For those of you who were reading about my progress in planning our ward Christmas party, I must give an update! It was actually a huge success. So much so that I’m hoping they don’t think I should be in charge of this every year. I have to admit that it added a lot of stress to my life during the Christmas season, which is already stressful enough as it is. So, I think I might have to pass if they ask me next year.
The decor was the best part, I think. My Bishop originally told me that I had a $40 budget for decorations. What? I thought, “What can I possibly do that is great, with so little?” I had this idea of creating a mood, and there was no way to create any kind of mood with 40 bucks! But, I put on my thinking cap, and recruited one of the best gals around for throwing parties, and we came up with a plan. We would borrow pretty much….everything. In a nutshell, we went over budget by $11, but not bad if you ask me. The ward just couldn’t stop talking about how pretty it looked, and it definitely set the mood. I did not want one of those parties where the kids are running around like crazy, and no one can hear themselves think!
We borrowed paper lanterns from another ward who used them for their party and strung them from basketball goal, to basketball goal. We clipped them onto bistro lights that ended up working perfectly for what we wanted. I wanted enough light for people to be able to see without the overhead florescent lighting on. It worked. We then borrowed lots of white lights from ward members. We took the long banquet tables and placed them end to end, and then put lights down the center. To give it a cleaner look, I bought red tulle at Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon to put over the lights. We used the white table cloths that the ward already had, and voila, it really did look pretty. Here’s a pic I snapped that night:
As I mentioned before, our entertainment was a band that sat on the stage, and the food was fabulous. We had turkey, funeral potatoes, rolls, salad, and cooked carrots. Everything was cooked to perfection. Then, after the dinner, and entertainment, we had about 30 or so members that went caroling in the neighborhood. We passed out ornaments inviting people to church. I had several people tell me it was the best Christmas party they’ve ever had. Now, that made me feel good.
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