Take this test to find out if you’re ready for Christmas and find out if your family friends are ready but giving them this test at your holiday party. Merry Christmas!
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Gathering your family or friends together for Christmas caroling or a family sing-a-long can make your family party fun and fairly fuss free. Consider these helpful tips when planning your family caroling party.
The most important element of your musical caroling party is the music and you can download a free copy of caroling lyrics at www.familyreunionhelper.com. Caroling will be successful if everyone has the same list of carols. Provide one song sheet for every 2 carolers. Specify how many verses you will sing of each song. One verse is usually enough especially if caroling with children.
To build your song list you can type and print your own caroling sheets or make copies of the family reunion helper caroling book by clicking here- caroling song book. The book is designed so that you only have to print off the music that you will use for your caroling such as- Santa songs, snow songs or spiritual songs etc.
Choose songs that are short, easy to sing, and fun. It’s also best to sing upbeat songs such as “Jingle Bells” and “Up On the Housetop”.You should plan on singing 1 or 2 songs per house and end with “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”.
My family went caroling on Christmas Eve. Mom would choose 3 or 4 families that she knew would enjoy a caroling visit and she always made a few goodies to give them. (Perhaps as payment for listening to us sing off key) We would complete our caroling at a local nursing home. Many of the children were reluctant to sing at the nursing home but as the years have gone by caroling at the nursing home has become one of their most talked about memories of the season. HINT: If you visit a hospital or a nursing home, ask for permission ahead of time to make sure your visit comes at a good time and that they can accommodate a large group.
Jingle bells, cymbals and drum sticks are an easy way to make your caroling fun. Carolers that are too shy or just don’t want to sing can participate by keeping the beat with drum sticks or shaking the bells to the beat.
If caroling outside dress for the weather. When sending out invitations for your caroling party be sure and let your guests know that you’ll be caroling outdoors so they can bring their hats, gloves and scarves. A fun party favor for your party could be hand and toe warmers. You can dress things up by asking everyone to wear a fun Santa hat or reindeer antlers.
At the end of your caroling party meet back at your house or rec hall and provide your carolers with bowls of chili and mugs of hot chocolate and marshmallows or cider. You can keep your refreshments warm in slow cookers while you’re caroling.
I have 2 sons and a son in law and this year I tried something new for their Fathers Day gifts- I let them pick their own gifts. Well, not totally, I put together 3 boxes and after the boxes were filled with surprises and wrapped, then they got to pick their gift.
Each box was different- I had a technology box, builder box and a snack box. Each box contained a gift card and then a couple of things to go along with it. Value of each box was about $30.00.
I wrapped all three gifts in plain old newspaper- nothing fancy about it and with no clue to what was inside.
We had a little competition to see who got to choose their present first but you could do it oldest to youngest or by roll of the dice etc.
Just as the guys were about to pick their present, my husband put a $20.00 bill on the table and gave them the option to chose the cash instead of a box. There were no takers- everyone went for the boxes.
This is also a fun way to give out prizes at family reunions. Just wrap a variety of prizes and let the winner pick the prize they want from the pile- they get a prize but it’s a little more exciting and extends the fun a little longer.
At midnight on New Year’s Eve, it’s customary in Spain to quickly eat 12 grapes, one at each stroke of the clock. Each grape supposedly signifies good luck for one month of the coming year. People around the world celebrate the coming of the new year in many different ways but our families’ New Years tradition is one you’ve probably never heard of.
Every New Years Eve, if we have cleaned our rooms and put away our Christmas gifts, the “New Years Man” will stop at our house and leave one last holiday gift. I have no idea how the New Years Man tradition in my family but it’s a tradition that goes back many generations.
My Mom remembers- “On New Years Eve, at bedtime we would make a “nest” out of our clothes. While we were sleeping the New Years man would come and put goodies in our nest—It was always something to eat, candy, fruit etc. Not toys. Never a lot but we could tell he had been there “checking ” up on us. We thought it was fun!”
The tradition continued when I was a child. My parents used the New Years Man as a bribe to motivate us to clean up and put our Christmas things away.
The New Years Man tradition has evolved to him bringing a small toy, treat or book etc. on New Years Eve for every girl or boy that has put away their Christmas presents and cleaned their room so that it is spotless. On New Years Eve we write our names on a paper plate and if our rooms are clean the New Years Man will leave us a special prize.
I don’t know what the New Years Man looks like and I don’t know where he comes from but I do know that as a child I was extremely motivated to get my room cleaned and my Christmas gifts put away so that the New Years man would leave me one more gift for the season. I’m sure that having the house clean and orderly for the first day of the new year was well the effort for my parents.
When you sprinkle magic reindeer food on your lawn on Christmas Eve, it leaves a glittering path–and a sweet treat–for Rudolph and Blitzon and their friends.
Make a bag of Magic Reindeer food for each family that attends your party or as an inexpensive stocking stuffer for each child.
Package this simple recipe in zipper food storage bags, and add a free printable gift tag containing the Magic Reindeer Food poem to make Magic Reindeer Food easy to make–and to give.
In a large bowl or container, mix:
1/4- 1/2 cup uncooked oats
1/4 cup red or green sugar crystals
Small sealable bag
Magic Reindeer Food poem (You can find a free printable of the poem at Magic Reindeer Food Poem)
Package Magic Reindeer food in small food storage bags or holiday gift bags.
NOTE: You can use craft glitter in your magic reindeer food but colored sugar crystals (as used for cake decorating) are safer for other animals or birds that may ingest it.
Another fun reindeer games party favor is a bag of reindeer noses.
I wanted the perfect gift for you-
But couldn’t decide just what to do.
I almost sent you a dozen roses-
Instead here’s a bag of…
reindeer noses
Reindeer noses are simply seven brown candies such as “Whoppers” and one red candy (to represent Rudolf). I used sour cherry candies for my red nose. You may find a free printable of the reindeer nose poem below. Just copy and paste into your document.
Log reindeer are the perfect project for your centerpieces. Simply reuse scraps of wood and timber from your woodpile, drill a few holes, and glue it all together. You’ll need a few thicker logs for the body and head; long, thin sticks for the legs, and pronged branches for your reindeer’s antlers. Add bow, bells or tinsel to complete your project. After the party you can give away part of your herd as prizes or save them to give as neighbor gifts.
Bake cupcakes according to package directions and frost generously with chocolate frosting. Top with pretzels for the antlers, a Nilla Wafer for the face, white frosting dots for the eyes, back pearl sprinkles or black icing for the eyeballs, and brown and red candies for the nose.
HINT: We made the pancake base of our Santa pancakes before arriving at the party. Because they are a little time consuming we began decorating them in advance. We noticed that the whipped cream started getting soft and didn’t look as cute. Solution- get more help with the decorating so that you can make them on the spot.
We used the “Minute to Win It” format for our “reindeer games”. We divided into four teams- team Rudolf, team Blitzen, team Dasher and team Donner and competed in 8 different challenges. We projected a countdown clock on the wall so that everyone could join in the drama as the seconds counted down. For more information on Minute the Win It games check out the following link.
http://familyreunionhelper.com/blog/2011/10/minute-to-win-it-party-2/
Many families gather together during the holiday season for their traditional Christmas parties. To get the party started , I like to have a simple craft or activity that can be done as everyone arrives and these log slice ornaments are just the thing. They’re a fun ice breaker that keeps your guests busy and requires little supervision and they’re pretty inexpensive.
With just a few supplies, you can whip up LOTS of them. Wood slice ornaments are perfect for hanging on your Christmas tree, attaching to gifts, or giving to friends and family. If you don’t have access to tree logs you can purchase pre sliced packages at the craft store. The ones I found cost under $2.00 for a package of 4, but the least expensive option is to cut your own.
After cutting your wood slices, don’t forget to drill a small hole at the top so that you can hang it on your tree or tie to a package.
Purchase chalkboard paint at your favorite craft store. Paint the center of the wood slice.
It doesn’t take long for the paint to dry but if you’re really pressed for time, have a hand held hair dryer to speed up the process. After the paint dries, draw a simple picture or write your favorite Christmas word with chalk. And don’t forget some cute Christmas string for hanging on the tree.
If you don’t want the mess of painting your ornaments and you have a die cutting machine, you can cut a variety of shapes and words and family members can apply those onto their wood slices. You could add a layer of decoupage on top so it will last longer.
Pancake bars are easy to put together and can easily be customized to your family’s needs. The toppings are limited only by your imagination and the pancake recipe can be your favorite store brand or a family favorite recipe.
I’ve hosted a couple of pancake bars over the years, and it’s one of my favorite ways to celebrate pretty much anything. Christmas, neighborhood get-togethers, church functions, birthdays and fund raisers or sleepovers. It can also be a pretty inexpensive way to do breakfast at a family reunion.
You can cook your pancakes on the spot or make a big batch of pancakes ahead of time. Just be sure to let your precooked pancakes cool then stack them between sheets of parchment paper and freeze them for later. When you’re ready to use your premade pancakes you can reheat the pancakes in the oven, microwave or Dutch oven.
I like to serve a variety of toppings with plenty of options for those that are eating healthy and for those that like to to make the craziest looking pancake they can.
The most popular item on my pancake bar is the spray whipping cream. When planning your pancake bar, you can really just think ice cream sundaes and that will help you come up with some fun toppings. Here’s some of our favorites:
You can serve your pancakes alone (which is what I like to do) or add a side of bacon,, sausage or eggs. Either way, everyone can find something to love on a pancake bar and no one should go away hungry.
These cute reindeer and snowman stole the show at our family Christmas party last year. They are simple to make and delicious to eat. You can make them yourself or use these goodies as an ice breaker activity when your family first arrives at the party.
The Snowmen are easy to make using Hostess Sno balls. Just keep your eyes open for them because they seem to only be available at certain times of the year.
Use a little white frosting to glue an orange candy like an M&M or Skittle or Sixlet to the Sno Ball. You can also just do a dab of orange frosting. Use black frosting gel in a tube to make the eyes. Cut a paper straw in half and press it inside of the Sno Ball.
Making the reindeer are a little more complicated though once I figured out the process,even my little grandchildren were able to make their own reindeer.
Purchase a package of Little Debbie’s Swiss Rolls.
First you will need to cut two small slits on each side of the Swiss Roll and gently place one pretzel on each side.
Put a dab of white frosting where you want the eyes to go and carefully press the point side of two white chocolate chips into the Swiss Rolls to make the eyes. Use black gel to make the dots for the eyes.
Put a dab of white frosting to glue a red M&M nose below the eyes. Cut a paper straw in half and press it inside of the Swiss Roll.
HINT: Be very careful when placing the antlers and the eyes. If you push to hard your reindeer may look like this…
Gathering your family and friends together for Christmas caroling or a family sing-a-long is an easy party to plan. Consider these helpful tips when planning your family caroling party.
Choose songs that are short, easy to sing, and fun. You should plan on singing 1 or 2 songs per house and end with “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”.
To build your song list you can type and print your own caroling sheets or make copies of the free family reunion helper caroling book by clicking here- free Christmas caroling book. The book is designed so that you only have to print off the music that you will use for your caroling such as- Santa songs, snow songs or spiritual songs etc. Once you have your music you can plan the other elements of your caroling party.
Caroling was a favorite family tradition when I was growing up. We weren’t the most talented group of singers but we were enthusiastic.
My Mom would choose 3 or 4 families that she knew would enjoy a caroling visit and she always made a few goodies to give them. (Perhaps as payment for listening to us sing off key) We would end our caroling at a local nursing home. Many of the children were reluctant to sing at the nursing home but as the years have gone by caroling at the nursing home has become one of their most talked about memories of the season. HINT: If you visit a hospital or a nursing home, ask for permission ahead of time to make sure your visit comes at a good time and that they can accommodate a large group.
Jingle bells, cymbals and drum sticks are an easy way to make your caroling fun. Carolers that are too shy or just don’t want to sing can participate by keeping the beat with drum sticks or shaking the bells to the beat.
If caroling outside dress for the weather. When sending out invitations for your caroling party be sure and let your guests know that you’ll be caroling outdoors so they can bring their hats, gloves and scarves. A fun party favor for your party could be hand and toe warmers. You can dress things up by asking everyone to wear a fun Santa hat or reindeer antlers.
Ask carolers to bring flashlight to the party or purchase inexpensive lights to help with reading the sheet music. A flashlight will also help as you navigate sidewalks, stairs and uneven ground. If you will be caroling with children give them glow in the dark sticks and necklaces.
Give carolers a water bottle to keep their throats lubricated. You can even customize your bottles with personalized labels.
At the end of your caroling party meet back at your house or rec hall and provide your carolers with bowls of chili and mugs of hot chocolate and marshmallows or cider. You can keep your refreshments warm in slow cookers while you’re caroling.
On December 13th, there are officially 12 days left until Christmas! A fun and creative Christmas tradition I remember from my childhood is called "The Twelve Days of Christmas. It all starts on December 13th and continues up until Christmas Eve, December 24th. My favorite “12 Days of Christmas” is to leave one nativity piece each night and at the end of the 12 days the family will have a complete nativity scene.
First, chose a family or individual who would appreciate a little extra Christmas joy and each day, starting on the 13th, a leave a small gift for that person, anonymously.
The next step is to find a nice nativity scene, preferably with 12 pieces. Twelve piece nativities are pretty easy to find however, this year I was only able to find an 11 piece set so will also do a string of white lights, oval mirror to display or a star shaped ornament for their Christmas tree. I paid $19.00 for my nativity set.
Beginning 12 days before Christmas, deliver one piece of the nativity to your selected family. This Christmas tradition is especially fun if you are doing it with kids. Kids love to doorbell ditch and will quickly get into the Christmas spirit by taking part in The Twelve Days of Christmas. We try to do this after dark, or leave the nativity pieces on the porch when the family isn’t home. Important- don’t get caught! It’s much more fun to remain anonymous!
You may want to attach a nativity scripture to each nativity piece. You can find a free download of suitable scriptures at www.familyreunionhelper.com. Deliver one piece of the nativity each night for 12 nights– the last one being baby Jesus on the Christmas Eve, December 24th.
Joseph
Luke 2:4
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem…
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Mary 
Luke 2:7
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
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Donkey
Luke 2: 1, 3-5
“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Agustus, that all the world should be taxed… And all went to be taxed, every one to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, into the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.”
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Cow
John 1:3
All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.”
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Lamb
Luke 2:8
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field…
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![clip_image010[1]](http://familyreunionhelper.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/clip_image0101.png "clip_image010[1]")
Lamb
Luke 2:8
…keeping watch over their flock by night
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Shepherd
Luke 2:20
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
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Shepherd
Luke 2:8
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
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Camel
Galatians 6:2
Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
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Angel
Luke 2:9-10
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
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Star
Matthew 2:10
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
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Manger
Luke 2: 12
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
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Angel
Luke 2:15
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
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Wise Man
Matthew 2:1
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.
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Wise Man Matthew 2:12
![clip_image024[1]](http://familyreunionhelper.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/clip_image0241.png "clip_image024[1]")
Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
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![clip_image024[2]](http://familyreunionhelper.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/clip_image0242.png "clip_image024[2]")
Wise Man
Matthew 2:11
And when they had opened their treasures, they
presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense,
and myrrh.
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Baby Jesus
Luke 2:11
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
