Relief Society Christmas Program Ideas: Themes, Dinner Ideas, and More!

Relief Society Christmas Program Ideas

Are you looking for Christmas ideas for your Relief Society activity? Here you will find meaningful program ideas, gift ideas, dinner ideas, and more!

As many of you know, I am a Mormon and in our church we have an organization for the women 18 and older called the Relief Society.

Each December we hold a nice Christmas party and program.

Some of my very favorite Relief Society activities have been the Holiday Christmas activities.

It is a wonderful time of year to focus on Christ and serving and loving others. If you have ever been on the activities committee than you know how much time, effort and preparation go into each activity.

Most wards like to do something special around the holidays- like hosting a dinner and program for the Relief Society sisters.

It might seem  overwhelming to plan such an activity- but there are so many wonderful ideas out there to help guide you. I would love to share several tried and true Christmas program ideas for you!

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Angels Among Us

In the weeks leading up to your activity ask each woman to write down an experience where they  received service from their fellow RS sisters and how it had blessed them.

Hand out slips of paper at church (don’t forget the women serving in Primary, Young Women’s and Nursery) and have a box ready and available to have them drop their slip of paper in.

On the night of the activity either during or after the dinner have a couple different people take turns reading the slips of paper. Make sure to do it anonymously and don’t use names.

It will be a very special experience for everyone to feel of each others love for one another. By not using names, everyone can feel a little bit like maybe someone submitted something about them.

Point out how special it is to belong to a group of women who truly are angels walking among us,  allowing others to feel their Heavenly Father’s love through them.

Decorate the tables with different displays of angels borrowed from Sisters in the ward.

Cookie Exchange

Have each sister come to the activity with a plate of their favorite cookies. Encourage them to bring the recipe to share. You can plan on using the copy machine in your ward building or make plans for each person to print out their own copies beforehand.

Plan a spiritual thought and for the remainder of the evening allow the sisters to sit, visit and snack on cookies.

Consider providing a hot chocolate bar or hot apple cider and milk along with plates, ribbon and tags so everyone can make plates of cookies to be delivered to VT sisters, neighbors or ward friends that couldn’t make it.

Night in Bethlehem

This activity can be as big or small as you want make it.   This website gives a good overview of how to do it. Treat your Relief Society sister to a night in “Bethlehem” on the evening Jesus Christ was born.

A Night in Bethlehem is a fun activity idea that includes invitation wording, a skit, and food like the Savior may have eaten.

Pajama Party

Have everyone come dressed in the pajamas and for the program have a narrator read a few classic Christmas stories and decorate the room with lots of pillows, blankets and cozy places for people to sit.

Fuzzy socks with a cute gift tag would be a fun take home gift idea!

Slide Show

Collect pictures of all the sisters in you ward (this  might take some time and planning) and make a slide show with Christmas hymns and songs as the background music.

Think of something nice or that people admire about each of them and have it on the slide show. For example, it would show a picture of each sister with the words written right on the picture.

Keep Christ in Christmas

This is a very touching program where you go through the different symbols of Christmas.

You can  download the program  here.

As you go over each symbol have someone take the decoration and have someone hang it on a tree that is displayed at the front of the room.

Here’s a basic overview of the symbols.Christmas Tree- Christ’s never ending loveCandy Cane- Shepherd’s crook- Christ is the Good ShepherdStar- Everlasting Light of ChristChristmas Bow- Tied together through service and goodwillColor Red-  Symbolizes Love of Savior/AtonementGifts- Christ is the Greatest GiftHere are some other ideas for Keeping Christ in Christmas

The Women Who Knew Christ

Plan ahead and ask six ladies in your ward to dress up as women who knew Christ:

Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist

The Mother of Mary

Mother of Jospeh, the carpenter

Mary

Wife of an Innkeeper

Wife of a Shepherd

You can follow the program idea found here.

As a gift or handout print out the following as a book mark or laminate to be used as a magnet:

Musical Program

Invite the show choirs from your local high school to come and perform their Christmas and holiday songs.

Service Auction

It’s fun to see all the talent in your wards!

Have the ladies bring pre-made dinners, crocheted or sewed items, handmade jewelry, paintings, crafts, etc to auction off. Also, allow people to auction off services they are willing to render like babysitting for a night, free hair cut, painting or  piano lessons and have everything set out on a table.

In the weeks before have handouts at church for each sister to take home. They earn points for the auction by doing different things daily like reading scriptures, attending the temple, exercise, saying prayers, etc. Each thing is worth a certain amount of points each day.

They then add up their points and that is how much they can “bid” on the night of the auction.

Why Christmas Trees Aren’t Perfect

During the dinner have someone read the story Why Christmas Trees Aren’t Perfect. Look for the book at your local library or book store. While the narrartor is reading the story you can have planned ahead to have a dramatization of the story by acting out the book.

Have songs such as “O Tannenbaum”  either performed or sung as an opening or closing hymn.

Decorate the tables with Christmas trees, tree stumps, shrubbery , wreaths or anything woodsy.

Favorite Things

This is a fun twist on a holiday gift exchange!

Have each sister pick one of their “favorite things” and bring one of them wrapped as a present.

Make sure everyone knows to keep the gift under $5. It could be store bought, or home or hand made.

The night of the activity write everyone’s name on a slip of paper and then have everyone pick a name. Whoever’s name they picked will receive their gift.

Go around one at a time so everyone can see what each person brought. Have the gifter explain why that is their favorite thing.

We did this recently and it was a huge hit with everyone of all ages. It was so fun to get to know each other this way and see what things people love!

There were so many different things such as: candles, cake mixes, socks, gift cards, treats, nativities, body wash, lotions, etc.

Christmas Jars

This activity is based around the story Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright

For the program ask someone to read the story,  it is short and sweet but very touching.

Here is a brief synopsis of the story from Amazon:

Hope, a journalist happens upon a human interest story that winds up teaching her lessons about love and forgiveness and renewing her own faith in human kindness. On Christmas Eve, twenty-something Hope Jensen is quietly grieving the recent loss of her adoptive mother when her apartment is robbed. The one bright spot in the midst of Hope’s despair is a small jar full of money someone has anonymously left on her doorstep. Eager to learn the source of this unexpected generosity, Hope uses her newswoman instincts to find other recipients of “Christmas jars,” digging until her search leads her to the family who first began the tradition of saving a year’s worth of spare change to give to someone in need at the holiday. T the heart of this novella is its transformative message about the power of giving.

At each place setting have a mason jar ready for each person to take home.

At the end of the story invite each sister to take their own Christmas Jar home and fill it with spare change.

Challenge them to prayerfully and thoughtfully consider who they would give their Christmas Jar to and who might be in need of a little hope this Christmas season.

You can find mason jars on Amazon or at your local thrift store.  Decoate each jar with a simple ribbon.

Nativity

For this program you simply read about Christ’s birthday from Luke 2 in the Bible.

Plan ahead and  ask people to dress up as  Joseph, Mary, the Inn Keeper, Shepherds, Angels and the Three Wisemen.

Have someone read out of the scriptures and then reverently have those dressed up  silently act out what is happening.  Consider asking a few Primary children to take on the roles.

Service Activity

Tie quilts for a local homeless shelter or hospital, collect items to be given to a women’s shelter or look up in your community for other service ideas.

Relief Society Christmas Dinner Ideas

After you decide on your theme the most important part of the evening is what you will be serving for dinner. Here are some ideas to help you think outside of the box.

Breakfast for dinner including egg casseroles, cinnamon rolls, fruit, juice

Pajamas and pancakes

Taco Salad Bar

Taco Bar

Spaghetti bar with different noodles, sauces, salad and garlic bread

Soups and rolls or bead bowls

Have people sign up to bring a lasagna and have the committee provide salads and garlic toast

Hawaiian Haystacks

Cafe Rio Style Salad and Burrito Bar

Baked Potato Bar with lots of yummy toppings (bacon, sour cream, cheese, chili, butter, veggies)

Ham, potatoes and rolls and have people sign up to bring pies

Brisket and rolls

French dipped sandwiches and chips

Order pizza and provide salads

Smorgasbord- have everyone bring a Christmas dish that is a tradition in their family

Relief Society Christmas Decorating Ideas

If your program doesn’t have a specific theme consider some of the following for great decorating ideas. For our Relief Society Birthday Celebration earlier this year, we used Shindigz for custom and beautiful decorations. Definitely look into them as well!

• Have sisters sign up to decorate a table. They will provide the centerpiece, decorations, plates (can be paper or china), silverware, cups, etc. Have them come during the day before the activity so they have plenty of time to set up.
• Decorate with nativities. Invite several sisters in your ward to set up their nativities around the room, or as the centerpiece to the tables.
• Use wrapping paper as table cloths and use ribbon and bows on the backs of the chairs.
• Use Christmas trees, greenery, garland, big bows to decorate the tables and door ways.

Relief Society Christmas Gift Ideas

• Kitchen Told
• 12 Days of Christmas Jar – you can enter your email here to get details on everything that was in the jar!

• Charity Never Faileth Pendant Necklace
• Small lotion or hand sanitizer with a quote
• White elephant ornament exchange

Ornament (I LOVE this clothespin nativity ornament. You could easily make one).

• Some kind of homemade treat (bread and butter, caramel corn, chocolate dipped pretzels, etc.)
• Relief Society Bookmark
• Christmas Print
• Candle
• Pretty Living Christ or Family Proclamation Print

At the end of the day the important thing is that you help the Relief Society sister feel loved and help them to feel the Christmas spirit.