Make It Happen
- Two months in advance, gather three-five volunteers to help put together this event.
- Select a date and location for this event.
- Invite members of various ethnic groups to prepare a brief presentation (approximately 10 minutes) about their Christmas traditions (family, community, and national). Also invite them to prepare some traditional finger foods. (Depending on the number of ethnic groups invited, you can adjust how much time they have to present.) Be sure to be up front about the finances: Are you asking them to donate their food and supplies, or will you reimburse them for their expenses?
- Decide on the flow of the evening. Specific to the service project option for this program: Will you collect and deliver the items to the families that night? Will you announce the service project component that night and deliver at a later date? Will you have a festive party with dancing and food after the presentations?
- Create publicity pieces. (TIP: RSVP preferred is a good idea for this event, so you can arrange the service component and ensure enough food!)
- Identify two or three families in need of assistance during the holidays. Secure a list of needs, including clothing sizes, if applicable, and determine what items (food, clothing, toys, etc.) will be gathered for them. If you plan to deliver the items to the family the same night as your event, invite participants to bring an item when they RSVP. Otherwise, you can assign items the night of the event. (TIP: The local St. Vincent de Paul Society or other local agency can help you identify families in need.)
- Determine who will be greeters, the emcee, and other necessary roles the night of the event.
- Select someone to give a brief talk about the significance of the Incarnation and Christmas in the Catholic faith. This provides the starting point of the traditional observances.
- Ensure that you will have enough food. You may wish to purchase additional refreshments if you are expecting a large crowd.
The day of the event:
- Arrive one to two hours in advance.
- Set up and check your technology, if needed.
- Arrange the room. Be sure to provide space for any food/refreshments. If you intend to have people dance, be sure to leave adequate space for the number of people you expect. Finally, arrange the chairs/tables so the speakers can be seen and heard.
- Decorate the space! Use Nativity scenes, a Christmas or Jesse tree, an Advent wreath, and other traditional, seasonal items.
- Greet the individuals or families who will be presenting. Be sure to have extra volunteers available to help them set up any food or other displays.
- If you will be collecting and assembling items for the families in need on the same night, be sure to have a space for those items.
- Have a couple of volunteers act as greeters as people arrive. (TIP: People will appreciate knowing where they can put their coats, the location of the restrooms, and whether they should get some food or have a seat.)
- After the event, divide the participants in groups and ask them to deliver the gifts personally (this could be done the same evening or on a different evening). Groups should present the basket and pray with the family to ask for God’s blessing upon them.
- Clean up, being sure to put away all food, return any borrowed decorations, put the room back in order, and dispose of all garbage.
Outline of Gathering:
- Opening Prayer Service (See Help section for suggested prayer)
- Introductions — Ask participants to share with the group their favorite Christmas memory. (TIP: If you have a large group, this can be done at tables or in small groups.)
- Brief talk on the significance of the Incarnation and Christmas
- Presentations — each ethnic group presents.
- Sharing — Q&A, music, food, etc.
- Explain Service Component and organize its execution
- Closing Remarks and Prayer (See Help section for suggested prayer)
Ideas
- Different feast days in December have significance to different ethnic groups. If you don’t have representation from the different ethnicities in your community, do your own research and celebrate one of these feasts (i.e., December 12 for Our Lady of Guadalupe, etc.)
- If you do not wish to adopt a family for your service component, invite participants to bring an item for holiday food baskets or schedule a time to go to a nursing home to sing Christmas carols.
Help
