit by providing everyone with a Christmas hat. Not only will this add “moving color” to the room, it will have everyone excite themselves even more. Listen to the laughter as each person puts on their hat. Paper hats are inexpensive. Kill two birds with one stone and buy Christmas crackers which contain hats. If there are any lively games to be played make sure the charismas tree or lighted candles or any type of breakables are moved out of the way. There are games you can play before sitting down to feast, however normally folk are famished and just want to get stuck into the turkey, so consider playing the best Christmas games after everyone has eaten and had time to digest their food.
Nevertheless if you want to keep your guests occupied till dinner is served, play the “guess me” game. This will include long heavy socks. Place varied Christmas items in the socks. You might stuff the socks with a small ornament, roll of tape, a fir cone etc. Have each person feel the contents of the sock and write down their guesses. The winner gets, you guessed it, one of the socks! This is why this game is best played with two socks so they get a pair for the prize.
Remember that music is the most ideal aside from playing the best Christmas games to get everyone in the mood.
Keep music lively; avoid slow and somber sounds as this can dampen a person’s spirits, who at this particular time may have something to feel saddened over. Your quest is to help this person, “not to forget,” but to enjoy.
Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ has been voted the most loved Christmas song by the British public.
Other merry Christmas songs:
Mariah Carey – All I want for Christmas is you
Wham – Last Christmas
Wizzard – I wish it could be Christmas everyday
Let us not forget why we celebrate Christmas day December the 25th. While we give gifts and pleasure in our kids delight and cook dinner we often overlook “the reason for the season”, the birth of God’s son, Jesus Christ.
A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson that brings the lord back in sight and thought.
Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen
Where Did it All Start and Why Do We Do Christmas Gifts?
Christmas is, for many people, their favourite time of the year. Taking away the fact it is a time of rampant Christmas gift giving and stress, it is also the time of year when families most often come together and see each other. For others, it is the joyous occasion of celebrating Christ’s birth, and as Christmas has been overtaken by the commercial side of the season, this religious basis for the celebration is often overlooked. However, many people wonder about the origins of Christmas, and especially how the tradition of Christmas gift giving came about in particular!
The celebration of Christmas has its roots in ancient winter festivals. At this time, Christianity was trying to get people to convert and realised that people would be more likely to if they did not have to lose their beloved winter festivals.
The winter solstice was also celebrated, and the Sol Invictus festival lays claim to cementing the 25th of December as Christmas Day, as there is no definitive birth-date of Jesus in the Bible. Pagan Scandinavia used to celebrate a festival called Yule, where there would be carousing until the Yule log burned out, which usually took twelve days. Pagan Germania’s equivalent was the mid-winter night, which also used to last around twelve days.
In the Middle Ages, Christmas consisted of bouts of drinking, feasting and caroling. Puritans at the time disliked this carousing, that was ostensibly in Christ’s name, and self-styled Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell cancelled Christmas in 1645 due to these reasons. In England, Christmas gifts were traditionally exchanged on New Year’s Day in this period.
Pretty soon Christmas was a widespread feast, although after the US revolution it was considered a very British thing to do and as such fell out of favour in America. This soon changed however into the 1800s with Washington Irving’s short stories reviving American interest in Christmas. Back in England, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol worked to popularize and reframe Christmas as a time of family togetherness. By the late 19th century, Christmas had assumed the traditional form it has today, and in 1870 President Ulysses Grant officially declared Christmas a federal holiday in America. In Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand however, the 26th of December, as Boxing Day, also became a holiday. This day became a rest day for servants and other house staff that may have had to work on Christmas Day.
The most iconic association with Christmas is of course Santa Claus, also variously known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas and Pere Noel. His image was created by cartoonist Thomas Nast in 1863, and was standardised by advertising in the 1920s. The myth of Santa Claus possibly comes from stories of Saint Nicholas, though in Britain the image was popularly thought from the 15th century to symbolise drunkenness and merriment. Santa is now thought of as the man who brings Gifts at Christmas, though in South America the legend goes that he makes toys for the baby Jesus to deliver.
The notion of Christmas gift giving is one of the main questions here and it has a very straightforward answer. The giving of Christmas gifts has its roots in the magi, or wise men, bringing gifts to Jesus. In fact, some Eastern Orthodox Churches and European countries still celebrate the traditional date of the Magi’s arrival, January 6th, with something like a Christmas gift exchange. In history, the Romans traded gifts as part of their Saturnalia festival, and in the 13th century French nuns gave presents to the poor on St Nicholas’ Eve. However, Christmas gift giving as we know it today did not really come about until the late 18th century. In short, the giving of Christmas gifts was meant to remind people of the magi’s gifts to the baby Jesus, and by extension God’s gift of Christ to humankind. As we all know, nowadays the more social aspect of Christmas gift giving has taken over, as a means of showing affection to family and friends for instance, but the roots of the gift giving should always be remembered as a Christian religious tradition.
The commercial aspect of Christmas is now a gigantic economic operation, as Christmas gift giving is a major tradition. Many shops advertise longer hours to ensure those searching for last minute Christmas gifts are not disappointed. With the advent of the internet, the shopping aspect of Christmas gift giving has been further simplified, with the ease of selection and stress-free browsing major attractions. The greater choice of Christmas gifts online also makes this method of shopping more attractive. Another advantage is that personalised gifts are more widely available on the net than on the high street, and more creative presents such as spa weekends and flying experience are more easily booked online.
In short then, it is fair to say that Christmas gift giving has come a long way from its roots in the Epiphany to what it is today.
Christmas Traditions & Activities – 20 Fun & Meaningful Ideas For Any Family
Christmas is not about the presents under the tree, the decorations and the lights, the concerts or the fancy meals. It’s not about shopping, snow, caroling, or Santa Clause. True Christmas is found in the first syllable of the very word itself, who is all too often forgotten. Christmas is about Christ! And while all of the festivities, traditions, and activities that accompany this holiday are certainly appropriate and extremely fun, we must ensure that we never forget the significance of why we celebrate in the first place. And perhaps true Christmas is discovered, enjoyed, and made evident only when our actions reflect the actions and character of Him whose birth we commemorate. He loved His lambs, He fed His lambs, and He continues to feed His lambs; our great opportunity is to allow Him to feed His lambs through the service and giving of you and me.
Below is listed not only giving and service opportunities that help us participate in the true meaning of Christmas, but also fun Christmas activities and traditions that can be enjoyed by families and people everywhere:
1) Purpose of the Holiday: First and most importantly, ensure that in the midst of all the fun festivities, parties, gift exchanges, traditions, delicious meals and chocolate, and especially the anticipation of Santa Clause – that you make time to remember Him, and the real Reason why we celebrate this season!
2) ‘Adopt a Family’: Find a local family that may be struggling or has very little, and anonymously give them Christmas. For 12 days, drop off food one night, clothes the next, books, toys, kind notes, treats, etc. (or just drop it all off at once).
3) ‘Draw Names’: On Dec. 1st, each child will draw the name of another sibling or parent – and that is who they have to get a present for Christmas that year. One year, have it be a funny gift; the next year have it be a ‘no-cost’ present where everyone can not spend money; another year each person has to actually make/create their gift; or just buy the gift for the individual; etc.
4) Yearly Ornaments: Each year, every child will get to make/create a new ornament to hang on the tree.
5) Hang Mistletoe: Enough said right!
6) Family Sleepover: On Christmas Eve, the whole family will campout together in the same room. Obviously this can’t be in the room with the tree, but upstairs/downstairs or in a bedroom – all the kids (and Dad/Mom) will sleep out together.
7) Yearly Christmas Tree Outing: All the men and boys each year will go out on Dec. 1st and find the Christmas tree. While gone, the women will make a warm meal for everyone to eat when the guys get home. That evening, everyone will decorate the tree, listen to Christmas music, make the house festive for the season, and just play games and spend the evening together.
Nightly Christmas Stories: For each night in December, read a Christmas story or book, a holiday poem, the symbols of Christmas, or the words to a Christmas carol.
9) Christmas Eve Present: Allow each child to open one present on Christmas Eve.
10) Nativity Sets & Ginger-Bread Houses: Each year as a family, make a new Nativity set (or have each child make their own). Use paper, play dough, cardboard, cardstock, etc. Also, set aside one night to make Ginger Bread Houses together.
11) Secret Santa Care Packages: Identify a child who is sick at the hospital, some children from the orphanage, various people at the homeless shelter, family in need, or even a child in a developing country (work with your local non-profit) – and each member in the family (even the kids) will donate money, items, and time in putting together these care packages for people in need. Deliver it anonymously, or in person so children can feel and see the joy of giving.
12) Christmas Lights Drive: As a family, hop in the car and make it a yearly tradition to just drive around neighborhoods and downtown looking at Christmas lights. Take candy, of course!
13) Read the Christmas Story: Perhaps make Christmas Eve the night to talk about the ‘true’ meaning of and significance of Christmas. Read the account of Christ’s birth from the Bible, talk about it, or perhaps even for fun – have the kids act it out. Then, the 25th can be the day of fun and presents.
14) Mini Tree: With little kids, allow each of them to have their own little Christmas tree that they can decorate however they want – and they can keep it in their rooms.
15) Giving Tree: Set up a tree at the local schools, Churches, and community centers. Have paper ornaments on each tree with a random items that people will donate. Items could be: food, clothes, toys, books, money, toiletries, etc. Then, have a large box where people can come back and drop off their donated items. Then, give these items to local families/individuals in need. Give them to the local Salvation Army, Orphanage, Homeless Shelter, or Non-Profit.
16) Dec 1st Kickoff: Make the first day in December the official day the family starts Christmas celebrations and decorations. Make some hot cocoa, popcorn, turn on the Christmas music, and get the family together. Decorate the house, put up the tree, and just spend the night playing games and having fun together.
17) Gift to Christ: Each year as a family, and especially personally, determine something you will do as an expression of gratitude for what Christ did for you. Break a habit, develop a talent, mend a relationship, or become a better person/family in some way.
18) Christmas Giving: As a family, do one or many of the following each year: visit a nursing home or homeless shelter and take small gifts for people, make a meal or treat for a new neighbor or someone in need, invite a widowed woman or someone who is alone to share a meal, shovel snow for Elderly neighbors, etc.
19) Christmas Culture Night: Learn about how other cultures, countries, and religions celebrate Christmas.
20) Yearly Christmas Fun: Yet, in the midst of it all – have FUN! Every year, make it a tradition to do one or many of the following fun activities: go sledding, make snowmen, go to the beach, go skiing, ice skating, a performance, to a cabin, have a Christmas movie and popcorn night, have an extended family or neighborhood Christmas party gift exchange, etc. Perhaps one night you can specifically set aside as ‘Christmas Family Night’ and just be together. Get Pizza, rent a movie, play games, have a campout in the family room, etc.
Perhaps it was the great Dr. Seuss who summed it up best when he so perfectly penned: “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” Thus, Christmas and giving is not determined by price, but in how we give and act – the season’s about Christ!
Christmas – Time Of Joy
Christmas: Tradition Of Love And Sharing
Are you ready for the Christmas holidays, with love, when relations, gifting and sharing are the feelings and joy of the season? Christmas is the time for joy, love and relations.
God bless you and give you the best Christmas ever. Let love, health, prosperity and abundance come to you in an ever increasing flow of blessings for you and those you love and care for.
Make this the best Holiday season ever. The Christmas miracle season, brings the movement of money which creates wealth, hope, love and friendship for everybody. Chocolate, flowers, books, toys, all the way up to diamonds, luxury cars, the cruise of your life, are welcome during this holiday season and ever.
From the gospel of Luke we can experience the wonder of the original Christmas story. Amongst the shepherds living out in the fields an Angel of the Lord appeared to them and the Glory of the Lord shone around them, to bring the world great news of joy for all the people.
The Angel announced the birth of a savior in the town of David. Christ the Lord has been born. Celebrating Christmas on December 25th is a high point in the year. Since November, it is very difficult to forget that Christmas is coming. Colored lights, Christmas trees, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus are seen all over letting us know that Christmas is coming.
Santa Claus has become the human face of Christmas. Children are taught Santa will bring them toys and presents the night before Christmas. Christmas is a time of magic and excitement for children and adults alike. Santa is based on a real person, St Nicholas, a Christian leader from the 4th century AD.
In the American colonies, Catholics, Anglicans, Dutch reformed and Lutherans approved Christmas celebrations, which began to adopt a joyful and often boisterous tradition from pagan cultures.
Charles Dickens, one of the giants of English literature gave life to Christmas by writing A Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens wrote from his own experience with his enormous warmth of feelings. Dickens was particularly successful at evoking the sights, sounds and smells of London. Charles Dickens novel Christmas Carol popularized Christmas as a family event.
For various early cultures, December 25 was a significant date: Babylonians believed the son of the queen of heaven was born on December 25. Egyptians celebrated the birth of the fertility goddess Isis on December 25. Arabs believed that the moon was born on December 24.
Christmas is a great opportunity for us to treat friends, relatives and loved ones with great recipes. It is an awesome experience to share gourmet food, Christmas sugar cookies, Christmas berry mocha fudge, Christmas sour cream potato salad, chocolate brownie cookies, oyster stew, cranberry punch, traditional baked ham, Christmas bread and more.
Merry Christmas to you. Joy to the world, the Lord is coming. Joy to the world with truth and grace. Christmas is the most relevant celebration for western countries. Let´s have a Merry Christmas with friends, family and loved ones who join us around a table full of delicious food and drinks and with our hearts full of love, friendship and kindness.
As the ancient Magi or Wise men who came to visit Jesus: Melchior king of Arabia, who brought a casquet of gold, Caspar, king of Tarsus who brought myrrh in a gold mounted horn, and Balthasar king of Ethiopia, who brought frankincense in a censer, lets share abundance and prosperity with those we love and care for.
From the ancient Romans we received the decorated tree. During their Saturnalia winter festivals, they decorated trees with small pieces of metal, in honor of Saturn the God of agriculture. By the year 1531, Christmas trees were sold in Alsace, which at the time was a part of Germany. From Paradise, we received the apple tree, decorated with apples as a symbol of Adam and Eve feast on December 24.
Mark Carr brought trees to New York streets in 1851 and opened the first retail Christmas trees lot in the United States. Franklin Pierce was the first president to introduce Christmas trees in the White House.
All the traditions we received from all over the world and different branches of our ancestors, are here for us to enjoy during Christmas holidays with all those we love and care for. Let´s join around the Christmas tree, to share and enjoy the prosperity and abundance of wealth, health and love, as blessings from heaven for being persistent and for working to build a better Universe for us and all the marvelous humans who are doing everything possible for every citizen of the world to enjoy a better life style.
God bless you and all around you. Let Christmas be the best holiday ever and the beginning of higher and better achievements.
The Yuletide ‘Tis The Season To Have A Christmas Wedding
Christmas time, the season of excitement, family get-togethers, sharing and communion. It’s a time when friends and family come together not only to deck the halls with boughs of holly, but to gather together in joyous reminiscing of a year gone by and to share hopeful expectations for the coming year.
Why not add to the yuletide cheer this Christmas by tying the knot with a Christmas Wedding?
Having a Christmas theme wedding this winter is a great way to celebrate the peace and joy of the winter holidays and is a sure way to make your wedding a memorable one for years to come. Sure, there are some who cringe at the thought of exchanging vows at a time of sub-zero temperatures, but winter weddings, especially during the christmas season has become increasingly acceptable and is quite popular.
In fact, from a logistical stand point, a Christmas wedding may make more sense as family and friends are already on holidays which will make it easier to attend your wedding. But you will want to make sure that you send out your invitations at least 3-4 months in advance to give your guests ample notice of your upcoming Christmas wedding. We all know how busy it can get as the Christmas season approaches so you’ll want to make sure your wedding party and guests don’t overbook themselves and end up missing your special day.
Are you determined to have a Christmas wedding but you’re not too sure how to make it all happen? Then consider the Traditional and Elegant Christmas wedding themes, they’re really quite popular;
The Elegant Christmas Wedding Theme
A beautiful option for a Christmas wedding is to make everything very formal and elegant. Think black tie and evening dress and all the elegance of a grand ball. You could decorate the church or wedding hall with white lights and satin and trim the pews with gold ribbons. Dress your attendants in elegant evening wear and wear a glamorous vintage style gown. Whether indoors or out, make sure to include an elegant white Pashmina wool wrap, for you and your attendants to make sure you not too cold during the ceremony.
At the reception, have a large natural Christmas tree in the corner of the room decorated with ropes of white lights and golden bows. Decorate the tables with large bowls containing gold or white floating candles and white rose petals. As a wedding favor, give guests a small gold Christmas ornament inscribed with the date of the wedding and your names. Guests will have a memorable keepsake reminder of your wedding. Wrap all the ornaments, in a white box with a gold ribbon, and pile them under the Christmas tree. At the end of the reception invite each guest to pick their own “present” from under the tree. An elegant Christmas wedding with simple, tasteful decorations in white and gold doesn’t have to be expensive. If you are creative you can have a gorgeous and elegant Christmas wedding even if you’re on a tight budget.
The Traditional Christmas Wedding Theme.
Perhaps a traditional Christmas wedding would be your style. If so, use all the traditional Christmas elements to create a romantic, warm, joyous event that will combine the good will of the Christmas season with the happiness of your wedding. Decorate the church or wedding hall with multi colored Christmas lights. Use green and red poinsettias for decorations, and carry red roses bundled together with lots of greenery tied with a gold ribbon for your bouquet. Dress your attendants in simple holiday dresses in red and green, with gold jewelry. Use Christmas present bows to decorate each pew in the church and fill the church with gold candles.
At the reception, focus on making the room romantic and cozy. What you want to do is recreate the warmth and feeling of your living room on Christmas morning. Have a large natural Christmas tree in a corner decorated with strings of colored lights, strings of tinsel, candy canes, icicles, ropes of popcorn and cranberries, bows, ornaments, and candles. Choose lots of different styles of ornaments, but make sure that each one is marked with the date and your names, even if it’s just marked with a pretty printed sticker on the bottom. Make sure there are more ornaments on the tree than there are guests at the reception and invite each guest to select an ornament off the tree as a party favor.
Make a nice selection of coffees, teas, eggnog, and hot chocolate. Have platers of Christmas cookies, candy canes, white and green mints, fudge, and other Christmas treats set out on tables for your guests to snack on. You could also serve a traditional Christmas dinner of ham or turkey with all the fixings. If you are going to allow children at the reception, consider setting up a children’s area with plenty of seating, a DVD player and holiday favorites such as The Christmas Story, Frosty the Snowman, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and other holiday movies favorites to make the evening an enjoyable one for them as well.
Having a Christmas wedding can be a lovely way for everyone to celebrate your marriage and the holidays at the same time. Use the excitement, joy, love and happiness of the Christmas season to make your wedding a memorable one. The Yuletide ’tis the season to have a Christmas wedding.
Christmas Traditions & Activities – 20 Fun & Meaningful Ideas For Any Family
Christmas is not about the presents under the tree, the decorations and the lights, the concerts or the fancy meals. It’s not about shopping, snow, caroling, or Santa Clause. True Christmas is found in the first syllable of the very word itself, who is all too often forgotten. Christmas is about Christ! And while all of the festivities, traditions, and activities that accompany this holiday are certainly appropriate and extremely fun, we must ensure that we never forget the significance of why we celebrate in the first place. And perhaps true Christmas is discovered, enjoyed, and made evident only when our actions reflect the actions and character of Him whose birth we commemorate. He loved His lambs, He fed His lambs, and He continues to feed His lambs; our great opportunity is to allow Him to feed His lambs through the service and giving of you and me.
Below is listed not only giving and service opportunities that help us participate in the true meaning of Christmas, but also fun Christmas activities and traditions that can be enjoyed by families and people everywhere:
1) Purpose of the Holiday: First and most importantly, ensure that in the midst of all the fun festivities, parties, gift exchanges, traditions, delicious meals and chocolate, and especially the anticipation of Santa Clause – that you make time to remember Him, and the real Reason why we celebrate this season!
2) ‘Adopt a Family’: Find a local family that may be struggling or has very little, and anonymously give them Christmas. For 12 days, drop off food one night, clothes the next, books, toys, kind notes, treats, etc. (or just drop it all off at once).
3) ‘Draw Names’: On Dec. 1st, each child will draw the name of another sibling or parent – and that is who they have to get a present for Christmas that year. One year, have it be a funny gift; the next year have it be a ‘no-cost’ present where everyone can not spend money; another year each person has to actually make/create their gift; or just buy the gift for the individual; etc.
4) Yearly Ornaments: Each year, every child will get to make/create a new ornament to hang on the tree.
5) Hang Mistletoe: Enough said right!
6) Family Sleepover: On Christmas Eve, the whole family will campout together in the same room. Obviously this can’t be in the room with the tree, but upstairs/downstairs or in a bedroom – all the kids (and Dad/Mom) will sleep out together.
7) Yearly Christmas Tree Outing: All the men and boys each year will go out on Dec. 1st and find the Christmas tree. While gone, the women will make a warm meal for everyone to eat when the guys get home. That evening, everyone will decorate the tree, listen to Christmas music, make the house festive for the season, and just play games and spend the evening together.
Nightly Christmas Stories: For each night in December, read a Christmas story or book, a holiday poem, the symbols of Christmas, or the words to a Christmas carol.
9) Christmas Eve Present: Allow each child to open one present on Christmas Eve.
10) Nativity Sets & Ginger-Bread Houses: Each year as a family, make a new Nativity set (or have each child make their own). Use paper, play dough, cardboard, cardstock, etc. Also, set aside one night to make Ginger Bread Houses together.
11) Secret Santa Care Packages: Identify a child who is sick at the hospital, some children from the orphanage, various people at the homeless shelter, family in need, or even a child in a developing country (work with your local non-profit) – and each member in the family (even the kids) will donate money, items, and time in putting together these care packages for people in need. Deliver it anonymously, or in person so children can feel and see the joy of giving.
12) Christmas Lights Drive: As a family, hop in the car and make it a yearly tradition to just drive around neighborhoods and downtown looking at Christmas lights. Take candy, of course!
13) Read the Christmas Story: Perhaps make Christmas Eve the night to talk about the ‘true’ meaning of and significance of Christmas. Read the account of Christ’s birth from the Bible, talk about it, or perhaps even for fun – have the kids act it out. Then, the 25th can be the day of fun and presents.
14) Mini Tree: With little kids, allow each of them to have their own little Christmas tree that they can decorate however they want – and they can keep it in their rooms.
15) Giving Tree: Set up a tree at the local schools, Churches, and community centers. Have paper ornaments on each tree with a random items that people will donate. Items could be: food, clothes, toys, books, money, toiletries, etc. Then, have a large box where people can come back and drop off their donated items. Then, give these items to local families/individuals in need. Give them to the local Salvation Army, Orphanage, Homeless Shelter, or Non-Profit.
16) Dec 1st Kickoff: Make the first day in December the official day the family starts Christmas celebrations and decorations. Make some hot cocoa, popcorn, turn on the Christmas music, and get the family together. Decorate the house, put up the tree, and just spend the night playing games and having fun together.
17) Gift to Christ: Each year as a family, and especially personally, determine something you will do as an expression of gratitude for what Christ did for you. Break a habit, develop a talent, mend a relationship, or become a better person/family in some way.
18) Christmas Giving: As a family, do one or many of the following each year: visit a nursing home or homeless shelter and take small gifts for people, make a meal or treat for a new neighbor or someone in need, invite a widowed woman or someone who is alone to share a meal, shovel snow for Elderly neighbors, etc.
19) Christmas Culture Night: Learn about how other cultures, countries, and religions celebrate Christmas.
20) Yearly Christmas Fun: Yet, in the midst of it all – have FUN! Every year, make it a tradition to do one or many of the following fun activities: go sledding, make snowmen, go to the beach, go skiing, ice skating, a performance, to a cabin, have a Christmas movie and popcorn night, have an extended family or neighborhood Christmas party gift exchange, etc. Perhaps one night you can specifically set aside as ‘Christmas Family Night’ and just be together. Get Pizza, rent a movie, play games, have a campout in the family room, etc.
Perhaps it was the great Dr. Seuss who summed it up best when he so perfectly penned: “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” Thus, Christmas and giving is not determined by price, but in how we give and act – the season’s about Christ!
Christmas Loans – for a New Year Without Debts
For many people, a lavishly spent Christmas is sure-shot sign of the New Year being tumultuous; at least until the debts have been fully repaid. A study undertaken after the Christmas of 2004 showed that one out of every five people would continue to be in debt, i.e. not be able to clear debt loan in the same month.
Rather than carry the debt burden over to the next year, it will be much easier to carry it through Christmas loans. It is misleading if you thought that Christmas loans simply replace the debt burden incurred during this period. There are a number of advantages that result of the use of Christmas loans. Some of them have been explained below:
· Christmas loans that is drawn for making the expenses as and when they come will force the borrower to spend within limits. Borrower has the necessary cash and he himself decides how much to spend on what item. Just as he would do with his personal resources, the borrower would assign priorities to the different expenses to be made through Christmas loans.
· When the borrower has the necessary cash to expend, he is in a better position to bargain. Thus, Christmas loans also help in reducing the cost of Christmas festivities.
· A Christmas loan drawn after the expenses have been made offers an alternative repayment method. The expenses have been made on credit, and through a Christmas loan, the debtor intends to repay the debts.
It is on the borrower to decide the timing of the Christmas loans. Many of them will prefer to take christmas loans after the expenses have been made. A majority of the people comprising this group are not sure whether they will need the loan. Nevertheless, when the expenses increase their expected limits, they have to resort to this method. This method is good in the sense that the borrower does not make an injudicious use of the loan. Only the amount in excess of ones own capability is drawn.
Drawbacks do follow this method also. The expenses have been made on credit and a certain stipulated time period is promised for repayment. When the processing of Christmas loans starts after incurring the expenses, there is a greater probability of the loans being approved later than the time due for payment of expenses. The situation can be dangerous because creditors will demand payment and the Christmas loan is still in the half processed state.
Thus, the best time to apply for the Christmas loan will be before you plan to spend. Just when you are about to spend, you have the necessary cash ready with you to facilitate the purchase.
The time that lenders take to approve Christmas loans differs a lot with the type of loan taken, customs of the region or place the lender is in, individual case statistics etc. Therefore, it will be wiser to apply beforehand, even where borrower intends to spend first and pay later. The borrower can predict more accurately the time by which he will be in possession of the Christmas loans, and promise the time for payment accordingly.
Borrowers in the UK draw more of Christmas loans than what they intend to spend. A Christmas loan need not be spent wholly on Christmas festivities. Borrowers can use the proceeds to diverse ends. For this, the excess of Christmas loan will be very useful. Christmas loans available at inexpensive rates of interest will lessen the cost; whatever is the purpose the loan proceeds are used in.
Rate of interest is an important search criterion. The best method to compare interest rates of various banks and financial institutions is through Christmas loan calculator. The major banks and financial institutions have their interest rates listed in the calculator. Differentiations have also been made on the basis of secured or unsecured, bad credit etc. This is good to get a basic idea of the interest rate that the borrower is more likely to receive.
Security or collateral is an important question concerning Christmas loans. A secured Christmas loan, where the borrower has agreed to back repayment of loan with a lien on certain asset/ assets will be cheaper. Interest rate in a secured loan is lower than on unsecured Christmas loans.
Whatever form of does one take Christmas loan he/she will find it very useful. Nevertheless, the basic precautions that one takes in order to safeguard ones financial position needs to be in place in Christmas loans too, just as in the regular loans.
The Many Ways of Christmas
Many are the ways of Christmas, changing from country to country taking on numerous shapes and colors as diverse as the peoples who first started them for those who through the course of time turned them in to traditions. It is strange and wonderful how dissimilar all these Christmas habits are, ranging from waiting till January 6, “Dia de Los Reyes” (Day of Kings) to open up ones presents (tradition practiced in Spain) to Poland where people do not even delay till Christmas day; as their presents are opened as soon as the first star makes its appearance in the sky on the evening of Christmas. There are even those countries such as Russia and Greece whose orthodox churches have not adopted to the Julian calendar and are still using the Gregorian calendar; making their celebration of Christmas take place about a fortnight after the 25th of December.
As for myself I have been fortunate enough due to my many travels to spend Christmas in many a country where this holiday is upheld and thanks to this fact I have seen for myself the many ways people in the United States, Poland, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, Italy, Hungary and the Soviet Union celebrate Christmas. The customs I have seen in these lands were of true beauty as I was invited to people’s homes in all of the above mentioned countries well with the sole exception of Soviet Union. It was in this last country where I spent this day in a hotel (Cosmos) in Moscow in the year 1988 during the time when the words glasnosts and perestroika were becoming known to most Americans; thanks Gorbachov. This being a man whose popularity in America at the time could match that of any other politician or actor.
With Regards to Christmas I can not say much about what it is that Russians did or ate on this day, as the hotel did not offer anything special on the menu. In truth the only thing I learnt about Russian Christmas while in the Soviet Union was from our Russian tour guide who told us that in the Soviet Union Christmas was not celebrated; as in her country New Year’s Day served as a combination of the two. She also told us how people gave presents to each other on that day and how her and her husband would pay a man to dress up as “father Christmas” and go to their home to give their son his presents. Of course needless to say times have changed since my visit to the Soviet Union. As this “empire of evil” as Ronald Reagan called it was eventually eradicated by history.
As for the other countries where I spent Christmas, Hungary was also unique in the fact that it was the first country (the Soviet Union being the 2nd) where I spent Christmas with no family or relatives of any kind. The year was 1987 but unlike in the Soviet Union I spent the day in a pension which was the apartment of a Hungarian family which out of some sort of kindness perhaps seeing that I was completely alone invited me to join them for their Christmas Dinner. It perhaps was the oddest feeling I had ever had sitting down to dinner on Christmas day with people whose language was as foreign to my ear as mine (me speaking Italian, French and Spanish apart from English at the time) was to theirs. The meal I must say was not bad in its humble way though for the life of me I knew not what I ate as my hosts were unable to explain to me what I was eating which was some sort of meat which was probably pork. In a way I felt honored because this family which was far from being affluent had invited me, a person who was only renting a room in their apartment to share in their Christmas meal which I could imagine based on what I knew of eastern block countries had cost them a lot of money. It was while sitting down with them at the table that I noticed a certain dignity in this middle aged couple, infused with the tremendous joy and pride they took in not only the way they ate their simple meal which I could see in their faces but the way they spend this day.
I must however say that I felt rather relieved when they opened their presents that they had not bought me anything, for I given that I had not expected to be invited to Christmas dinner had not bought them anything either.
I felt good after the meal and it was not because I had eaten something but because it had been that feeling of Christmas that makes people a little nicer that had propelled them to invite me so I would not spend this day alone in my room or walking through what was probably a very empty city. The following day came which was the 26Th and leave early I did as I had to catch a very early train to Warsaw so it was on the night table in my bedroom that I left the key along with a ten dollar bill. It is funny how that might not seem like much to the average American or Hungarian now a days but then 10 dollars was the average weekly salary for many a person in Hungary. The money I left not as payment for the meal but as a small present which I feared to give directly, as hurting the feelings of someone who had invited me to Christmas was the last thing my heart desired; so I did it in a way that might be understood hopefully as a traveler in a rush giving what he can.
The country which saw me spend the most Christmases is the United States which does not really celebrate the evening of Christmas but uses it as a time to get ready for the day to come. It is generally on this eve that food is prepared or people (those who have one) sit in front of their fire places listening to Christmas songs or watching one version or another of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”.
It is the day of Christmas itself, the 25th of December and only this day that is of real consequence in the USA. As it is on this day that children along with their families rise early from their slumber to those presents under the tree and in their stockings. On this day after going through an emotional round of Christmas present opening, the turkey is carved for young and old; as families go about eating their meal. As a personal comment I must admit that I always found having turkey for Christmas slightly tiring specially after having had it less than a month before for Thanksgiving.
Some around the world may find it strange how Americans (well some any way) go shopping on the 25th as many though not all the stores are open. It is with the intension of getting those truly last minute presents or getting those boxes of Christmas cards at half price (to give out next year) that arouses many an American to leave the comfort of home to go to one of those department stores. Naturally there is also the case of those teenagers whose wish is none other than to spend their present which was given to them in the form of cash or gift certificates. I even recall how 21 years ago I bought my first camera on the day of Christmas in a store on 5th avenue in New York. There are also those who take advantage of open grocery stores to get those items they might have run out off or forgotten in all the rush of the season.
After myself the second biggest traveler in the family is my older sister Mili (though not my oldest) who has also spent Christmas in several different countries given the many places her Spanish husband was posted to by his former employer Columbia Pictures. It was in Ecuador (in the city of Guayaquil) in the year of 1984 that I spent one of the most memorable Christmases due to the tropical weather. I if truth be told never felt the need to see snow on Christmas for New York contrary to popular concept does not show off snow covered streets every year but however it was not beach weather that I was used to either.
As for the celebration of Christmas itself I can not claim to have noticed anything that distinguished it from the way the same festivity is carried out in Peru or Argentina. People in Peru and Argentina like those in Ecuador also stay up till midnight on the 24th to wish each other a merry Christmas with a big hug after which they tear in to their presents and then at their turkey dinner. It was with great hunger I noticed the meal is consumed in these countries as they abstain from victuals till midnight and for the most part have not eaten since lunch. This appetite in some is even further increased by the tragos (drinks in Spanish) they drink in the lead up to that minute that turns Christmas eve to Christmas day. Another thing about Peru, Argentina and Ecuador that I found unique was the way in which fireworks are used at midnight to light up the sky. I being American was only used to seeing such displays on the 4th of July.
As for Italy, the country of birth of my grandmother and where part of my heritage comes from, it is strange that I have only spent Christmas there once and it being not long ago in the house of my daughter’s Godfather Erico Jannone; (who sadly passed away earlier this year) who lives near Torino which in English is known as Turin. As for Italian Christmas, the only thing that really separates it from the American version is that they eat seven types of seafood. Apart from this there is not much difference between Americans and Italians as they both wait till the 25th of December to both celebrate and open presents though they part company when it comes to going shopping; for Italian strict social laws do not allow businesses to open on this day.
The country where we spend Christmas can not help but influence how we spend it but one thing that we must never forget is the people who we celebrate it with us. It was in the company of my now late compadre and his daughter and son that my wife, daughter (The Little Opera Singer) and I spent this most special of days on the Christian calendar. It was his pleasant demeanor added to his regional Neapolitan charm that made this day so grand as he told my daughter all about the befana. Befana being the name given to the gift bearing witch who visits toddlers on Christmas.
Last but not least I will describe my Polish Christmases where people also have their distinctive way of celebration and that being to perform all the rituals of this holiday on the 24th of December on the day they call Wygilia. It is at the moment when the evening’s first star lights up in the sky that Polish people start in. First by sharing a wafer of some kind with each other as they exchange season wishes. As far as I am concerned, I can not in earnest claim to have taken a fancy to this almost ceremonial act though I have nothing against it either as I simply do not take part in it; as I do not feel any emotional connection with it.
It is after the sharing of this wafer that Polish people start in on their meal that includes twelve dishes, one to symbolize everyone of the Jesus’ apostles. The dishes are for the most part cabbage composed along with other things that do not include meat as the Polish tradition (though not of the Church’s) does not allow the eating of any meat that is not fish. I in my personal preference prefer not to eat each dish, therefore I concentrate on just three or four of them; as my taste buds prefer to concentrate on fewer foods at a time.
It is following the meal that presents are opened though in my case I save the presents I am giving, not only to my wife and daughter but others for the following day and how could I proceed other wise than also saving the presents which have been given to me for the same day?
As one can see there are many ways to spend Christmas and I have been blessed to see several of them thanks to my multicultural family and travels, so it is with the truest sincerity that I state that all of the methods of celebrating Christmas are great in their own way. This making it that none be better for that would make some worse, none be more special for that would make some less; as they are equal in their differences and similarities. After all do they not carry the same purpose behind them which is sharing with one another? It is with this thought that I end this article by saying that no matter how one chooses to spend one’s Christmas eve or day; may it be joyful as that is the purpose of this day to my way of seeing things.
Best Funny Christmas Party Games & Favourite Festive Songs People Will Play This Xmas
What are the best Christmas party games? This is difficult to answer because, one particular party game seen as fun in the eyes of some folk – may not be seen that way by others. Because of this we find ourselves in a catch 22 situation. So what do you do? Do you invite the people over for Christmas you know will like your selection of party games, or, those you prefer the company of, but won`t like your games. Do you dismiss the idea of having any Christmas party games at all? Not on your Nellie, come on this is the season of goodwill; it is a time for festive fun and cheer. Whatever games you play should make no difference, however if they do, then for the guests that refuse to jolly should be politely asked to leave. This may sound harsh but we cannot have one person or two at a push, spoiling your Christmas day.
Christmas is a time for happy gatherings, and if any kiljoy`s sit round the Christmas dinner table, or in front of an open log fire to play games, then “no happy” gathering it will be. Best Christmas party games you will find are played at office Xmas parties, Children’s Christmas Parties, and at family celebrations, and why? Because they add fun and spread the Christmas spirit! Now let the fun begin with the dreaded word game.
This game has you give each guest on arrival a small token. Now announce to all a Christmas theme word. Tell all they are not to utter this word at all during the Christmas occasion you celebrate. Words like “tree” or “holly” are fine examples. If a guest overhears another guest utter this specific word at any time they take that person`s token. The guest with the most tokens at the specific designated time of ending the game wins a special gift!
Christmas Talent Contest!
If possible for this particular game is to avoid volunteers, as more often than not they can sing and do not embarrass easy. We want fun right, and if at someone else’s expense then so be it (in a nice way). It’s more fun to hear voices like that of a wailing banshee, or watching the footwork of those who believe they have feet like Micheal Flatly. Let everyone showcase their talent by singing or dancing. Contest winner tags should “Best Singer” “Best Dancer” “Worst vocalist” “Most Unique” “Most Funny” This game guarantees the air to fill with laughter.
Remember Christmas celebrations should cater for all age groups so organize for the young and old. Best Christmas party games are the ones people can join in with.
Pass the Bows another popular Christmas game
Have your guest’s team up for this game. This game includes all participants of each side to hold hands while passing bows along a line. Hands must not unlock at any time while passing bows.
Divide the group into teams of 6 to 10 people and have the team’s line up side by side, either sitting or standing next to each other. At one end of the line place a number of Christmas bows while at the other a bowl/bucket for bows to be placed. Now prompt each player to hold the right wrist of the person to their right. You can use a Christmas cracker bang to start the game – both teams must now pass bows down to one end and place them in the bucket or bowl.
Note: If a bow is dropped, it can only be retrieved while still joined to the wrist of a team member, and if the chain breaks all the bows currently being passed must move back to the beginning of the line. (Either the front – initial starting point or the bucket / bowl – the half way point.) Not to worry if you have no bows, I am sure you can find other as a substitute
Christmas Memory Game
Gather together 10 to 20 small Christmas items and place on a tray. Examples: bows, Christmas stocking, bells, Christmas tinsel, Christmas lights, gift labels, candles, Christmas video, nutcracker, etc…
Set the tray down and allow players to study it. Then hide tray contents by covering with a cloth. Now give the players paper and a pencil and have them write down as many of the items as they can remember. The one with the most correct items written down wins. Why not fill the tray with treats, like cookies, cake, tubbed jellies or assorted types of candy. The winner of the game gets to take home the treats. This fun game becomes more serious for the participants purely because of this. Well wouldn`t you want to take home a bag of yummies.
Kick start the festive spirit by providing everyone with a Christmas hat. Not only will this add “moving color” to the room, it will have everyone excite themselves even more. Listen to the laughter as each person puts on their hat. Paper hats are inexpensive. Kill two birds with one stone and buy Christmas crackers which contain hats. If there are any lively games to be played make sure the charismas tree or lighted candles or any type of breakables are moved out of the way. There are games you can play before sitting down to feast, however normally folk are famished and just want to get stuck into the turkey, so consider playing the best Christmas games after everyone has eaten and had time to digest their food.
Nevertheless if you want to keep your guests occupied till dinner is served, play the “guess me” game. This will include long heavy socks. Place varied Christmas items in the socks. You might stuff the socks with a small ornament, roll of tape, a fir cone etc. Have each person feel the contents of the sock and write down their guesses. The winner gets, you guessed it, one of the socks! This is why this game is best played with two socks so they get a pair for the prize.
Remember that music is the most ideal aside from playing the best Christmas games to get everyone in the mood.
Keep music lively; avoid slow and somber sounds as this can dampen a person’s spirits, who at this particular time may have something to feel saddened over. Your quest is to help this person, “not to forget,” but to enjoy.
Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ has been voted the most loved Christmas song by the British public.
Other merry Christmas songs:
Mariah Carey – All I want for Christmas is you
Wham – Last Christmas
Wizzard – I wish it could be Christmas everyday
Let us not forget why we celebrate Christmas day December the 25th. While we give gifts and pleasure in our kids delight and cook dinner we often overlook “the reason for the season”, the birth of God’s son, Jesus Christ.
A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson that brings the lord back in sight and thought.
Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen
Best Funny Christmas Party Games & Favourite Festive Songs People Will Play This Xmas
What are the best Christmas party games? This is difficult to answer because, one particular party game seen as fun in the eyes of some folk – may not be seen that way by others. Because of this we find ourselves in a catch 22 situation. So what do you do? Do you invite the people over for Christmas you know will like your selection of party games, or, those you prefer the company of, but won`t like your games. Do you dismiss the idea of having any Christmas party games at all? Not on your Nellie, come on this is the season of goodwill; it is a time for festive fun and cheer. Whatever games you play should make no difference, however if they do, then for the guests that refuse to jolly should be politely asked to leave. This may sound harsh but we cannot have one person or two at a push, spoiling your Christmas day.
Christmas is a time for happy gatherings, and if any kiljoy`s sit round the Christmas dinner table, or in front of an open log fire to play games, then “no happy” gathering it will be. Best Christmas party games you will find are played at office Xmas parties, Children’s Christmas Parties, and at family celebrations, and why? Because they add fun and spread the Christmas spirit! Now let the fun begin with the dreaded word game.
This game has you give each guest on arrival a small token. Now announce to all a Christmas theme word. Tell all they are not to utter this word at all during the Christmas occasion you celebrate. Words like “tree” or “holly” are fine examples. If a guest overhears another guest utter this specific word at any time they take that person`s token. The guest with the most tokens at the specific designated time of ending the game wins a special gift!
Christmas Talent Contest!
If possible for this particular game is to avoid volunteers, as more often than not they can sing and do not embarrass easy. We want fun right, and if at someone else’s expense then so be it (in a nice way). It’s more fun to hear voices like that of a wailing banshee, or watching the footwork of those who believe they have feet like Micheal Flatly. Let everyone showcase their talent by singing or dancing. Contest winner tags should “Best Singer” “Best Dancer” “Worst vocalist” “Most Unique” “Most Funny” This game guarantees the air to fill with laughter.
Remember Christmas celebrations should cater for all age groups so organize for the young and old. Best Christmas party games are the ones people can join in with.
Pass the Bows another popular Christmas game
Have your guest’s team up for this game. This game includes all participants of each side to hold hands while passing bows along a line. Hands must not unlock at any time while passing bows.
Divide the group into teams of 6 to 10 people and have the team’s line up side by side, either sitting or standing next to each other. At one end of the line place a number of Christmas bows while at the other a bowl/bucket for bows to be placed. Now prompt each player to hold the right wrist of the person to their right. You can use a Christmas cracker bang to start the game – both teams must now pass bows down to one end and place them in the bucket or bowl.
Note: If a bow is dropped, it can only be retrieved while still joined to the wrist of a team member, and if the chain breaks all the bows currently being passed must move back to the beginning of the line. (Either the front – initial starting point or the bucket / bowl – the half way point.) Not to worry if you have no bows, I am sure you can find other as a substitute
Christmas Memory Game
Gather together 10 to 20 small Christmas items and place on a tray. Examples: bows, Christmas stocking, bells, Christmas tinsel, Christmas lights, gift labels, candles, Christmas video, nutcracker, etc…
Set the tray down and allow players to study it. Then hide tray contents by covering with a cloth. Now give the players paper and a pencil and have them write down as many of the items as they can remember. The one with the most correct items written down wins. Why not fill the tray with treats, like cookies, cake, tubbed jellies or assorted types of candy. The winner of the game gets to take home the treats. This fun game becomes more serious for the participants purely because of this. Well wouldn`t you want to take home a bag of yummies.
Kick start the festive spirit by providing everyone with a Christmas hat. Not only will this add “moving color” to the room, it will have everyone excite themselves even more. Listen to the laughter as each person puts on their hat. Paper hats are inexpensive. Kill two birds with one stone and buy Christmas crackers which contain hats. If there are any lively games to be played make sure the charismas tree or lighted candles or any type of breakables are moved out of the way. There are games you can play before sitting down to feast, however normally folk are famished and just want to get stuck into the turkey, so consider playing the best Christmas games after everyone has eaten and had time to digest their food.
Nevertheless if you want to keep your guests occupied till dinner is served, play the “guess me” game. This will include long heavy socks. Place varied Christmas items in the socks. You might stuff the socks with a small ornament, roll of tape, a fir cone etc. Have each person feel the contents of the sock and write down their guesses. The winner gets, you guessed it, one of the socks! This is why this game is best played with two socks so they get a pair for the prize.
Remember that music is the most ideal aside from playing the best Christmas games to get everyone in the mood.
Keep music lively; avoid slow and somber sounds as this can dampen a person’s spirits, who at this particular time may have something to feel saddened over. Your quest is to help this person, “not to forget,” but to enjoy.
Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ has been voted the most loved Christmas song by the British public.
Other merry Christmas songs:
Mariah Carey – All I want for Christmas is you
Wham – Last Christmas
Wizzard – I wish it could be Christmas everyday
Let us not forget why we celebrate Christmas day December the 25th. While we give gifts and pleasure in our kids delight and cook dinner we often overlook “the reason for the season”, the birth of God’s son, Jesus Christ.
A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson that brings the lord back in sight and thought.
Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen