What are some fun activities for ladies’ church groups, especially around the holidays? It’s a festive time of year to plan such gatherings, but if you’re in charge of coming up with ideas, you might want some help. Over the years, I’ve attended a lot of holiday gatherings for Relief Society, one of the largest women’s organizations in the world. Here are some of the best party and social ideas that I still remember because they were impactful and fun. These are great holiday activities church women’s groups of all denominations will love, and they can be easily modified to suit many women’s organizations needs.
Service Opportunities for Women
Charity Spotlights
I don’t recall what this event was specifically called, but the idea was to feature as many local service opportunities as possible. Our group of women in attendance was large, so there were a number of round tables set up in the room. Each table was decorated to feature a local charity. At the time, I served on the Board of Directors for our local public library, so I was asked to 
decorate the table to represent our Friends of the Library organization. I did so with a variety of used books (which the occupants of that table could select and keep) and pamphlets about our organization. Other tables featured several organizations, some of which I knew about, but several I did not. That evening’s event also included a guest speaker from a local charity who spoke while we enjoyed a light dinner. Before leaving that evening, we were all armed with pamphlets, brochures, and a master list of local charities someone had prepared. That holiday season we knew where to find service opportunities for ourselves, families, and anyone else who was interested.
Mega Service Night
If you’ve never participated in a group effort to collect items for those in need, it’s really something you shouldn’t miss. There’s a feeling of camaraderie that accompanies such efforts. One year before the holidays, our organization’s leader contacted a homeless shelter for men to see how we could help. We were asked to purchase supplies for and assemble hygiene kits. We were given a list of needed supplies, quantities, and sizes of items. Everything needed to fit into toiletry bags that had been donated for the purpose. So we hunted for deals, shared tips, and worked on the supplies until we had enough. Then we gathered to assemble everything: one night, all of us women, all at once. It was fantastic! We had several hundred bags ready in no time, and it was the best holiday gathering we could have held for ourselves. Every community has needs to be filled. A search in your locale should turn up just the right opportunity for your group.
Fun Activities for Women’s Groups
Cooking Classes
Someone or several someones in your organization are surely cooking whizzes. Let them show off their skills and teach everyone. Since it’s right before or during the holidays, there’s even a chance the ladies will try to cook from scratch. Show them how to bake pies, bread, cookies, candy–whatever is popular. Or simplify things and show them how to cook with already-made products at your local grocery store. My favorite roll recipe, one I’ve used for 15 years, came from just such an activity. Of course, you’ll want to offer samples and a tasting table. Pass around a sign-up sheet beforehand and invite everyone to bring their favorite holiday dishes, along with a copy of the recipe. After the event, ask someone to compile the recipes and send them to each lady as a keepsake Christmas present. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just type up the recipes and send them out.
These are my favorite rolls to bake. I learned how to make them in a Relief Society cooking class.
Best China Table Settings
Several times I have attended Christmas dinners where each table was decorated with someone’s china or cute holiday place settings. Large round tables work best for this gathering. At my church, we normally ask for eight volunteers to set eight tables. The room is available hours beforehand to ensure enough time to decorate. The beauty is that each table is different, and it’s fun to see the unique talents of each lady through their decorations and styles.
Christ in CHRISTmas with Nativity Displays
See if any ladies in your group have nativity creches they would loan for display one evening. Carefully gather them and place them as centerpieces for each table. Again, round tables work best if you have them. It’s beautiful to see how many varieties of nativities there are. Throughout the Christmas season, it’s becoming more and more rare, unfortunately, to see nativity displays. Your group can enjoy viewing them and eating a delicious meal together. You might also share a short nativity script or reenactment with the group, both organized and prepared ahead of time. It’s also the perfect atmosphere for a group singing of Silent Night and other appropriate songs.
Want to add a small nativity printable to each place setting? Feel free to use our free link here. I took the picture. All I ask is that you not use the printable for resale. Just enjoy and share.
Free Nativity printables available as one 4×6 or a sheet of gift tags, 8×10.
These fun holiday activities for church women’s groups are, for the most part, economical and very manageable to organize. Try to keep them simple and enjoyable for everyone. If each lady does a small part, these get-togethers can become traditions and favorite holiday memories.
And don’t just gather during the holidays. Make it year-round fun with lady friends, using these great ideas that are also doable and economical.
Have you organized or attended a church women’s group holiday activity? If so, I’d love to hear what you did and what worked well. Thank you for sharing your comments so that others might learn too.
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