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Make the planning for your Christmas parties easier this year with these ideas for your party theme, games, and favors to send home. With several choices, you can find what you need for your small church event.
Christmas is always such a great time to encourage the people in your small church to have fellowship and deepen connection! It’s also a super busy time of year to have to plan another event.
Four Basic Elements For Your Perfect Christmas Party
- Theme
- Opening Mixer
- Game
- Party Favor
Keep reading for 5 different options in each category to mix and match and create the perfect party that fits your small church!
Plan Your Small Church Christmas Party
As you read the article, get out your planning pad and write down your favorite options. In the end, you will have all the elements you need for planning a Christmas party that’s full of holiday spirit. All you’ll have to do is add the decorations, food, and invitations!
Christmas Party Themes For Churches
Wrapped Up In Love
Devotional Focus: A baby wrapped in the manger, the love of Christ comes down to man.
Decorations Suggestion: Traditional Christmas decor with lots of nativity silhouettes or scenes.
Hats, Mittens & More!
Devotional Focus: Hats & mittens keep us warm on the outside, but only Christ’s love can warm our hearts forever.
Decorations Suggestion: Cutouts of hats and mittens, laundry line strings with mittens hanging on them, fake snow piles, boots, and scarves.
Jingle & Mingle
Devotional Focus: Developing relationships with each other in the family of God is important. Christmas is a wonderful time to share our hearts and invite others in.
Decorations Suggestion: Use jingle bells of all sizes, Christmas greens, real or not, and brightly colored balls and sparkle!
Christmas Cookie Connections
Devotional Focus: Use cookie cutters that are traditional symbols of Christmas and explain their meanings. Encourage folks to share the love with a simple cookie gift!
Decorations Suggestion: Use cardboard cake rounds (from the craft store or pizza blanks) and make fake cookies to hang everywhere. Hang strings of aprons and potholders too.
Whiter Than Snow
Devotional Focus: The beauty of the verse is that God wipes away our sin, and we will be white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18)
Decorations Suggestion: Make candles from mason jars painted with decoupage glue rolled in white glitter & fake snow, and put tealight candles inside. Cut out various-sized snowflakes from coffee filters or copy paper and hang them from the ceiling everywhere!
Small Church Christmas Ice Breakers
Festive games are always a great way to get your party started in a fun way! They also provide a great opportunity to encourage people to mingle and get to know each other better. Don’t forget to check out these other ministry mixer games in this blog post >> Must Have Ministry Mixer Games
The Christmas Party Personal Points Game
As the leader reads the Christmas category, people are asked to stand if this pertains to them. As they stand, they can see others who have this in common with them. Each person standing receives a point. The person(s) with the highest score at the end could get a prize or just applause!
Provide pieces of paper and pens at each table so each person can keep their own score.
Some examples of categories could be:
- Been stranded in a blizzard.
- In the hospital one Christmas.
- Spent a Christmas in another country.
- You have your tree up and decorated.
- Can name all 12 Days of Christmas in the song.
- You sang in a Christmas choir.
This is the easiest way to explore some things we may not know about each other!
Christmas Carol Chaos
It’s important to have a guest list so you’ll know how many people will be at your party. this will allow you to divide up the song titles relatively evenly.
Choose some Christmas carols and write the titles on small sheets of paper. the best way to do this is by making multiples of each song so that you have small groups looking for the same title. (e.g., If you have 30 guests, you could use 5 songs and give out 6 tags for each song.)
Pass the basket around the room, and everyone chooses a piece of paper (make sure to instruct them not to say what they got!). Then instruct them you will blow the whistle, and everyone will quickly hunt around the room to find the other members of their carol group. (You will have to inform them how many people they are looking for.)
Special Rule: The only way you can communicate is by humming the tune of your Christmas carol. So you wander and hum, listening to others while you hum your own tune. Once you find someone who is in your carol group, lock arms and continue until you find everyone in your group. Once the group is complete, sing your carol out loud, which will announce you as the winner!
Definitely crazy, chaotic Christmas carol fun!
Pass The Christmas Tray
Keeping the number of guests you will have in mind, try to have 2 or 3 identicals of each object, and have a total number of objects to match your attendees.
Make up your tray(s) of random holiday objects. Use small things to best fit the trays. Items like pieces of Christmas candy, ornaments, little toys, decorations, baby mittens & socks, small pieces of wrapping paper, bookmarks, sticky ribbons, etc.
Instruct your guests to pass the Christmas tray along and that everyone should choose just one item and keep it.
After everyone has an item, have guests go and look for the others who have the matching item, and then each share a memory of Christmas time or a thought that this item made them think about.
Everyone can keep their item just for fun!
Wrapping Paper Pals
It’s a good idea to determine the number of guests you will have, then divide by 2. (This number equals the number of wrapping paper patterns you will need.) If you have a larger group of 50 people attending your party, then divide by 2, which equals 25, then divide again equals 12 or 13, which is close enough! You will just have double up your pairs of people in your game, which will work out just fine.
Ahead of time, find your different kinds of wrapping paper. Don’t worry; you only need a piece of about 4 inches by 4 inches of each kind. Ask people to donate a piece of wrapping paper they have at home. You don’t need to buy 20 rolls yourself! Once you have all your different kinds of paper, cut out two from each kind of paper a 2-inch square.
When people arrive at your party, have a greeter at the front door with a gift bag filled with all the random pieces. Each guest reaches in and gets a piece of wrapping paper. They are instructed to keep it with them for later!
Instruct your guests that when you say go, they need to be on the hunt for their Wrapping Paper Pal! A big rule for this game is that there is absolutely no talking! You must walk around and look at everyone’s piece, continuing to wander through the crowd until you find your Wrapping Paper Pal. When you do, yell out, “Merry Christmas!” and then go sit.
Would You Rather: Christmas Party Edition
A super simple game where you ask people which they prefer. You can have them stand up for one or split the room in two and have them move to one side if they choose A or the other side if they choose B.
You could also print out fun Christmas items, like a reindeer and a candy cane, or an elf hat and a Christmas tree, etc., then tape them to a popsicle stick or tongue depressor to make a handle.
Have your guests hold up a sign for their choice. Hold up a reindeer if you choose A, and hold up the candy cane if you choose B. This can make it more festive!
Would You Rather Suggestions
- Would you rather go for a Christmas vacation to A – (The beach) or B – (The mountains)?
- Would you rather eat A – (Gingerbread cookies) or B – (Pfeffernusse)?
- Would you rather watch A – (The Grinch movie) or B – (The Santa Clause movie)?
- Would you rather go A – (Caroling) or B – (Ice skating)?
- Would you rather give A – (homemade gift) or B – (gift card)?
*Make up your own (about 10-15 is good), knowing the culture and community of your church.
Christmas Party Games
Backward Draw It! Christmas Style
Break your crowd into two teams. Get a pair of volunteers from each team and bring them to the front. Explain how many people love to play Pictionary or Win-Lose or Draw, but you’re going to play with a little twist!
You will give the ‘drawer’ from each pair a card with the holiday item that they must draw on the back of their partner with their finger.
You will only have 1 minute to draw. Don’t blurt out answers. When the timer goes off, let each side write down their answer. Have a small dry-erase board for each team.
Each team will earn one Christmas cookie point for each correct answer. The team with the most cookie points at the end wins thunderous applause!
Blind Fold Christmas Cookie Decorating
For this game, you will need large sugar cookies of simple shapes. Have 2 tables set up at the front of the room, and make sure to cover them with disposable tablecloths –– it could get messy!
Set up matching trays of items on each table, but leave them covered until the game begins. Trays have a decorating bag of frosting, and some small condiment cups with various toppings (e.g., sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, crushed candy canes).
Have a large Christmas sugar cookie cutout in a simple shape like a square or circle. Place the cookie on a paper plate.
Have an index card with a picture of what you want the cookie to look like: Maybe a scene with a tree decorated with garland, balls, a star on top, and presents underneath.
Pass out disposable chef’s hats for 2 people and fun aprons for 2 people. (You’ll need more if you play this game more than once.) You can get Christmas or elf aprons for an added fun twist!
Call up 2 pairs of volunteers (couples would be fun for this game). Have them determine who the ‘Cookie Decorating Instructor’ will be and who the ‘Cookie Decorator’ will be. Give the instructor the chef’s hat to wear. Give your decorator a fun Christmas apron to wear.
Explain that the decorator will be blindfolded and they must create a beautifully decorated Christmas cookie, completely guided by their instructor, who will give all the step-by-step instructions to accomplish the design!
Each team will be working simultaneously, so instructions will be going at the same time. Be careful who you listen to!
The couples have 3 minutes to finish their creation. Blindfold your decorator, then uncover the tray of tools & ingredients. Give the instructor the picture card and GO!
Have your audience vote on which cookie best fits the description or at least looks the most artistic! Give each couple a Christmas prize to take home for being good sports!
Wrapping Paper Pals In Action!
If you played the Wrapping Paper Pals mixer, you already have your teams of 2 chosen! The goal of this game is to have several pairs of people go head-to-head in a wrapping challenge. They need to wrap a gift [paper, ribbon, and bow] in the allotted time.
Team members each have one hand behind their back, thus having only 2 hands available to work for each team –– one left hand and one right hand.
Provide teams with boxes, paper rolls, scissors, tape, ribbon, and a sticky bow. Of course, have a beautifully wrapped gift as a sample!
Give them a time limit of 3 minutes. At the end of time, let your audience vote for the best package.
Musical Gift Pass
This is very similar to musical chairs. Instead of people moving around, wrapped gifts move around the circle (or if you prefer to play at the tables, you could do it like that).
Gather some help ahead of time and wrap small gifts to have enough for all the guests at the party, but have fun with what you wrap! You can use thrift store finds, dollar store treasures, silly white elephant types of things, food or candy items, toys, or whatever you can find!
Make sure to wrap some in unusual ways, use a tin or odd-shaped box, wrap a small item in a big box, use gift bags, a decorated brown paper bag, etc. The contents should not reflect the wrapping (that makes it even more fun!).
Take all the gifts and place them under a tree or in a special place in the room.
Before you play, have everyone at the party count off from 1-6, then just keep repeating until everyone has a number. Remember your number; it’s very important!
Instruct all your guests to grab a gift. It really doesn’t matter which one because it won’t be staying in your hands for long! Everyone should sit back down.
Use fun holiday music, and when the music starts, pass the gifts to the right. When the music stops, the leader rolls a large cube die and calls out what number it lands on. Anyone who has that number can:
- Open the gift they have and keep it, which means they move out of the game.
- Decide to trade their gift (after they open it) with the person on their right or left. They open the new one and are done and move out of the game. (The person with the opened gift continues to stay in the game and the gift gets passed around with the others.)
- Don’t open any gifts and continue the game.
Continue playing and feel free to throw in twists like switching the passing direction, double time the music, etc. Play until everyone has a gift that’s opened.
Christmas Party Trivia
Create a Christmas cheer trivia game. Choose questions about traditions, movie/tv specials, Bible Christmas facts, or Christmas carols. Create a handout with your questions and give each participant one. Or call out the questions and have people raise their hands or play as teams with your table.
Christmas Party Favors To Send Home
A little something to remember us by!
Everyone loves a fun little token of the evening. Check out these 5 ideas to inspire you to show your guests some special holiday love!
Decorated Christmas Cookies
Perhaps you have someone who is gifted at cookie decorating in your church or a local bakery to do the job, but a nicely wrapped cookie is a sweet reminder of a fun gathering! You can also order pre Decorated Christmas Cookies if you are in a time crunch.
Snowman Soup
An easy party favor to put together. For each favor, you need a clear treat bag to put it all in. Items include a packet of instant hot cocoa, a handful of mini marshmallows with a few mini chocolate chips, and a candy cane. Tie it all together with a pretty bow and include this fun little rhyme:
When the weather outside is frightful,
And your tummy wants something delightful.
Mix this ‘soup’ and stir with the cane;
Drink and remember this fun time again!
Snowman soup is to make you smile;
And warm your heart as you sit for a while!
Merry Christmas!
Nativity Ornament
A simple nativity ornament for folks to bring home and hang on their tree is a wonderful keepsake of the event that you had. Make sure to write the year on the back of the ornament with a permanent marker.
Did Someone Say Chocolate?
Candy is always a hit. It can be as simple as a single-wrapped chocolate treasure to homemade dipped truffles in a decorated box. The beauty of small church gatherings is that if you are making a party favor, you don’t have to make hundreds of them!
Find someone who loves to bake and enlist them to help you! Here is a super simple chocolate truffle recipe to make.
Recipe-Easy Chocolate Truffle
Ingredients:
- 1 bag of dark chocolate candy wafer melts (from a craft store)
- 1 bag milk chocolate candy water melts (12 oz.)
- 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
- 1 Tbsp. almond flavored extract
- 1 Tbsp. corn oil or lite canola oil
- Optional: sprinkles of various kinds to decorate the top, crushed peppermints, holiday-colored nonpareils, crushed nuts
Melt the dark chocolate wafers in the microwave using a heavy glass bowl that is wiped dry and clean before using. (CAUTION: Any water will cause the chocolate to seize up and you won’t be able to use it! Make sure your bowl and all utensils are completely dry.) Melt for 1.5 minutes, stir, then continue to melt in 30-second intervals until it is smooth.
Stir in the almond extract and can of sweetened condensed milk. Stir until smooth (it will begin to thicken). Place the bowl, covered, in the refrigerator to cool and harden (approx. 3 hrs).
Once the dark chocolate mixture is set, use a mini ice cream scoop and scoop out balls. Roll them in your hands and place them on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheets in the freezer to harden up before you dip them.
Melt the milk chocolate wafers in the microwave, following the same method you used for the dark chocolate. Add the tablespoon of oil to thin the chocolate a bit, then stir until smooth.
Take your hardened truffle balls and dip them in the milk chocolate, coating them completely. Shake off excess chocolate and place it on a separate wax-covered cookie sheet.
Sprinkle with topping if desired while the chocolate is wet. Place the candies in the fridge to harden up and then wrap or box them as desired. Don’t forget to taste test!
Get One-Give One
This is a really fun idea, especially for a Christmas party, if your budget allows it. The idea is to give each person 2 identical party favors. One is for them to keep and the other is for them to give to someone that God puts in their path. It’s an opportunity for them to share God’s love during the Christmas season with someone else.
CTA has partnered with our conferences in the past. They are a Christian gift company that has great resources and gifts, including inexpensive favor-type items.
Make The Most Of Christmas
Get out your planning pads and start mixing and matching your elements and get your Christmas party on the calendar.
Christmas is such a wonderful time to draw near to each other with these kinds of events and times together, but more importantly, it is a time to draw near to our Savior. A time to reflect on Emmanuel, God with us!
A God who loved us enough to send His only Son. A Savior who gave up His glory, His heavenly home, all that He had to become all that we need!! Now that’s something to celebrate!
Merry Christmas!
Looking for something fresh and new for the holiday season?
Check out the Blue Christmas Pack & the Advent Worship Pack!
Read More
Advent And Blue Christmas Service Bundle
5 Fun All-Church Family Christmas Events
Tips To Include Children With Special Needs In Christmas Activities
5 Easy Tips For Children’s Christmas Program Success In Your Small Church
