Description: This Advent program is a community-building social activity that allows young parishioners to share in the joy of Christmas by decorating their church as a community.
Get Ready
- Prep Time: You should begin making arrangements for this event several weeks in advance. While it does not require a great deal of work in advance, it’s necessary to coordinate with parish staff to ensure that decorating goes smoothly. The whole event can be planned in about two hours, approximately four weeks in advance. The day of the event, you should need about an hour in advance to pull out any decorations and set up snacks.
- Ideal Group Size: The ideal number of participants is really dependent on the size of the church and amount of decorations. An abundance of participants are welcome — decorators can split into groups to accomplish tasks together.
- Ideal Time for this Event: Typically, this event should be held on or around the 4th Sunday of Advent. It’s best to hold this event directly after a Sunday liturgy, so parishioners can easily join. Reserve about two hours for organizing, decorating, and socializing.
- Who is this for? All young adults and the larger parish community.
- Supplies Needed: Your church’s traditional Christmas decorations: manger, poinsettias, trees, holly, etc. Step ladders may be necessary, as well as brooms for any cleanup. You may need some tools for securing decorations. Tablecloth, cups, napkins, snacks, hot cocoa, CD player, or iPod speakers. Don’t forget nametags to encourage people to get to know one another!
- Reserve the Space: While it’s not necessary to “reserve” a space, it’s good to be sure that the decorating time will not be disruptive to other events that happen in the church. Also, be sure to have an appropriate space to set up refreshments.
- Publicize the Program: Once you have set a date for the event, spread the word through e-mail, parish bulletins, flyers, and social media, asking participants to bring their favorite baked good or holiday treat. Announce the event at mass for two weeks prior to the event, along with the day of the decorating. Because the event is held directly after mass, it allows people to participate immediately. Send personal invites to people who may particularly enjoy decorating for the holidays.
Prayer for Program Planner: God of love, be with me in this time of waiting, and be with our community as we prepare our hearts, and our church, for your coming. Help us to share the joy of Christmas with all who enter these doors. Amen.
Community Building: Christmas is an exciting time, and while most people share in the joy of decorating for the holidays with their family, few get the chance to decorate with their greater church community. Participants have the opportunity to work together in a casual, social environment to prepare their church for the holidays, while enjoying carols and sampling each other’s baked goods.
Make It Happen
- In Advance:
- Meet with the pastor, liturgy coordinator, or whoever is responsible for the liturgical environment at your parish.
- Select a date for decorating the parish. When possible, it’s great to schedule this event after a Sunday liturgy; however, it’s also important to not rush the last week of Advent. When it’s necessary to hold this event on a weeknight, be sure to begin it late enough that young adults can get there or consider offering a meal as part of the festivities.
- Locate the decorations. Work with parish staff to determine if anything else needs ordered or made, when poinsettias/greenery will be delivered and make a plan of how the church will be decorated.
- Create publicity and advertise.
- Purchase supplies: tablecloths, napkins, cups, etc.
- Set Up: 30 minutes before decorating begins.
- Remove all Christmas decorations from storage, keeping them easily accessible for participants to bring out after mass.
- One table should be set up with a tablecloth for participants to place their baked goods. Be sure to provide small plates, napkins, and cups for cocoa.
- Print out a sign-up sheet for your young adult group’s e-mail blast. Have any postcards or flyers of upcoming events on hand for participants to take with them.
- Make a Christmas playlist with popular hymns and carols that can be played throughout the event. If you have access to a piano and time allows, gather around to sing Christmas carols towards the end.
- Ice Breaker: Stand in a circle, and have each volunteer introduce himself/herself sharing a quick anecdote (perhaps about the baked good they brought) or a Christmas memory.
- Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, prepare our hearts for your coming, and be with us as we lovingly prepare the Church for the joy of your birth. Help us to wait patiently for you as we share in joy and hope as a community in your love. Amen.
- The Run-Down: Have the pastor or member of the church administration give guidelines on decoration placement. Offer a general overview of the tasks that need completing, so participants can choose what they would like to do.
- Small Groups: Break up volunteers into small groups of about three-five people, dependent on the task (i.e. manger setup, tree decoration, poinsettia placement).
- Break: Take a 10-15 minute break after an hour of work to enjoy some baked goods, socialize, and sing carols.
- Cleanup: When the church is decorated, sweep up any debris from the decorations, and put all boxes and materials back into storage.
- Close: As a group, sit quietly in the newly decorated Church for a few minutes, soaking in the transformation. Close with a prayer or carol.
Ideas
- In many parishes, the routine for decorating the church may be a long-standing tradition. Think about ways you might incorporate the suggestions in this program with what already happens at your parish. Talk with your church leadership about what is possible. Maybe you can choose a time (like after Mass or a weeknight) that makes the event more accessible for young adults. Another idea is to intentionally pair young adults with older adults in the parish to work on specific decorating responsibilities. This helps build community in the larger parish.
- You might incorporate a Christmas craft project with your decorating. For example, maybe you can have a craft station where young adults can make or direct others in making ornaments for the Christmas tree. They might make one for the church’s tree and take another home with them. (This is another way young adults can contribute to any decorating tradition at the church.)
- Take photos before, during, and after the event (don’t forget a group photo, too!) Upload photos to your parish’s website or young adult Facebook page to share with the larger community and encourage participation in future events.
- Bring Ziploc bags for volunteers to take home leftover cookies and treats.
- Follow up! After the event, send a thank-you e-mail to everyone who helped decorate the church. Include details on any other upcoming events.
